The night sky blanketed the city in silence, but inside Adi and Maya's small apartment, the atmosphere suddenly turned awkward. The living room light glowed dimly, reflecting off a pile of dirty dishes waiting to be washed on the coffee table. In the corner chair, a stack of clean clothes as shirts, t-shirts, and trousers lay half-neatly folded.
Adi and Maya sat on a narrow sofa that only fit two people, each holding a cup of warm tea. Maya took a deep breath and stared at her husband before sipping the last of her tea. She placed the cup on the table and looked at the dishes.
"Adi." she said gently but firmly, "you remember your promise this morning, right? You said you'd wash the dishes after work."
Adi turned his head, his brown eyes wide open, cheeks flushing with surprise.
"Uh… yeah, I remember. But didn't you say you'd do the ironing?" He tried to smile, easing the tension. "We agreed to divide the chores."
Maya pressed her lips, her smile tinged with disappointment.
"That was the plan. But I already did the laundry this afternoon before you got home. So tonight, it's just dishes and taking out the trash." She pointed at the pile of plates, now taller than her own head.
Adi frowned slightly, then tapped his chest gently.
"I thought that was your job." he said hesitantly. "Yesterday, you said you'd handle the 'light chores so your back wouldn't hurt.'"
Maya was taken aback, the teaspoon in her hand pausing midair. She swallowed.
"If you meant the laundry, yes. But washing dishes is different. I have to stand for a long time, bend over, and the soap dries out my hands. That's not a light chore." Her voice trembled, but she held back from exploding.
Adi stood, stretching his waist, trying to explain.
"Sorry, I misunderstood. I was tired from the office too, May. I thought helping carry the laundry bucket earlier was what you meant about your back pain."
Maya straightened up, her eyes filled with quiet hope.
"Look, Adi, these dishes have piled up since breakfast, lunch, and your coffee breaks. If we leave them, bugs could come. It's not a small issue, it's our shared responsibility."
Silence fell. Only the soft clink of a fork at the edge of the table could be heard. Adi lowered his head, remorseful. He rubbed his temple and took a deep breath.
"Sorry, May. I didn't pay enough attention. I'll wash them now."
Maya watched him gently, the furrow in her brow slowly easing.
"Thank you." she said softly. "If we just communicated clearly from the start, arguments like this wouldn't happen."
Adi nodded and picked up a notepad from the table.
"Let's reorganize the evening chore schedule." He opened a spreadsheet on his phone, but Maya was quicker. She grabbed a marker and a small whiteboard hanging in the corner.
On the whiteboard, Maya drew two vertical lines, creating two wide columns. In bold writing, she wrote:
ADI – WASH DISHES & TAKE OUT TRASH
MAYA – IRON & FOLD CLOTHES
She pinned the board on the wall near the kitchen, so it would be visible every time they stepped away from the sofa. Maya took a step back and smiled faintly.
"Easy to see, right?"
Adi took Maya's cup and swapped it with a dry towel for drying the rinsed dishes.
"I'll start here." he said, tilting his head. He filled a large pan with warm water, added a few drops of dish soap, and placed the first plate inside.
Maya stood and followed him to the kitchen.
"I'll help with the folding once you're done. We'll do this together."
As the soap bubbles and warm water swirled, a small miracle happened: the tension that had peaked slowly melted away with each lather. Adi scrubbed the plates calmly, and with every stroke of the sponge, he felt his burdens lighten little by little. Maya neatly folded the clothes, one by one, stacking them into an organized pile.
After a few minutes, Adi leaned his head closer to Maya, a shy smile spreading across his face.
"Sorry about that little quarrel earlier." he whispered between the sounds of running water.
Maya gently patted his back as she wiped the last plate.
"It's okay. What matters is we're resolving it together." She reached for the final cup, rinsed it, and placed it on the drying rack.
The mood of the evening shifted from tension to harmony. In the kitchen corner, the ceiling lamp cast a warm glow, bouncing off the now-clean tiles. Once the dishes were stacked neatly on the rack, Adi grabbed the trash bag, tied it properly, and headed to the back door to throw it out. Maya covered the folded clothes with a light blanket, making sure everything was ready for the next morning.
The night grew late, and though their little home wasn't perfect, it looked far more orderly than when they had first walked into the living room. Adi and Maya returned to the sofa, taking the same spots as before the quarrel, with a cup of tea in hand, nestled into the narrow cushions. But this time, their gaze was warmer and softer.
"Thanks for reorganizing the schedule." Adi said quietly. "I'll be more mindful about the house chores."
Maya reached for Adi's hand, intertwining their fingers.
"I'll be clearer when talking about task division too. Good communication is the key." She smiled, glancing at the whiteboard on the wall.
"And we can add more chores if needed, like cleaning the room or cooking together."
Adi nodded enthusiastically.
"Agreed! The more detailed, the better." He sipped the last of his warm tea and handed the empty cup to Maya.
Maya stood, took Adi's cup, and walked to the kitchen to rinse it. Adi followed, picking up a cloth to wipe the now-empty coffee table.
As he wiped the surface, Maya quickly added two more points to the whiteboard:
WED & SAT: CLEAN THE ROOM
TUES: COOK DINNER TOGETHER
"Easy to follow." Maya said as she double-checked the list. "We'll use this board as our guide."
Adi put down the cloth, turned around, and hugged Maya from behind.
"I'm grateful to have you." Adi whispered. "Even if we argue at night, the most important thing is we always recover together."
Maya placed her hands over his, turning slowly until their foreheads touched.
"I'm grateful for you too." Maya replied. "Every day, we're learning to be a better couple."
That night, before heading to their bedroom, they synchronized their breathing, smiled at each other, and switched on the hallway light that led them to the bedroom. There, the bed waited with its warm blanket. Adi pulled Maya close and they lay down together, arms wrapped around one another.
"Good night, my wife," Adi whispered.
"Good night, my husband." Maya replied.
With lighter hearts, they closed their eyes and in the quiet of the night, their little home whispered softly:
"We can get through this together."