Secret Love Nest

Housekeeper

In the end, Qing put his foot down and I gave in graciously.

We are getting a housekeeper.

Qing: You can't do it all anymore. Work and tend our home. You are killing yourself if you continue doing this. We are getting a housekeeper.

Me: But Qing ah...

Qing: I already made up my mind Dayu. We are getting help tending the house.

Me: But our privacy? Imagine a stranger in our home (shivers)

Qing: (hands on waist) Are you really worried about our privacy and some stranger on our home or someone else touching your preciously arranged furnitures?

Shit the man really knew me! I forgot about that for a second.

Me: (laughing a little) No, it's not like that...

Qing: Good. I will worry about our privacy. And we are not getting just some stranger to work in our home. We will pick someone we can trust. There's no short of people we can ask for referrals. Don't worry too much...

Of course after he said that, that's exactly what I did. I worry. There's just something about other people entering our private space, touching and cleaning our things, that bothers me.

For almost a year now since we started living together, I am the main ward of our home. I do most of the cleaning chores. I do the maintaining of our furnitures. I do keep this house functional and livable. I made this house beautiful and peaceful so Qing and I can have a place where we can rest in a relaxed manner.

Now someone will come to do most of my work. Just because Qing is worried that I am overtasking myself with my work and house chores.

What a mess up!

But like Qing said, he already made the decision. I guess it won't be that bad. With the both of us getting busier and busier, it would mean that we have to make more time with out work and less time on tending our home.

It won't be bad. It won't be such a bad idea.

I wonder how many times I have to say that mantra before I start believing it?

Just like Qing's promise, he asked some people for referrals. He asked his mom, a close friend of him, our mutual friend but the one that proved to be a gold find came from our favorite Goddess next door.

She referred her own housekeeper to us.

Goddess: She will be perfect working for the both of you. She has been my housekeeper for five years now, and she's totally trustworthy. Believe me. If she never breath a word about me, she will do the same for the both of you.

Her housekeeper sounds interesting so Qing readied a free time for us to interview our potential housekeeper.

She turns out to be a widowed middle aged, matronly looking lady with a cheerful disposition. She smiled when she saw the inside our home, praising me for keeping it clean despite my busy life. I like her already.

Qing, always the reserved and cautious one, went straight to the hard question.

Qing: Would you be really comfortable working for a same sex couple like us Ma'am?

Mrs.Tiu: (that's her name) Sir, my own son is gay. He is living in the US with his husband. They are both doctors. And they gave me two wonderful grandchildren through adoption. Do you two plan to get married too?

I was stunned by her reply and question while Qing nodded his approval.

Qing: I am glad to hear that you have some understanding about our kind of relationship.

Mrs.Tiu: Nothing to understand about. As long as you are both happy. Are you this worried because you are both actors?

Qing: (shaking his head) No Ma'am. I am cautious because I don't want bigots or people who don't understand same sex relationship around my lover. Dayu's safety has to always come first.

Mrs.Tiu nodded and smiled fondly at Qing. Me on the other hand was not suprised by Qing's answer. My lover can tolerate any criticism or even insult about him but he can't stand people criticizing me. He always remind me never to engage anything with a bigoted person, especially aggressive bigoted person. He doesn't want me to get hurt.

I took over the interview from them on, Qing already asked his main concern. I asked about her experience (she works so she won't get bored, money is not really an issue to her but Qing will surely pay her handsomely of course). I asked how many years had she worked as a housekeeper.

Mrs.Tiu: Why almost all my life. I have been a servant to a rich family, like my mother before me and her mother. For generations, we served this family. I started working when I was only twelve. But then I got married young and my husband, may he rest in peace, proved to be a great provider. Our two children finished their studies and now they have their own careers and family.

She said she is living with her daughter and her family. But Mrs.Tiu missed working so she applied to an agency where she got the job to be Goddess' housekeeper.

Mrs.Tiu: If we will have the same arrangement I have with her it means I will come to your home twice a month to clean and air the place. Dust, clean the fridge, laundry...

Me: Oh no...I will do the laundry Mrs.Tiu. Qing and I (mostly me) we are little bit uncomfortable letting other people touch our clothes. I hope you are not offended.

Mrs.Tiu: Oh no. I'm not offended at all. I was offended once, I worked in a rich household where they won't let me use their bathrooms and accused me of eating their food on the fridge. I was upset when they did that to me.

My mouth fell open while Qing snorted.

Qing: I trust you are not working there anymore. Those are just horrible people.

Me: Yes, please tell me you already resigned your post there. And please feel free to use our bathrooms. And eat anything on the fridge. Oh no...people like that exist? (I turn to Qing)

Qing: (sighed and ruffle my hair) My kind naive Dayu...

I push his hand away. Mrs.Tiu laughs at our antic. She confirmed that she already left that household. She got a better job, working for the Goddess next door.

We talked some more. Then we tour her around our place, explaining things while walking from room to room.

Me: (getting pink cheeked) And if you see some weird things...

Qing: Like lubricants...please ignore those.

My eyes grew wide and punch him in the side of his arm.

Mrs.Tiu: Oh lubricants. I knew about that. I lived with my son when I visited them in the US. I knew all about lubricants.

Mrs.Tiu and Qing smiled at each other, totally in sync. I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. It looks like we are gaining a cheerful and "very understanding" housekeeper.

Yes, we are keeping her. Qing likes her and she respected and understand all my boundaries. After talking about her salary and other working conditions we sealed the deal.

Mrs.Tiu had been with is for a month now. She came to our home twice now. Actually, four times, if her short visits will be counted when she is cleaning the unit across from us. She do it vice versa  too. After her schedule of cleaning our home, she will visit the unit of the Goddess just to say hello.

She is a warm person. I feel comfortable with her. Qing is satisfied too. And really having her is a good thing for me. Now I am not that stressed when I was behind on the housechores.

Sometimes, we really can't do everything by ourselves. Asking for a little help is not a weakness. Acknowledging that you need help and asking for it is a brave thing to do.