SHE
As I lie bedbound and suffering yet another migraine, I sense movement around me but hear nothing as she changes the ice pack on my head. Later I awaken to find my beverages refreshed. My room is organized and cleaned. This is one of my “mal dia.” She knows just what to do. Without instruction she has cleaned my house, pre-prepared my food, and organized my life. She is such an integral part of my life; I don’t know what I would do without her.
If I cannot find something, I contact her and ask her in my broken Spanish. She always knows where it is. We teach each other cooking tricks, we shop online, we talk about our families, she checks in on me daily. By phone or computer since she lives a good distance from my home. She translates for me when I cannot accomplish a task by telephone. One day I walked into the spare bedroom and found her with my sewing kit mending a button that was about to fall from one of my dresses. I, of course, hadn’t even noticed the problem.
In her time with me she has played many roles, nurse, caregiver, cleaner, plumber, chauffeur, personal shopper, cook, baker, confessor, tailor, fashion consultant, cultural translator and my go-to person for everything.
My life is infinitely better with her in it.
Sitting and watching the morning rain, I worry about her. She and her husband and two of their three children live in her father’s home in Ajijic. Not only does she care for her father, but she also cares for several extended family members. I note that the force of the rain becomes more intense. Their home is far from waterproof how bad will it be this time? Living one block from the lake, the rain cascades down from the mountain crosses the Carretera and continues like a raging river to escape into the lake, and it floods their house. In times when the rainy season is very good for the lake, her home contains standing water the saturation level too great to allow any drainage, and the roof leaks especially with the hard rains, their clothes in the closet become too wet to wear. Out of necessity, they are unable to clear and completely dry out the home until the end of the rainy season. She feels blessed that the water does not rise to the level of their beds. I contact her and ask if she would like to use my dryer. There is nothing more I can do.
She surrounds herself with music and lives her faith with deep dedication. She donates time for cooking food for the hungry and is active in all the community celebrations. We have shared tears only when there has been a family emergency, and she never complains.
She is so much more than her title implies, more than label of “friend” can communicate. At times she is more than a description of family would imply. Other people call her my maid. But to me, she is part of my life force.
- Editor’s Page – March 2025 - February 27, 2025
- Editor’s Page – February 2025 - January 29, 2025
- Editor’s Page – January 2025 - December 23, 2024
