I interviewed for a part-time

Sep 19, 2001

I interviewed for a part-time job this morning, and the woman questioning me mentioned a local bookstore, so after lunch, little Anna and I went for a drive to find McIntyre’s Fine Books and Bookends. This excellent bookstore turned out to be in a “village” development surrounded by fields and retirement homes, and Anna got lots of smiles from the couples walking among the stores. The gardens at Fearrington are amazing, and I gave Anna a smell of my favorite flower, white ginger. I grew this fragrant flower on Paama outside our house (we never did use the ginger root, but I’ve been told I could have), and when I smelled the ginger today I could feel myself back in Liro, opening the door early in the morning and getting a whiff of this sweet smell as I gazed over to the village nakamal (traditional thatch-roofed community hall). At Fearrington, there is an inn and a restaurant, and some day Erin and I will go for dinner there—a meal is $65 per person, and the menu promises a feast. On our way home, Anna and I stopped at the supermarket to shop, and Anna talked in her baby singsong voice as I filled the car with foodstuffs, though by the time we got to the checkout, she was crabby and crying. When we got home, I was tired and crabby. We were gone only four hours, but the excursion, and attending to Anna, wore me out. I’m juggling the duties of caregiver and homemaker well—when Erin got home from class, I had baked shrimp, tomato and mozzarella ready on the table, with fresh blackberry sorbet for dessert—but definitely gaining respect for our mothers who did this and so much more. This is work!

Anton Zuiker ☄