chapter 1 - routine

Peter and Dorothy had been married for five years. Their lives were not particularly exciting and revolved around routine.
Peter got up first as he worked further away. He made both of their breakfasts. Dorothy got up later, washed and cleared away the breakfast things, tidied up from the night before. She liked her house to look nice, just in case someone should call around.
Peter would arrive home before her, so he would start cooking their dinner, ready for her coming home.
On a Monday evening, Peter would go out to the gym while Dorothy finished the washing and ironing.
On a Tuesday evening, Dorothy went out to her choir practice while Peter got on with a DIY project.
A Wednesday evening was Peter’s turn to go to the gym, while Dorothy cleaned the bathroom.
On a Thursday evening, they would both go out to the supermarket to do the weekly food shop.
On a Friday, Peter would go out to the pub with his mates.
Dorothy could spend all day shopping for bargains in town on a Saturday.
Sunday morning was a hive of activity. Peter vacuumed all the floors while Dorothy dusted the surfaces. With all the cleaning done, he got on with making the Sunday dinner, while Dorothy got started with the week’s washing.
A fair weather bank holiday was for gardening. An inclement bank holiday was for redecorating.
Most holidays were spent going away. This meant a deep clean of the whole house before they left, just so that it would look nice when they came back.
Christmas consisted of weeks of cleaning and preparation for the celebration. They had only just recovered from the hard work from Christmas when they had more hard work to prepare for the new year.
They only just recovered from that and it was back to work, back to the everyday routine.

They made time to visit friends’ houses for coffee or drinks. Their own house had to look clean any tidy all the time just in case those same friends dropped by their house to socialise.

They were satisfied with their lives. They didn’t need anything more. They could continue their mundane routine for years.
Neither of them were interested in having children. They didn’t think about the future.