Jasmine and olive oil soap

She got her nails done today

sweet, peach-colored and smelled of chemicals,

her nails glittered.

She dared not wash the dishes

and as she stood confused in front of the sink:

she hated dirty dishes in the sink because it reminded her of her mother

who always did that. That which her father hated

and multiple mornings were consumed by arguments about the priorities of life and household.

she hated the dishes in the sink, but she loved the shine in her nails.

She looked at her cat, and her cat looked at her.

“I have no answer”

We all know that her predicament could be solved by a modern invention called plastic gloves.

But it was more than that. She stood there facing her mother and father.

facing the fears of committing a similar mistake.

And as her heart plunged, she wore some plastic bags because she did not have gloves.

After she was done, she washed her hands with the bar soap that her grandmother made.

She inhaled and exhaled slowly

smelling the traces of the olive oil and jasmine that her grandmother picked on a distant afternoon.