We are at war over the little table. The first time she came, she rearranged all the furniture except the bed, I guess assuming that I didn’t know where it was all supposed to go. When I put it all back where I wanted it, she pretty much left it alone, except for the chair and little table. Every single time she comes she hauls the table into the corner, and puts the chair by the fridge. Every single time I come home, I drag the table and chair back into the middle of the room by the bed so I can put my feet up while I eat. There are no words exchanged in this steady conflict, so I don’t see us breaking our impasse. She can’t stay in my room all day waiting for me to get home so she can guard the table from me, and I can’t stay home during the day when she is there to protect the table’s right to be in middle of the room. And so the table continues to go back and forth, across no man’s land, like the child of divorced parents, never sure where is going to go next, or where it belongs. Will it be in the corner for Christmas? Or by the bed?
Sometimes she rearranges my food and I can’t find my tea. I can’t imagine that she thinks it is useful to me for her to move all my food around, so it must be that she is trying to distract me, as though if I am too busy looking for my tea I won’t have time to move the table back. But my apartment is very small, and eventually I find my tea, and then I go move the table.
Today I came home and she had moved all my moisturizers and creams from my bedstand over to the food table, by the hot plate. Why? What does that even mean?
4 comments:
I moved all the tables the morning after you left.
Memories, memories! So, paying 15 guys to watch one guy use a shovel is unique? You must watch more closely every time you go by a highway construction site. We always find that amusing. Pavemento de Cabo in Mexico is especially fun to watch. We laugh when we see road work anywhere, and it has become part of our vocab to say that pavemento de cabo is on the job. Regarding "workers" everywhere, that reminds me of the "stealie" boys in Okinawa. You paid them to watch your stuff. If you did not pay, you would certaintly lose your stuff, but by paying for protection, they earned a living and we did not worry. I, too, wonder aboutthe security guards at places. They were everywhere in Nassau, but mostly asleep when you walked by. Maids are a pain in the butt, in my opinion. I have tried this a couple of times, when I was still working. I would rather do my own cleaning. Yes, the furniture stays where I want it. Love your posts. We hope to see your mom and dad later on this week.
I recall being lectured once (and only once) on my not folding the clothes correctly (the pairing of socks)and another time how I wasn't washing the dishes correctly (using the wrong sink for rinsing). Peter's first law of domesticity: Only complement, never criticize how someone else does the chores you'd rather not be doing. On the other hand (and I trust the Kenneths can back me up on this) as long as I can still find my chair, I'm not too concerned about the furniture topography.
p.
Hi Evelyn, Ganesh would like to put in a few words... don't panic.... don't faint.....it isn't the celestial Lord Ganesh, just the down to earth dad of your friend Poonam!
Thought I should clarify a misconception before you are ripped-off financially: A 'Lakh' is Rs.100,000, a 'Crore' is 100 Lakhs. (We don't usually use the term 'Million' here, except to boast to Americans that there are far more Millionares in India than in America!).
And those guys who danced taking forward and backward steps were performing a Folk Dance form called 'Lezzim' - it typifies the way India makes its progress: one step forward followed by two steps backward!
Sheila and I were debating whether to call you over for our Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration, but decided that you may find it uninteresting. Obviously, we were wrong! Must say you missed some really good Puja food prepared by Sheila.
And yes, Maids can be a real pain in the neck and if you can 'manage' them its as good as qualifying for an MBA!
Will keep reading your blogs. Take care and keep well.
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