Dedicated to Rosemary

When we moved into our apartment, we found out that with our rent we get a housekeeping service that comes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays every week. A housekeeper? How snobby of us? How did we swing this one? And here she is, our housekeeper, my girl, my friend of 16 months, Rosemary.


When I first met Rosemary, she was very shy and almost standoffish. The only thing I could get out of her was a "Hey Baby" or an "OK Baby" which she would use in almost every situation:

 "Good morning Rosemary. How was your weekend?"
"Okay baby"

"Have a good day Rosemary. Enjoy your afternoon"
"Okay baby"

Emmet would lovingly call her "the refrigerator" or "our linebacker" because she was so strong and and was built like one sturdy lady. As time went on and Rosemary and I spent some mornings in my apartment together before I worked, I started to break down her shell.Most of our talks were short and sweet and focused on what she loved-her eight children and five grandchildren and barbecued ribs.

My top two Rosemary moments will make me laugh for the rest of my life. The first one happened during second semester. I was home making pumpkin soup and she came in at 9 am as usual. I had on the AMC channel as there is always a lack of good day time television on so I tuned in to "Little House on the Prairie" for fun. After about a half hour, I looked up from the stove and Rosemary was standing there with her mop teary eyed looking at the TV in a daze. It was a scene where Michael Landon was bringing his blind daughter Mary a birthday present.

"Mary be blind" she said sniffling. "You love dis show?"
"Yes," I do.
"Good show. I watch at home all de time."

Who knew? Rosemary was a complete softy. From that day on, we were buddies. Rosemary always came in to check on me everyday even if she wasn't cleaning our place and always had to give me a nice sweaty bear hug.

The next instance was after I told Rosemary I was pregnant.

"Rosemary, I have something great to tell you. Emmet and I are having a baby."
"You making baby? You making baby! Oh dat's nice. Dat's so nice" (Add sweaty bear hug)

Two months later, she came in unexpectedly when I was in my underwear and a tank top. She asked, "How's de baby?" and she came over and lifted up my tank top to feel my belly.

"Sure as de sun will rise, it's gonna be a boy. Rosemary always know. Emmet gonna be happy man." And she walked out smiling.

We shall see if she's right... I promised I would call her and let her know. She wrote down her cell on our computer desk.

Rosemary has been crying everytime we see her for the last two weeks. "You be leaving me..." she says. Rosemary, we will miss you dearly. You are one in a million. We will never have another housekeeper who loves us as much as you do.