MIRIAM
by Musings of Pan
I have known Miriam from seeing her in the neighborhood and community events for years. She had beautiful long hair, a prominent bust, a great smile and was quite energetic.
Life is constantly changing and at this point I found myself with a too large house to take care of and trying to learn the house keeping skills which my wife had always taken care of. I was learning but not that well.
I was trying to keep from becoming a hermit by going to any community events I could find. There were library lectures, an investment club, walks to raise money for one cause or another, and many other things. It wasn't long before I realized that I frequently found myself next to Miriam at these gatherings. This was a treat because she is pleasant to talk with. After the lecture on global warming I asked her to go for coffee and she agreed. Now please understand, Miriam is attractive but she is much younger than I and I was certainly not looking for a girlfriend. It was nice companionship.
We went for coffee again after the local art fair but she seemed subdued. I asked her what was wrong and she explained that her landlord had decided to sell the building in which she was living and she would have to move. She was concerned that she would not be able to find another place she could afford on what she made as a private language teacher.
This, I thought, may be a serendipity situation. My too large house has two bedrooms and a bath which are not being used. What better than having her in the house for company?
I explained my house layout and suggested she could live there. If she could not pay rent, help with cooking and housekeeping would be very welcome. Miriam wanted to think about this but I insisted she at least come home with me and see the arrangement. We rode over to my house and I gave her a quick tour, explaining that she would have use of the common living area and kitchen as well as her own room and bath.
Two days later she called and said she would like to try living at my place if I could find room for her furniture and a few other things. That was no problem so the next week some friends helped her move in. That evening I took her out to dinner to celebrate and we had a chat. I again emphasized that her living in my house would cost me almost nothing and that I would much rather have some housekeeping and cooking help than rent money. I would keep having my cleaning lady come every two weeks and do my own laundry but needed help with the other tasks. We divided up the tasks as best we could and agreed to continue to adjust this arrangement as we go along. I went to bed that night very happy with my new situation.
We quickly settled into a routine around the house and understood who was doing what. I was happy to have more time for my hobbies and even better to have someone to go to a play or movie with occasionally. Much to my delight Miriam proved to be a very good cook. Almost three months rushed by before I realized it.