Sweeping

It's Friday. This means that we clean our room. Remove everything that touches the ceramic tile floor out the door and into the long, vacant hallway. That way we're able to sweep and mop the floor and still, let it dry before hauling it all back in. I like having a clean room, so it doesn't bother me, especially since the three of us work together.

I'm always in charge of sweeping. Maybe it's because I know how to say broom in Spanish, or maybe I don't look like the mopping type, but somehow I always sweep. This is also okay with me. I like sweeping. When I sweep I'm reminded how it's normally a job for two, one for the broom and another for the dust pan. But it only takes one of me, a broom in one hand and a dust pan in the other. I remember the fist time I swept by myself, how accomplished I felt. I wanted people to notice what I was capable of.

But as I swept today, I wondered if everyone sweeps by themselves. Have they all learned the technique by now? Surely. Does anyone ever need help? Does anyone ever offer to help? Suddenly, I didn't want to do it on my own anymore. I wanted help. I felt myself moving into a quiet sulk. Doesn't anyone know that this was a job made for two?