I Didn't Get Into This Marriage For A Clean House

A few weeks ago I was chatting with my mother over the phone when she said, "Doesn't it bother you that Mel won't keep a cleaner house?" It was a Saturday. I was working on the dishes. I honestly didn't know what to say. My mother didn't say it in an antagonist way or anything. It was more out of curiosity.

She'd obviously noticed that our home wasn't al…