Woe Is Me

Right away I can imagine the types of responses I am going to get to this post, yet it must be said: life around Casa Dalal has been quite difficult over the last several weeks without a live-in maid. Our former housekeeper, Aurora, has left us due to a combination of health problems and numerous family tragedies over the past few months. While we didn’t find her to be the best cook, cleaner, conversationalist, or even direction follower regarding household matters, we loved her because she was extremely trustworthy and she was GREAT with Asha. After nine months of having her in our home, she became a second mom/best friend to Asha – and Asha was truly the love of her life. I could always see the joy on Aurora’s face when after a weekend away she would return to find Asha running into her arms.

So we have now been left with the tasks of cleaning our own house, cooking our own food and – heaven forbid – taking complete care of our own child (for whom we probably had less responsibility in NJ where we had no housekeeper but instead have a family to be rivaled only by the likes of the Barones from Everybody Loves Raymond).

Perhaps what has exacerbated the loss of Aurora was the fact that Asha has been on Easter Break for two and a half weeks now. Luckily Sonny had a few days off as well so we were able to get away on some weekend and day trips. Still, that first week – even with Sonny around to help so much – I was with her for a minumim of 22.5 hours a day (on the days I actually went to the gym) – not that I am counting, mind you - and my patience began to wane as she jumped on furniture, threw things on the floor just to get a reaction and limited her vocabulary to “No” and “I want this” to anything in her line of vision.

And then began week two – during which we tackled potty training. Thus came the experiences of running to the potty every fifteen minutes, waiting in the bathroom for something to happen, often having that “something” happen before we made it to the potty and then washing loads of pee-soaked clothes, combined with being trapped in the house all week and missing our friends (her and me), having Sonny away for two days on a business trip, and trying to survive a disaster of a house.

While I am fully aware at how ridiculous I sound agonizing over the loss of a live-in maid, especially to my friends back home, where we all take care of our own kids and clean our own homes (aside from the weekly cleaning lady, perhaps), the only justification I have for my self pity is: This is one of the reasons I moved to Mexico, dammit! I have given up my tv shows, my vegetarian food, my evenings whiling away at Barnes & Noble – every comfort I knew in NJ. All I want in return is a trustworthy live-in maid. Is it really too much to ask?