Contamination OCD: What is that in my kitchen sink?

I saw Larry bringing a bicycle tire tube into the house. He walked in right beside where I was sitting at my computer. But I didn’t say anything.

I really didn’t think anything, either.

I knew he was looking for a possible hole in my bike tire, so I guess I just figured, vaguely, that it had something to do with that.

I was focusing on what I was doing, so I didn’t say a word.

Then I heard the water running in the kitchen.

I got up and walked to the kitchen door.

There my husband stood, tire tube in the sink. He was turning it round and round, looking for a hole.

In the kitchen sink.

I don’t even remember for sure what I said. Something like, “Oh, no, tell me you’re not doing that.”

I heard him call out, “What did you say?”

I was already on the way back to my computer.

I decided that I just didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want to stand and stare at something that would only upset me.

He would have to take care of any cleaning up, I decided.

He soon brought the tire tube to me, showing me the hole and asking me to mark it with a yellow highlighter, since I didn’t have any chalk.

I still didn’t say anything about the sink.

Let him handle it, I told myself.

Later, when he came back into the house from his shop, I did ask him about it.

“You’re going to wash out the sink, aren’t you?”

“Why would I need to do that?” he asked.

I knew that he was teasing me and that he would be washing the sink.

I just didn’t want to watch.

  Have you ever just let go like this, when you knew trying to control the situation would only upset you?