The tired mom stood at the kitchen sink, mechanically chipping away at the mountain of dirty dishes stacked on the counter. This was one of two chores left that she had to get done before she could go to bed and try and enjoy a meagre five hours of restless sleep.
Oh, what she wouldn’t give for a dish washer, so she wouldn’t have to stand on her feet after such a long day. What she wouldn’t give for an extra pair of hands, so she could finish faster. What she wouldn’t give for a day off, so she could stay in bed and sleep all day.
She glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight. *Sigh* I should be in bed, she thought. Oh, how I wish…
Just then she felt a light tapping on her shoulder. Startled, she spun around. Standing there was woman she’d never seen before. “Hello dear, I’m your Fairy Mother-in-Law.”
“Oh?!” says the mom, whilst frantically rubbing her eyes. This didn’t make the woman disappear, so at least she wasn’t hallucinating. “Fairy Mother-in-Law, you say? Come to help me with the dishes?”
“No dear, that’s what Fairy Godmothers are for. We Fairy Mothers-in-Law don’t actually do any work.”
“Oh, so much like regular mothers-in-law?”
“I’m going to let that slide, because it’s late and you’re tired. I’m here to help by granting you the wish you were about to make.”
“How did you…”
“Fairy, dear, the title does kind of give it away. I’m here to grant you one wish. One wish for whatever your heart desires. No matter how impossible you may think it to be. The only restrictions are that I cannot make anyone fall in love with you, and cannot bring anyone back from the dead.”
“So, you’re like a stingy genie? They at least give you three wishes.”
“Again, I will let that slide, even though you are starting to test the limits of my patience.”
“You’re right, Fairy Mother-in-Law, how ungrateful and rude of me. Well, if this is really happening, then I’d better think this through. Cause I was going to go small at first, you know, a dishwasher. Maybe a loving husband like that guy from This is Us who might actually help with the dishes from time to time. But if the sky is the limit, so to speak, well, this demands serious thought and consideration. Just off the top of my head, I do have a few wishes that I thought never-in-my-wildest-dreams would ever come true. But how to choose…”
“I have toyed around with the idea of being able to clone myself at will. You know, then one version of me could help pick up the slack, or take over so the real me could catch up on some much needed rest. But now I’m not so sure that would be a wise investment of that single wish.”
The underlying issue is time, isn’t it?! There’s just not enough hours in the day to get things done…
She continues, “The underlying issue is time, isn’t it?! There’s just not enough hours in the day to get things done and have a decent night’s rest. So do I wish for more hours in the day?!”
No, that didn’t feel right either. She thought back to her day. Yes, she had a lot of chores and little time, but what was equally exhausting was having to deal with her atypical son’s meltdowns. And she couldn’t even be mad at him; it’s not his fault he’s wired differently. If only she could communicate with him, really communicate and get through to him. That would save them both a whole lot of frustration. Yes, that’s it. That’s what she could wish for.
“O.k. Fairy Mother-in-Law. I wish… “
BEEPBEEP BEEPBEEP BEEPBEEP BEEPBEEP BEEP
“Ah, come on!” The sleepy mom angrily snoozed her alarm. “I wish for five more minutes of sleep.” But in her heart of hearts, she knew that was one wish that would definitely not come true.
What would you wish for if your Fairy Mother-in-Law came a-tappin‘?
*If you enjoyed this post, check out more of my fiction here.
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