The Kettle That Would Not Boil
By Christian Brydges
On the morning of the Harvest Supper, Dorothy Fenwick discovered that her kettle had stopped working. This was a serious matter, because Dorothy was responsible for forty cups of tea and had no intention of explaining to the Women's Auxiliary why there was none.
She tried the plug. She tried the switch. She tried the other socket. She stood very still and looked at the kettle as though it might reconsider. It did not.
Her neighbour Harold Pryce, who had been watching from his garden, appeared at the door with an extension cord and a look of quiet helpfulness. He said nothing about the difficulty. He simply plugged in his own kettle, set it beside hers, and waited.
By the time the tea was made, Dorothy had decided that helpfulness is less about solving things and more about staying until they are solved.