During the creation of my ship, I sorely neglected my home. If it wasn’t for the landscapers coming once a week for lawn care the place would have looked abandoned. I’m so glad I contracted that task out. I could have never taken care of the lawn, trees, and shrubs while simultaneously inventing, creating and constructing my ship. Well, if I worked 24 hours a day I could, but fortunately, I still required sleep. The amulet didn’t change everything about me. I’m still human and I still require about 7 hours of sleep a night, just like I did before I had met Jamook.
The one thing I did neglect was the interior of the house. Most of the beautiful furniture I had created was covered with a thick layer of dust and the floor was just as dusty with dust bunnies under virtually every piece of furniture. Well, I could either roll up my sleeves and clean the place myself or hire someone to do it. “If I hire someone who can cook, do the dishes, clean and do my laundry that would free up more time for me to not only conduct new research but also give me time to pursue leisure activities. I could finally complete my home’s interior, by making wood carvings, bowls, and other accent pieces”. I could kick back and enjoying life for a while.
That would be a well-deserved diversion from my recent hectic pace. I need to start relaxing. I’ll put an ad in the paper tomorrow asking for resumes.
Okay, I need this ad to be specific enough to lure only the qualified applicants and vague enough to spark interest and give me some room to compromise if necessary. She has to be smart, honest, and trustworthy and be satisfied enough with the job that she’ll be willing to stay in my employment for an extended period of time. She needs to have as few ties and burdens in her life as possible and should have little or no aspirations to accumulate them.
Intelligence: I need a student that has graduated or is about to graduate college. Honesty and integrity: I need a girl that is probably either an active member of a church or is at least raised by a family that is respected by their community as good, honest civic-minded people. I’m probably setting my sights too high, but I might as well aim high, I have nothing to lose.
Wanted: Live in Cook/Housekeeper. Will be required to cook the evening meal only, but must clean the pots, pans, dishes, and flatware after each meal. Cleaning duties include dusting, vacuuming, cleaning floors, rooms and bathrooms, as well as the weekly laundry. Additional duties include managing the household grocery budget and shopping, creating a mutually acceptable menu and the inventory of groceries and cleaning supplies. Education: Soon to graduate or graduate with at least an associate’s degree. Women only! Unattractive or unqualified women need not apply. Separate furnished housekeeper’s quarters. Salary commensurate with your knowledge and experience. Room, board, cable TV, and internet connection free. Fax resumes to 555-8##0.
I hoped I hadn’t overdone it. I need someone as soon as possible and I need her to be as permanent as possible. I need her to be at least mildly attractive too. I’m not the greatest looking guy in the world, but at least women occasionally find me attractive. I love to be surrounded by beautiful things, and while a person isn’t a thing, why condemn myself to look at “ugly” for years to come if attractive is available and qualified. Yep, attractive is the way to go.
Unconscious in the hospital, Bob in shame thought: “Wow, did I really write that? That is completely obnoxious.”
I sent the ad to several newspapers in the local area and began receiving replies within a few hours of the papers hitting the stands.
In total, I received 28 resumes several of which were sent from blithering idiots. They weren’t qualified in the least. One was a 63-year-old lunch lady at one of the local elementary schools, with a high school diploma, who had the audacity to send a picture. She must have weighed about 86 pounds and was pretty haggard looking. Another women’s resume wrought with sexual innuendo, explaining that if she was chosen, “You will never even think about food. I have much more fun things in mind”.
Obviously, she couldn’t cook…heck; she probably couldn’t even spell “cook”. She must have had her pimp write her resume for her. I did get a hand full of good resumes though. Three of the women were chosen for interviews. I called each and set up appointments for their interviews. I put them in reverse order, worst resume to best, feeling confident that the best resume belonged to the best candidate.
The first young woman arrived 13 minutes late. I hate tardiness. But I had ever since my days in the Navy. I spent 12 years in the service, and those who knew me then (that I still keep in touch with) still remember my loathing for tardiness. So, strike one… She entered and immediately began making excuses. I’m not fond of that either, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I went through her resume line by line. Also, I don’t think she was expecting that because she had a very difficult time sticking with the “facts” as they appeared on her resume. I hate liars, strike two…
When I confronted her with the discrepancies she became indignant, accusing and tried to blame me. I also hate a person without moral character, truth, honesty, and integrity, strike three. Well, she’s not getting hired. I politely asked her to leave and told her I’d be in touch if I decided to hire her. I wonder if there are any “cold days in hell” coming up on the calendar? Silently I thought to myself.
The second young woman arrived several minutes early. She was bright-eyed, enthusiastic and very personable and she was very qualified but hadn’t completed her degree yet. She had one semester to go and was doing very well. Her current grade point average was 3.70; very respectable. In the recent past and during high school she did volunteer work with meals on wheels and at a retirement home as a cook. She lived at home with her mother. Her father (a Southern Baptist minister) died 4 years ago of a heart attack. As I continued to question her I grew very confident that she, with a little advice from me, could easily handle the job. She would be very acceptable if the next young woman wasn’t. I told her that I would be in touch and escorted her to the door.
The next day the third young woman arrived, and she was also on time. According to her resume, she was the obvious front runner for the job. She arrived in a business suit, and was very attractive, except for the multitude of pierced locations on her face. Both ears were pierced 6-8 times. She had a pierced lower lip, right eyebrow, left side of her nose and her tongue. I hate pierced body parts if pierced to excess. Well, I can overlook them if her qualifications outweigh her ornamentation. She was very intelligent and had 2 years’ experience as a housekeeper and loved to cook. Her specialty was baking and is currently employed as a baker in one of the better local restaurants. I showed her the house. She looked at me as if I needed to give her a good reason to take the job.
So, I looked back at her and said that the starting pay would be $27,000 per year with full medical and dental insurance coverage in addition to the other benefits mentioned in the newspaper ad. She agreed to the terms, but I told her that I’d have to get back with her after I reviewed the other applicants. As she was leaving, she took off her suit coat. She was wearing only a vest underneath…very sexy…except for the tattoos that adorned her entire arms, from wrist to shoulder and her entire back.
I was so disappointed. She was the best qualified, the most experienced and if not for the tattoos and pierced face (and who knows what else), she would have been very attractive and my easy first choice for the job. Unfortunately for her, I found the sheer volume of her physical adornment repugnant. She’s disqualified. The best choice, in this case, was my second choice.
Her name is Keesha Campbell. She is a petite 5’2” African American with light, milk chocolate brown skin, and a firm athletic body. Her hair is dark brown and straight, hanging a few inches past her shoulders, and she has beautiful hazel/green eyes that are bright and shining like those of a child. She is no child though. She is a very intelligent and attractive 20-year-old woman, and if she’ll take the job, she’ll be my new cook and housekeeper.
I called Keesha the next day and asked her if she could come over for another interview. She agreed and said she could come over after class on Thursday at 3:00 pm. I told her three o’clock on Thursday was fine and I was looking forward to seeing her again. She arrived bright-eyed and enthusiastic again and right on time. So, I talked with her a little longer about her current expectations and her future aspirations. She explained that she expected to work hard and make me glad I hired her and didn’t have any concrete aspirations for the future. She is exactly what I was looking for.
I showed her the house, downplaying the size of it by reminding her that all the rooms didn’t have to be cleaned every day. A schedule that kept the house in a constant state of adequately clean is all that’s necessary. With that piece of insight I provided, she instantly became very confident and eager to get started.
Then she paused. “But, what about school…I want to graduate.” I said, “I want you to graduate too. While you’re in school for the next three months you can live here and will only be required to cook my supper, clean up the kitchen and do the laundry once a week. Other than that, your job will be to keep up your grades and graduate.” She was astonished that I’d pay her even while she was in school but quickly agreed. I also explained that she could also start planning for when she was my full-time cook and housekeeper in her spare time if she had any. Then I said, “You’re hired”.
She was so happy she jumped up and down like a little girl and then asked me if she could use the phone to call her Mom. I said, “Yes, of course, but aren’t you interested in your pay and benefits?” She cupped her hands over her face in embarrassment. “Yes, I’m sorry; I was too excited to think.” When I explained that I was starting her out at $25,000 per year (due to her lack of experience), and explained all the other benefits, she became even more excited. So, instead of prolonging her agony, I said, “call your Mom.” She immediately complied.
After she talked to her Mom and thanked me again, I instructed her to contact my lawyer and he would make sure that the proper paperwork was also completed for employment. He would also go over my house rules that were written into the contract. So, I gave her his address and phone number and told her she could move in as soon as the paperwork was completed. She made arrangements to meet with my lawyer the very next day and moved in on Saturday. I was very impressed with how expeditiously she completed her first task. She was going to work out great.
House Rules:
- 1. No one is allowed in the employer’s home without the employer’s permission, and the employer must be present during their visit unless otherwise arranged with the employer.
- 2. The employer’s woodworking shop is off-limits at all times, and the employer’s gym is off-limits in the morning during his workouts. No disturbances will be tolerated while the employer is in either building.
- 3. Changes to the employee’s work schedule must be approved by the employer.
- 4. The Grocery Budget Report must be prepared and submitted to the employer no later than the second Friday of each month.
- 5. The household cleaning schedule must be completed and submitted to the employer two weeks prior to the first day of each quarter, to include any requests for annual vacation.
- 6. The employer reserves the right to fire the employee if she is caught or even suspected of lying or stealing.
For the next three months, I kept out of her way, so she could complete her degree unencumbered. We got to know each other during supper. Talking about everything from the weather to how her day went. I even helped her out with the dishes a couple of times, when she had important papers due. She also enlisted my assistance as a proofreader when her mother was too busy to help. Her mother is a high school teacher, which was just one of the little facts I learned about Keesha during our dinners together. The more I knew about her, the more she fit into the mold of exactly the type of person I needed for this job. Whether it was fate, luck or Devine intervention, I was absolutely elated that I found Keesha for this job. She was perfect.
Cooking and Food
Cooking and Food. Finding, Cooking, and Preparing fine foods is at the heart of every person. Because God’s amazing bountiful gifts of fine foods and beverages are what people seek and you have come to the right place to find them. We will give you access to goodies from all over the globe. Access that you might only find here, so visit often.
