Keeping up Appearances

A warm June evening and a smoky smell wafts into the room, brought in by a soft breeze. All is quiet, the CD player firmly turned off and 'is this the way to Amarillo' no longer echoing through the house.

My wife has gone out and asked me to record a television programme about a woman with multiple personalities. She kept asking me if I was sure I knew what side it was on. How many programmes about women with multiple personalities are on tonight?
I'd better check.

We'd spent hours tidying up the house before she welcomed in her friend. I used to hate this tidying business, moving things around and hiding things just because people were coming in for five minutes. This was until last weekend, when we visited our friends BP and his wife. Their house was a complete mess, with no attempt at even minor tidying, and I felt strangely offended. Were we not even worth a little tidy?

So I think the future for us lies in more tidying; battling the onslaught of junk and hiding the clutter. I've even spent some time tonight putting CDs back in their boxes. We might even make an effort when BP and his wife call.