Evening Bags and Executions(14)

“It’s that new girl,” Mom announced, and gestured toward the door with a graceful, carefully manicured hand.

I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

“She’s completely unacceptable,” Mom said.

I could have asked her where the heck she was going with this, but I knew she’d get to the point sooner or later.

I hoped it would be sooner.

“Her work ethic is atrocious,” Mom declared.

Then it hit me. She was talking about her new housekeeper.

Juanita, her former housekeeper, had worked for Mom for as long as I could remember. Aside from performing all the duties of a housekeeper, Juanita had been kind and caring. She’d always been there for me, which I had especially appreciated. Somehow, for all those years, she’d been able to put up with my mom.

Then, suddenly, a few weeks ago, Juanita disappeared. She just stopped coming to work. I’d gone to her house in Eagle Rock and looked for her—long story—but I never found her. I never discovered exactly what happened to her, where she went, or why she left—but I was pretty sure it was all Mom’s fault.

“She’s only worked here for a few days,” I said.

Mom had already been through a number of housekeepers since Juanita left. I’m sure everyone at the employment agency was talking about her.

I know I would be.

“Maybe she just needs more time to get into a routine,” I said.

Mom held out both hands and gave me a why-aren’t-you-seeing-the-obvious look.

Then I realized what she was getting at. Her hands were empty.

Mom almost always had a wineglass in her hand—and, really, it should have been the rest of us knocking them back. Juanita had always made sure Mom had a glass of wine, which probably made her days here go a little smoother.

Still, Mom never drank too much. I’d never seen her drunk, thanks to her beauty queen metabolism, though I’m sure it would be a real hoot. She just liked to carry a wineglass around because she thought it made her look sophisticated.

I’m pretty sure she saw that in a magazine.

“The agency screens the housekeepers really well,” I said. “I’m sure they would be happy to make any changes you want.”

Mom put her hands on her hips. “Really, Haley, I’d expected more from you.”

I wasn’t sure how I’d gotten drawn into this, but it probably had something to do with my recent extended stay in breakup zombieland. Still, I saw no reason not to try to get out of it.

“There’s nothing I can do,” I said.

“Of course there is,” Mom insisted. “You said you’d handle the unpleasantness of finding a suitable housekeeper.”

I did?

“You assured me you wouldn’t rest until you found someone to replace Juanita,” she said.

This whole thing started to sounded vaguely familiar, unfortunately.

“Okay, Mom,” I said. “What do you want me to do?”

“Fire her. Now.”

“Now?”

“Immediately,” Mom said, and pushed her chin up a bit. “I simply cannot abide such a thoughtless, self-centered, irrational person in this house.”

I really had enough of my own problems to deal with at the moment, but I couldn’t refuse to help. Mom was Mom.

I felt kind of sorry for her, also, that Juanita had left and here she was trying to get to know a new housekeeper, form a bond, and make a connection with her.

“Fine, Mom, I’ll fire her,” I said. “What’s her name?”

“I have no idea.”

Honestly, where is my mind at times?

I left Mom’s office and found the new housekeeper in the kitchen. She looked to be in her midtwenties. She was short, dark haired, and wearing one of those pale blue multipurpose uniforms.

“Sorry, but you’re fired,” I said.

Her eyes got big. “I’m fired? When?”

“Right now.”

“You don’t want me to stay and make dinner?” she asked.

“No.”

“Or clean up something?”

“Just leave.”

“Thank you!” She rushed forward and threw her arms around me. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

She grabbed her purse and sweater from the cabinet beside the pantry.

“I’ll tell the agency it wasn’t your fault,” I said.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about it. They know all about your mother.”

I guess I should have realized that.

“No offense, but your mother is a real piece of work,” she told me.

“Yeah, I know,” I said.

She pointed to the door. “You want to come with me?”

It was the best thing I’d heard since I’d gotten here.

“Sure,” I said.