It was the weekend, and Karin was looking forward to sleeping in after a stressful week. At exactly six thirty on Saturday morning, a drill started rumbling from the neighbor's side of the wall of their semi-detached house. Karin was startled awake and for a moment hoped the racket would stop. But the drill kept on drilling, moving closer and further away again, and it was clear that its work would continue. For a moment she stared angrily at the ceiling, then pulled her husband's pillow off his head
Eddie, please go talk to them.
Ed mumbled that she should also put a pillow over her head and keep sleeping.
Karin sat up straight
You have to talk to them!
Ed thought about it as deeply as his sleepiness would allow. If I go in there, it'll be awkward to argue, they'll want to continue, that's for sure, they'll try to persuade me, we won't agree.
If I don't go, Karin will be mad, and things will be tense for a week.
The hopelessness of the situation made him angry
I said put your headphones on and put a pillow over your head!
Karin sensed his irritation, but she wanted to sleep, and the headphones only allowed her to lie on her back. The drill continued mercilessly.
What should Karin do?
1) Snidely ask Ed if he's afraid of the neighbors, letting him know that he's not fulfilling the role of the man of the house which he should be.
2) Go deal with the neighbors herself.
3) Say Love, I've always admired how well YOU can handle other people's spiteful antics. I'm totally freaking out here about how they are making a racket, but you're such a practical person who doesn't let himself be needlessly upset. You're right that no one enjoys arguing, so let's get up now too, and you can help me iron bedsheets, because otherwise they just keep falling off the ironing board, cause they're so long. Then we could go to the garden center right away and buy some more plants, and then since you'll already be out in the garden, you could dig the holes to put them in....
4) Something else.
What should Karin do?
Something else - write a comment.
Go to talk to the neighbors herself.
Use female diplomacy on Ed.
Ask Ed whether he's afraid of the neighbors.
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