Chapter 3 Cleaner Wanted

Kelvin

"Are you alright, Mom?" I could feel myself grumbling as I assisted her out of the car, and I knew it was going to irritate her. "Your leg seems fine. Is it delicate? If it hurts, the doctor instructs you to return.

"Won't you let it go, Kel?" She was the only person I had ever permitted to abbreviate my name. I would kill anyone who attempted that at work. I preferred it when everyone recognized me as Mr. Anderson, or Kelvin at a push. "Who the hell cares what the doctor said? He said what the doctor said. I'm alright.

"Your leg broke," I said. I shouted out loud and threw my arms in the air in anger. Why couldn't she understand the gravity of this? Even in the hospital, she felt frustrated with the medical staff as they advised her to exercise caution going forward. How is that okay?

For God's sake, "Oh." Mom rolled her eyes at me, seeming as though I was being dramatic. She really gave the impression that breaking your leg after falling down a few stairs was nothing out of the ordinary. She spoke about it as though it were commonplace. "Kel, please take me inside. I still have a lot to do.

Frustration boiled within of me. I wanted to smack my mum in the face. "Mom, you have to rest; there is nothing you can do. You won't be forced to push yourself and risk further leg damage by me. If being on crutches and wearing a cast aren't signals to slow down, I don't know what is.

So what am I supposed to do now? At me, she gave a shoulder shrug. Who will handle all the household chores? You? You are too busy, as we both know.

That hurt me a lot. I was confident that she was merely stating a fact and had no malicious intent. I had no intention of becoming that busy. Even though I had a lot on my plate, I always made an effort to find time for her. To take care of ourselves, I suppose we both kept ourselves continually active. Perhaps this was how we handled living without my father.

In any case, it didn't really matter anymore; something had to change. at the least momentarily.

"Well then, I won't be," I retorted defensively. I'll take some time off to look after you. Mom was being led to her townhouse when I put an arm under her armpit. "The newest resort is opening, so I can step aside for a little while to take care of you." What difference would it make if I really took that action because I was already thinking about it? You'll have to unwind that way.

At me, Mom laughed. Whoa, are you kidding? You imply that you will be able to relinquish control. In a million years, that won't ever occur. Just don't try it.

I reacted aggressively because I did not like being called a control freak. I can assign tasks to others. In every department of my resort, I have managers. I can only exert myself so much because I'm constantly beginning the next project. Just for now, I'll put other resorts out of my mind.

"I do not doubt that you have plans already." She was able to see straight through me since there was always something in the works, but fortunately, nothing was finalized.

Mom, just let it go. Okay, I won't do it any longer. If doing so will get you to slow down, then I'll do it.

Mom needed to accept aid, and I didn't want to start a fight about it. She needed to realize that, if she didn't take care, her independence, obstinacy, and pig-headed attitude would lead to even bigger issues. She would spend her entire life in a cast if she disregarded my advice.

When we got inside, I put Mom on a chair and went to the kitchen to get her a drink. She sighed exhausted as she tucked a blonde hair strand behind her ear, which I caught out of the corner of my eye. There was no disputing that I was Mom's son even if I didn't look much like her other than for our deep green eyes. My personality was all her; my father may have given me my exceptional height, my cheekbones and dimples, and my sandy-colored hair. I respected her resolve to handle everything on her own, but it was now my turn to assert myself. Her own welfare was served.

"Coffee or tea, Mom?"

Please have a coffee, she said. Thank you, Kel.

I imagined how I was going to fit everything in as the coffee brewed. Mom was right, even if I didn't want to admit it. I wanted to give her everything I had, but I still needed to be available for work. Only so much could I delegate.

Mom mainly needed assistance with household chores. Cleaning wasn't exactly my strong suit, but I could do anything DIY-related, or at the very least, I would have access to someone to do it through the company. I couldn't devote a lot of time to it and feel like I accomplished something. I might have to hire someone else to do that.

"Mom, I believe I'm going to temporarily employ a cleaner for you. Just till your limb is healed-"

She quickly jumped in, "No way," as I had anticipated she would. "Thank you very much, but I don't need support. I can complete it on my own.

"Mom, could you please be reasonable for a few weeks?" No matter how many times she rejected that request, I wasn't going to pay heed. She wouldn't like it, but I would still hire someone. There was nothing more to it than she needed assistance around the house. "Once you're off your crutches, you won't even notice,"

She gave me a horrible glare when someone knocked on the door and cut me off in mid-sentence. "I'll kill you, Kel, by the grace of God, if that's a cleaner right now."

When in the world would I have had time, Mom? I've only just had the thought. I headed for the door. "I have no idea who it is." My best friend was looking back at me when I threw open the door. Oh, George, are you all right?

Yes, I just came in to see how Elena was doing. He moved passed me and entered the room while removing a sizable bouquet of flowers from his back. I smiled to myself at George's affectionate gesture. He loved my mom, and since he'd spent so much time at my house while we were growing up, it just made logical that he'd come by to see how she was doing.

When we were younger, George's parents frequently battled, which caused chaos in the family. It was poisonous, acrid, and even aggressive. Although it wasn't directed at him, simply at each other, it was enough to make him feel uneasy.

In some ways, what he endured made me relieved that my parents divorced. Even though I didn't particularly enjoy it, it was preferable to being constantly interrupted by disputes. To avoid that, he frequently spent the night with my mother and me. He loved my mother dearly; she was like a second mother to him.

He kissed her cheeks, asking her, "How are you?" How did the fall go?

It was terrible, you know how it is. Mom laughed loudly in her throat. "My darn body isn't functioning like it used to. You'll arrive there in due time.

He chuckled, "Oh, I'm getting there. "My body is already old from spending most of my life slouched over a desk. To be completely honest, I believed that practicing law would be a glamorous career. If you're brewing coffee, ooh, I'll have one.

They were talking about George's high-flying profession, so I didn't bother to mention that the drinks were already made; instead, I just headed back into the kitchen to make another cup of coffee. I grabbed my phone and accessed the internet on it as I was in the kitchen. Ninety-nine percent of the applicants I received through my website, which I used exclusively to hire staff for the resorts, were outstanding. I needed to rapidly construct another job advertisement because I had one to make right now.

The earlier we can find Mom a maid, the better.

The phrase "Cleaner Wanted"

I took a little pause after posting the job title. I wasn't sure exactly how to phrase this post. Whether it would be a long-term position or not depended on how the applicant and Mom got along when they started. Although I wanted to be honest about it, I also wanted them to understand that it might be. I didn't know how to be so ambiguous. Usually, I was rather clear about what I wanted.

The cleaning position is available for a month while the owner recovers from an injury. Interview is mandatory; experience is required. I wanted the applicants to understand what they were signing up for. It was preferable that I directly addressed Mom's disposition. I also wanted to outline the home maintenance requirements. Mom was a control freak who insisted on having everything just so. "A chance that the position will last a long time."

I didn't have time to change my mind after filling out the wage information, which was higher than I would typically submit for a cleaning position due to the uncertainty there.

What is that? As I brought in his coffee, George exclaimed. "Your mother claims that you're attempting to make her hire a maid," she said.

"I am," I responded in defense. "I believe it will be best for someone to take charge of the odd jobs while she heals from this broken bone. You can't be sincere and say you disagree with me, can you?

George had to understand what I was attempting to accomplish, even for someone with half-crazy, irrational beliefs. Actually, he shot me down with "No." "I don't at all believe that's a good idea. What about the numerous thefts?

"Um...what?" That was not the one argument George would have presented, despite all my expectations. What burglaries?

Man, you hear about them all the time, come on! Maids robbing wealthy women, taking advantage of the affluent, and similar behavior. It frequently occurs.

Oh for heaven's sake! He laughed with my mother, which infuriated me. It irritated me that George's viewpoint was merely leading Mom further away from my plan-it was already too late-and that they were working together against me.

"George, what are you talking about? That never occurs. Not really," I laughed in his face.

It frequently appears in the news.

If it is news, perhaps journalists ought to look for something more interesting to write about.

"Boys!" Mom abruptly made a change. "Would you please stop? It doesn't really matter if they steal or not because I won't be hiring a maid. By tomorrow, I'll be myself again and doing everything I was doing earlier today.

The air was utterly devoid of tension after that foolish remark. I received a knowing glance from George, which neither of us desired. For Mom, we both wanted what was best. Once I had the greatest maid I could find, Mom would still visit and everything would be wonderful.

I noticed three emails in my inbox as I looked down at my phone's display. That made me grin because it was obvious that the job offer was alluring enough to draw folks in. Soon enough, I'd be able to locate the ideal match.

It'd be alright. It might initially be a hiccup, but eventually, everything would be OK. I was confident in it.