My Dorota

Although my brother and I were never born with a silver spoon, we were fortunate to have parents who have always tried to give us all the best. Even relatively pampered perhaps? For example, we've always had a domestic maid ready to help at home. And I'm sure this will have you all fainting in your seats - but shockingly I never knew how to tie my shoelaces till I entered secondary.

Yeah. I was kinda a dimwit. Still am anyway.

Even now, I doubt I could do without a maid even were I to turn in my white coat to be come a househusband for real. Honestly I just hate scrubbing toilets and dirty woks. Anyone tried getting sticky greasy gunk out of oily woks? Everything else is fine by me.

In fact, I still have my own Dorota at home to help me clean up. Hired her when the last Dorota went home two years back - after a difficult DIY Get-Your-Own-Maid process. Had a crazy scheme to avoid domestic help agencies by getting my own - what a mistake that was! Jumping through bureaucratic hoops and endless paperwork wasn't fun.

And no, I couldn't get a hunky Myanmar stud as a maid.


Her housekeeping leaves something to be desired.
So I'm settled with my new Dorota who seems to have fit in wonderfully. Picked her straight from a domestic help book filled with snapshots of happy, happy maids.

Crazy homesickness aside, I sometimes wonder whether she has the cushiest job in the world ( second only to a geologist! ). There are hardly any kids around to run after ( unless my rambunctious niece & nephew drop by ), no cranky octogenarians to watch over ( unless you count my dad! ) and hardly any work to be done in the small terrace house. I take my breakfast early at some ungodly hour of the morning and leave for work only to return after dinner sometimes. Hardly ever take meals at home so that's one less chore for Dorota.

So all she does is the sweeping, mopping and the laundry. Which she does in a jiffy every afternoon. Wonder what she does with her spare time apart from surfing channels and reading cookbooks. In her boredom, she's started her own lil vegetable patch outside growing tomatoes and bok choy. Still I'll admit I don't know much about her. My maids come and go and I've started to lose track of the number.

But then I've always drawn the line between the family and the help. Makes me wonder whether I'm wrong ( and possibly elitist! ) when I see Charming Calvin treating them the same. Quite as affable as the way he treats the rest of the family. Me, I'm a tad chilly and formal.

Paul : Dorota, would you mind getting us some tea?
Dorota : Yes, sir. Immediately.
Calvin : No problems, I don't mind doing it.
Paul : Are you the maid?

I would ring the bell but I think Calvin has it hidden somewhere. Sure we don't abuse them but surely Dorota's place should be hidden unobtrusively in the background like all good help?