Godfrey is Back!

My housekeeper, Godfrey, has been out sick for two weeks. Fear not – my floors did not go unmopped, my bed unmade. Another housekeeper, who is waiting for a colleague to settle into his new home, filled in. But it just wasn’t the same.

Godfrey, who I think should be re-named Godsend, does a great job of keeping Jorge entertained during the day. One evening I came home to find out that the two of them had spent a good part of the day throwing peanuts into the air and seeing how many the could catch with their mouths. (Jorge won, by 8 peanuts).

So Godfrey started work again on Monday, and when I got home that day I could tell just how desperately boring it must be without Jorge around. Every surface in the house had been cleaned, and every little knick-knack neatly sorted. My pantry is organized by food type. Even my bobby pins were in a tidy little pile.

So today I asked him to cook, which, I think, is his favorite part of an otherwise tedious job. When I got home, I had a note that said “The Shepherd’s Pie is in the warmer, and the mangoes are in the fridge.” (Just take a moment to savor that…)


I know most of you have never had this experience, so let me just tell you, so there is no confusion: The only thing better than coming home to a spotless house, a set table, and a warm, delicious dinner, is having your good-looking spouse there, preferably handing you a fresh-squeezed margarita. Life just doesn’t get better. Unless there’s a cheese course involved somewhere as well.