So, there was only one time that I can truly remember falling in love with a girl.
She was younger than me by about 14 years. Slim, pretty, long flowing brown hair and deep dark eyes. Her glasses gave her character and her clothes looked like her.
Her hometown of France made her even more lovely than you could imagine. There was a sweetness to her too. A special kind of lovely. Maybe it was her voice. Or the accent. Then again it could have been the way she treated me. To be truthful, it could have been anything. This girl was a vision and made my life complete.
I adored her for months. We spent tons of time together. Wednesdays were always a sure thing. Saturdays too. The rest of the week was always up in the air. Certain things i really loved.
Her ability to cook quiche. Or crepes. I'm pretty sure it must be something the French are born to do. The stuff she cooked was always perfect. And by perfect, I mean seriously flawless. Once i asked her to prepare fish, and i was stunned by the results. With precision, she cut the halibut into bit sized chunks and fried them into heavenly perfection. My kids ate every bite.
This girl spoiled me. Things I'd never dare ask her to do, she'd do. Never a complaint. Nor a snide remark. It was as if she liked making me happy. And happy I was. Till I wasn't.
Even my husband became obsessed with her. He wished that i could be more like her. Truthfully I had the same wish. Ines was neat and clean and actually enjoyed tidying. Yes, i'm pretty sure she enjoyed cleaning?!?
I was continually impressed by her. Her degree from university. Her desire to work internationally. And then one day she blew me away. I was planning what i hoped to be the party of the century for David. A Spanish theme complete with Manchego cheese, olives and sangria. In my mind, I had planned to cater it all myself, and then use a local Kensington market restaurant to fill in the tougher parts. Stuff like the tortilla Espanola and the padron peppers. Ines asked if she and her fiancé could do the catering. I knew she was perfect, and her fiancé was the male version of her.
We planned for days, and then the evening before my soiree they worked from 5pm till 2am. I was in awe. Mussels had been shucked. Shrimps cleaned and deveined. Peppers had been chopped within an inch of their lives. Serrano ham was perfectly arranged on slate platters. My special cheeses were so expertly presented, that i didn't recognize them. Honestly, I barely recognized my kitchen.
They worked all night and then came back late afternoon to work again. It was dreamy. They had catered the perfect affair. I was THRILLED>
But anyway, as expected, the party went off without a hitch. It was amazing and no one could believe the food. They were thrilled and my love played on. I was okay with the fact that she was engaged. We all just felt lucky that she was part of our world.
By we, I mean the kids too. Ines was not just a lovely girl. She was the best nanny a family could ever ask for. When she came over, our home was a happier place. Laundry wasn't an issue for her and she kept our home in tip top shape. Nothing was ever out of place. We were happy. Well fed and happy.
Since my girl is in French immersion, she was the lucky recipient of tons of French tutoring. They babbled on and on in a language i didn't understand. Laughing and giggling in front of me. I pretended to be jealous, but secretly i was over the moon that my kid was so fluent in such a beautiful language.
Some nights she'd entertain the kids. They'd cook with her and she'd teach them. Mostly in french. To show off, she'd colour her crepes. Pink and green perfectly cooked crepes. The kids would swoon. Sometimes they ask me to cook like her and i cry. Silently. To myself.
We loved her food so much that we asked her to make extras. Stuff we could freeze for days when she wasn't with us. Sadly, we never dreamed the day would come so soon.
She left us the week after our perfectly orchestrated French party. I was devastated. The kids crestfallen. I'm pretty sure even David shed a tear or two.
I only wanted the best for her, so I supported her choice to move back, but that didn't soften the blow. We still miss her. It's been 10 months and we still talk about her. The kids still wonder when she's coming back. Or when we're going to Montpellier? It kills me that we have to feel this void, but i feel grateful knowing that she was in our lives at all. Ines made our world a better place and hopefully one day we'll get those pink and green crepes again. Till then, we head to Montreal.
No comments:
Post a Comment