Write On
By Brian Ferguson-Avery
When Grace got her promotion, Dan quit his job. "We have the money," he said; "I'll stay home and finish my novel." Within six months, Dan had finished his manuscript and was ready to start on the next one. Grace liked that Dan was home for the new cleaning woman. Their previous housecleaner had been arrested for stealing from several cleaning jobs. She had stolen from Grace and Dan, but only a diamond pendant and a TV. Grace counted herself fortunate. And Dan had been great about hiring the new woman. Her name was Myra and, from the start, Dan loved her. "She's quite a character!" he gushed.
But Grace had her doubts, at least at first. For someone who'd cleaned hotels in Philly " one of the stories that Dan relayed about her " she hadn't even moved the furniture. Or dusted. "Did she even wash the floors?" asked Grace. "She swept them," said Dan, defensively. "Ask her to wash the floors. We're not paying for a lousy job." Dan agreed that he'd speak to Myra. And, throughout the weeks, her cleaning improved. Lately, Myra had begun to sprinkle dusting powder in the carpets, and Grace loved coming home to a fresh-smelling house. Even if Myra had remained an inept cleaner, Grace knew that Dan would never fire her. Myra cleaned on Thursdays, and Dan was full of her stories afterward. "You'll never guess what Myra said!" he'd say. "Today, I learned how she met both her husbands."
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