Spoiled and Grateful

A month or two ago, I decided that I was not going to be so nit-picky with Inom, the man that works for me and cleans my house.* Somehow I've managed to keep my word and I've stopped saying "Don't do this," or "that," or "do it this way," or "I told you not to..." and he has done a good job. I am very guilty of forgetting how grateful I need to be for gifts, such as being able to have a houseboy - although I am not particularly keen with using that term, "houseboy." Inom is not quite ready to be promoted to the term "household assistant," soon, though, if he keeps up the good work.

We got home a couple of days ago, from a wonderful vacation in Greece and Turkey, and one of the things I noticed was that the back door - the screen door - was propped open with one of the patio chairs. It was in the wee hours that we arrived and the man who house-sits and babysits The Kids for us, Mr. M., was asleep [as he should have been] on the couch [I have told him to feel free to use our bed - and this is another small favor that I am grateful for - that he chooses instead to sleep on the couch - we do not have a second bedroom or a guest bedroom]. No doubt our coming in the door at the time that we did - it was three, or three-thirty in the morning - was a bit startling - when you are in fully asleep. Back to the door being propped open... It was the screen door, and the wooden door was closed and locked. I just thought it was odd. But I did not say anything about it, then.

Mr. M., our fabulous sitter, got up and collected most of his things and I told him to come back around five in the evening so that I could pay him and that he could gather up the rest of his belongings. That was fine with him. When he came back to the house at five I asked him why the door had been propped open - and he told me that when he would let The Kids out that The Boy would not come back in when he was called [typical behavior with The Boy] so he would leave the door open for him to come in when he was ready. Okay. That explains the layer of dust on the table in the kitchen and covering the kitchen chairs. I didn't realize that this was how Mr. M. was getting The Boy to come in - but I guess if it works, it isn't that big of deal to have a layer of dust covering everything in the kitchen - not like there was open food on the counter or anything - and that is why I have Inom.

What is a big deal is that yesterday morning I killed three bugs - I have no idea what they were - but they are the same bugs that I see in the in the pool filter area clinging to the thermometer string when I lift the cover to check the temperature of the pool. Are they water bugs of some sort? If so, what are they doing in the house? Are they just regular bugs that don't like water - explaining why they cling to the string - if they can - instead of swirling around the water in the filter whatchamacallit? These are the bugs:

If someone has any idea what this bug is named, please do share. I killed three of them. No. I do not want them in the house, thank you very much.

Later, while I was sorting the mountain of laundry that I have to do I saw a much, much worse bug. It was one of those giant cock roaches - the kind that is big enough to carry off small children - and eat and entire kitchen full of food in nano-seconds. Oh. No. Ut-uh. I tried to kill it with one of the suitcases - I didn't have shoes on - and no, I didn't actually want to kill it - because I didn't want to hear the crunch of it's bones and then have to clean up the squished mess of blood and guts. But I also do NOT want Mr. Massive-Size Cock Roach in my house, either. I missed him with the suitcase - twice - and he scurried off into my mountain of sorted laundry - into the pile of darks where he could hide and blend in:

...the pile in the top left corner. Great. Now what do I do!?! "Honey! Come here, you have to help me, right now!!" DH came in and asked what I was screaming at him for. "You have to find it and kill it, right now!" He was busy getting his cooler ready so he could go play golf and he told me he'd help me when he finished. Oh No You Don't Either, DH. Finding Mr. Massive-Size Cock Roach is a whole lot more important that filling your cooler so you can go play golf. I don't care if you have to pick up each and every piece of laundry and take it outside one piece at a time to shake to find Mr. Massive-Size Cock Roach.

Seconds later, Mr. Massive-Size Cock Roach scooted out of his hiding place in the dirty dark-colored laundry and raced across the floor and started crawling up the wall by the buffet in the dining room. "Honey! He is on the wall. Quick! Get a paper towel and kill it. Right Now!" DH complied, grabbed Mr. Massive-Size Cock Roach in a paper towel and flushed him down the toilet. Phew. Here's the thing. You know if there is one cock roach there are others lurking - just waiting to attack! I was on the phone, immediately, dialing the three digit number for any and all maintenance and told them I needed pest control to come - indoor pest control. The nice lady that answered my call asked me what kind of pests I had. I told her that we had one huge cock roach and that I had killed three smaller bugs that I have no idea what they are - that I see them outside in the pool filter - but this is the first I've seen them inside.

Probably not a coincidence that I've got these outdoor bugs inside, now that I know that Mr. M. is propping the back door open so The Boy can come and go as he pleases, right? Ditto for the gigantic cock roach. No matter. The nice lady said, "We can schedule an after hours appointment for today, or I can schedule an appointment for tomorrow morning." As much as I wanted to say, "Send them immediately, right away. After hours, if not sooner." I didn't. I said, "Tomorrow morning, first thing will be fine." They are due to come any minute now.

Sure enough. Ten minutes early. Can count on it, here, with maintenance. If they say they are coming at 8:50, they will be here at 8:40. If not earlier. I can recall only one time when someone has been late - in six years. Another small favor to be grateful for. No sitting around waiting for the phone company or the cable company like in the States - where they give you a window. Here? A specific time is set and you can pretty much be guaranteed they will be early. Mr. Indoor Pest Control says that the small bugs I killed are Rust Beetles. They are not water bugs... What are they doing in the pool, then? They fly around at night - they are attracted to light - so they are committing their own suicides by flying to the pool light - which is, of course, under water. I don't mind the Rust Beetles. The lizards need to eat, right? I just don't want the Rust Beetles in my house. But, with Mr. M. propping the door open so that The Boy could come and go as he pleased, we may as well have left out a welcome mat. At least, now that I know that they are only beetles, I'm not quite as concerned about them. The gigantic cock roach, on the other hand, I am very, very concerned about. Mr. Indoor Pest Control told me that because the sewer man-hole cover is so close to our house that that is where the "cocka rochas" are coming from - he asked me if it was brown or black? Umm, brown, I think. Does it make a difference? He was dark and shiney and huge! He also said that the house next door and the house behind us was having a problem so he is going to send Mr. Outdoor Pest Control on Saturday to spray the sewer man-hole for the "cocka-rochas." Oh, thank you, Mr. Indoor Pest Control!

So, anyway, this morning, knowing that pest control would be coming, as soon as Inom got here, I started rattling off "we need to do this, this and this" to prepare. Inom immediately went to work and started pulling things from against the walls - the moveable furniture - and picking up all the toys under the furniture - The Baby's tennis balls tend to collect under the chest in the hallway - and we took all The Kids' things - toys, toy-box and their tables - outside... In our study DH keeps all of his flight bags under a glass credenza against a wall, along with his weights, and Inom moved everything, then quickly vacuumed - since you cannot vacuum after pest control. Inom did the same in the bedroom with The Kids' crates. All in very quick order. We did the same for the hallway closet - and the pantry in the kitchen. The house is now in total disaray - but I wanted the entire place sprayed for any of Mr. Massive-Size Cock Roach's relatives.

I know it was extra work for Inom, and he had to move quickly - much quicker than he usually does - and for that I realize how spoiled I am, and how grateful that I need to be that I am fortunate enough to have Inom to help as much as he does. My life, once we leave The Sandbox, will be a very different one. I will not have Inom. I will not have Appuk [the Gardener], I will not have one of Rev's guys cleaning my pool for me three times a week. I will not have cheerful, patient driver's who take me to run errands, and carry my packages. I will not have the two grocery-cart guys who always push my cart to the truck and unload my groceries for me. I had none of those things - none of these men - when we lived in the States that make my life so much easier, like I have now.

Truly I am so thankful that Inom was here to help me this morning get everything done so that we could be ready for Pest Control. And I am thankful that he was here yesterday to clean the layer of dust that was covering everything because Mr. M. props the back door open. For all of my moaning and groaning sometimes, about how miserable my life can be here, at times, it really isn't all that bad. I have a good life. And for that, I am both thankful and grateful! I have become very, very spoiled... Pampered might be a better way to put it...

*By the way, Janice , you owe me. You lost the bet. I lasted much longer than you ever thought I would!