Fiction#220......Fair share.

It was a Saturday morning,a free weekend for the three siblings, Cindy, Charles and Matt. They were in the sitting room each engrossed with their different activities respectively. While on that, their mother walked in with a smile on her face. “Don't forget, kids, it's time to do the dishes. Who is going to take care of it?”

They all looked at each other and the room fell silent. Cindy spoke up first, “I did them yesterday, mom. Can't Charles do them today?”

Charles shook his head energetically. “No way Cindy, l did two days ago. It's Matt’s turn.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “You guys are always trying to run off from doing the dishes all the time. I'm not doing it.”

Their mom laughed. “Well I think you guys need to figure this out amongst yourselves. Why don't you draw straws? Whoever gets the short straw does the dishes.” The siblings looked at each other and they all agreed with their mother’s idea.

Their mom pulled out three straws of different lengths and handed them to the kids. “Okay, let's see who gets the short straw.”

Each of them drew a straw and revealed them. Cindy's straw was the shortest and she let out a loud sigh.

“Seriouly? Again?” Cindy exclaimed, not smiling. “I guess I'm doing the dishes today.”

Charles and Matt smiled at each other. They were grinning from ear to ear. “Sorry, Cindy ", Matt said trying to sympathize with his sister.” Cindy playfully rolled her eyes. “You guys are so lucky. I'm going to make sure I get back at you guys.” She said.

As Cindy headed to the kitchen to do the dishes, Charles and Matt went back to what they were doing. Meanwhile, Cindy put on her favorite music from her phone while she carried out the chore of washing the dishes. She washed the plates, scrubbed the pots and rinsed them thoroughly before she staked them in their appropriate places. As she worked, she thought about how drawing straws had been a fair way to decide who would do the dishes.

When she finished in the kitchen, she wiped her hands with a towel and walked back into the sitting room. “Done!” she announced with a smile on her face.

Charles and Matt looked up from their activities and applauded her. “Well done Cindy,” Charles said smiling.

“Thanks for doing the dishes, we owe you one.” Matt added.

Cindy smiled feeling satisfied with the outcome. “No problem guys, but next time, I will not take it easy on you guys.”

They all smiled, and their mother walked in to the sitting room, with a proud smile on her face. “I'm glad you kids were able to figure it out among yourselves. Drawing straws is the best way to make decisions.”

“Yes, it's fair. Everyone has an equal share of getting the short straw.” Charles added.

Matt agreed. “ It’s not like we didn't know what we were getting into. We all agreed to draw straws.”

“It’s not so bad doing the dishes, I got to listen to my favorite songs while I was in the kitchen. It was fun" Cindy said.

Their mom smiled, pleased with the way her kids handled the situation. “I'm proud of you kids for being so understanding and cooperative. Keep up the good work.” Their mom encouraged.

As they continued with their day, they knew that drawing straws had been the best way to decide who would do the dishes and they looked forward using the same method for future chores.

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Thank you all for reading.

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