Adventures in India

Yes, I know, we already have one. Unfortunately, I think we have differing ideas on what consitutes a job.

She sees her job as a quick and easy way to get some money. I see her job as services in exchange for money. But since the outset, we haven't seen much in the way of services.

Her first day was Monday the 25th. We'd negotiated that she'd come at 11am, cook lunch, then watch the kids until 4pm, when she'd cook dinner, then go home. So when Moday rolled around, I made sure the kitchen was clean. I had pen and paper ready for her to tell me what appliances she would need.

But 11am came and went. And so did 12, and 1, and, well, you get the picture. Tuesday she showed up, told me she'd been sick the day before. Sure, no problem...I've been there myself. So I got her cell number and tried to give her mine. Her phone wasn't working, so she told me she'd put it in the next day. She stayed for her full shift on Tuesday, and I got a lot done. Yay us.

And that was the last time she worked a full shift. From what I can piece together, she works for other families in or near our apartment complex, and she has an invalid husband, and a thirty-nine year old son who is developmentally around six years of age.

So a normal day goes like this. She shows up around noon. I say "you're a little late. Aren't you supposed to be here at 11am?" And she says "I was cooking for someone else and my shift was late". I say "OK, let me type up a bill you can take to your other employers - they owe me for an hour of your time" (ok, maybe this part is in my head)

At noon, she cooks lunch, then I put the kids down for a nap. Then I go in their room and tell them to be quiet and go to sleep. I wait ten minutes, then I take Tyler upstairs to split them up, and wave at my nanny as she sits on my couch with the remote. I get around an hour of peace, then I go downstairs and ask the nanny to take them outside, explaining to her that when she says 'sun is too hot for them' that I understand she doesn't want to go outside, but that the kids will be fine and she's welcome to take some water with her. (Note: the weather here has been hovering around 75 degrees Fahrenheit at noon)

Around this time, she gets a few calls on her cell, and either her husband has been injured by the son, or the husband is alone in the house when people are coming over. This routine is pretty normal, except for a slight change on the 1st. Today the emergency is not so great that she can't wait for Jason to come home from work and pay her.

And don't even get me started on how often she's asked to borrow money from me. I often find myself wondering how many of her stories are real. I'm thinking I'll need to find her other employers and compare stories. Because I really don't want to fire her...some emergencies happen at the most inopportune times....in fact, most of them do. But I'm also a bit suspicious of their regularity in her life. Either she's super unlucky, or a very good storyteller. Time will tell.