I sighed as I sat on the couch and looked over at my son Alex. “Well, I guess if we’re quarantined…” I stopped myself. “I mean social distancing ourselves I might as well get some things done around the house.”
“There you go!” Alex said. “Always looking for that silver lining!”
I went into the kitchen and opened up the Tupperware drawer. Inside was a jumble of containers and lids just tossed in. “I swear I just cleaned this out a month or two ago!” I cried then realized I was the one who’d been unloading the dishwasher so it was me who’d been dumping them in there. “Okay,” I began taking the containers out and stacking them on the counter. “From now on I’m going to take the time to put them away the right way.”
Once I finished the Tupperware drawer and was about to move to the silverware drawer my husband Steven came into the kitchen. “What are you up to?” he asked.
“I’m bored so I’m getting some cleaning done.” I opened the silverware drawer where I could see my unloading of the dishwasher skills were lacking there too.
“Well, if you’re looking for things to do could you sew a button back on one of my shirts?”
I looked over at Steven and closed the drawer. “That sounds better than cleaning out the silverware drawer.”
Steven looked surprised. “Really? That’s great I’ll go get it!” He went to our bedroom while I headed to the laundry room to get my sewing basket. Steven came into the room carrying the shirt. “This is perfect!” he said, handing me the shirt. “I’ve been meaning to sew it on but I kept forgetting.”
I looked for the tags inside the shirt where they sometimes put extra buttons. I could see they’d once been there but were now missing.
Steven watched what I’d been doing. “I already used the extra button a few months ago. I thought you had a jar of buttons?”
I looked at him, surprised that he’d remembered that. “I haven’t needed that button jar in years.”
I began looking on the shelves. Tucked back in the corner was a small mason jar filled with buttons. I picked it up and went into the living room with my sewing basket and his shirt.
Alex was still on the couch while I poured the buttons out of the container and onto the coffee table. “This is where the fun starts.” I said as I began sorting through the buttons looking for one that was close to matching the one on his shirt.
Alex leaned forward and began looking with me. We took turns thinking we’d found a similar button only to hold it up to the shirt and realize it wasn’t. “Where did all these buttons come from?” he asked.
“When you were little, you and your brother were pretty tough on your clothes.” I finally found one that matched. “I was always sewing a ripped sleeve or replacing a button on your shirts or pants.” I went into my sewing basket to find the matching color thread and a needle. “So when you’d outgrow your clothes I’d take the buttons off them first and that’s how my button collection began!” I waved my hand over the pile of buttons.
Alex laughed as he picked up the giant red and yellow buttons and held them up. “I’m assuming these came from an old clown costume you made me wear?”
I shook my head and laughed as I looked over at the ones he had in his hand. “I have no idea where those came from, or when I’d ever use them.” I began scooping the buttons back into the mason jar. Then I reached over and took the two giant buttons from Alex and dropped them back into the jar. “But you never know, so back they go!”
Slice of Life 