Mery is coming
tomorrow. She is my cleaner. Well she is not mine actually. I sub-let
her.
Mery is the
live-in helper of my Scottish friend. My Scottish friend's name is Jo which is short
for Joanna. Mery's main job is to look after Jo and her family. To domestically
assist them. Jo's husband is French. They both work full time. Jo and Frenchy
have two wee bairns. Les enfants Charlotte and Ben. Both children are both
adorable. Frenchy's name is Anthony. He doesn't know that Mery does cleaning
for me. He wouldn't like it apparently.
It's a French
thing.
So it's a
secret that Jo, Mery and I share.
C'est la vie.
Like many
domestic helpers here in Singapore Mery is from the Philippines. She lives in.
Helpers don't get paid very much, especially compared to what we Westerners
earn. They are very affordable. One doesn't use the term maid anymore. It is
passé. The term Helper seems softer. Kinder. There are quite strict labour laws
for employing these helpers. There are Rules and Regulations. As there should
be. As a single man living alone I wouldn't be able to qualify for a live-in
helper. Nor would I want one. Nor indeed do I need one.
My apartment
is tiny.
I am happy to
sub-let.
I have actually
only met Mery a couple of times but she is very sweet and I like her a lot. She
has my spare key and lets herself in and out to clean for me. Like many things
and people in Singapore she comes and goes. Whilst I am at work. It's not every
week either. I travel a lot so I don't need her when I am away. Ours is a
casual arrangement. I pay her in cash and we correspond a lot by notes.
I will often
leave a note asking Mery to do something specific. Like cleaning my windows. I
have learnt to be exact. To be literal. I once asked if she would mind cleaning
out my fridge. She threw everything in the fridge out. There was no doubt it
was cleaned out. It was brilliant. Mery always leaves me a return note telling
me what she has done. Even though I have asked her just to call me Peter - she
always refers to me as Peter Sir and more frequently now as Sir Peter.
I feel like a
Knight of the round table.
Mery is a
sensational cleaner and my apartment sparkles after she has been. Try as I
might I can't possibly iron my shirts the way that Mery does. The creases are
perfect. My marble floors gleam. I could eat breakfast off them. My toilet is
blue and all of my clothes are folded and put away. My dishes are washed. The
books on my bookshelves are straightened. Everything is spic and span.
I love it. I
really do.
We have had
some issues though with the making of my bed. I like the combination of bottom
sheet - top sheet - blanket. I sleep with the Air Conditioner on. Mery can't
quite seem to get this. I am usually served up just the bottom sheet and
blanket. It is no big deal and I
normally just slip the extra sheet in myself.
A couple of
weeks back I thought I would provide Mery with a bit more instruction. On a
whim I left her a note that included a diagram. I was as delighted as I was
amused when I returned home to the bottom sheet - blanket - top sheet.
That was
weird.
I checked with
my Scottish friend Jo. Was this a European thing I asked? Was this some strange
Scottish or French phenomena? Jo told me that in their house they all slept
under duvets so the blanket and sheet combination was something new to Mery.
I went out and
bought a duvet myself.
I don't want
to upset Mery.
I
don't want to lose her.
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