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"Normal people give their employers a month's notice," she said at breakfast when Amou brought in the coffee. It was as if she had been holding the sentence an her lips all night.
Amou poured her and the Doctor their coffee without speaking.
"To be fair." the Doctor said after a moment. "I would have to admit Isabella has been saying she intended on leaving very soon for some time now."
He smiled at Amou. "None of us wanted to believe it. Isabella, but we all understand."
"I don't understand," my AM snapped. "How can you want to return to the Third World and live in squalor when you can enjoy living in upper-class America?"
"My family does not live in squalor. Mrs. De Beers."
"Umph," my AM muttered.
"I wouldn't exactly call Brazil Third World, Alberta," the Doctor said softly.
"Right. It's paradise on earth."
"Paradise is wherever you are most happy," Amou said.
Since she rarely, if ever, even approached or hinted at contradicting my AM, her remark raised all our eyebrows at once.
"Oh, and you're not happy here, making a queen's salary for maid's work?"
"I have come to an end here. Mrs, De Beers, You will find someone else very quickly, I'm sure."
"I'm sure. too. Especially if we offer half of what we give you."
Amou sewed her mouth closed and finished serving our breakfast. I said nothing, The Doctor returned to his magazine and my AM sat smoldering. I imagined the smoke pouring out of her ears.
It was a very hard week for me. In school. I would suddenly break out in tears. My friends were confused. I never wanted anyone to know just how close I was to Amou. None of them would understand how I could be so emotionally tied to a house servant and care more about her than I did my mother.
The day Amou left. I went with her to the airport, The Doctor drove her. My AM didn't so much as say goodbye. I heard her threaten the Doctor, however, should he go and give "that woman" any sort of bonus.
You should charge back what it will cost us to have the house managed until we find a decent replacement," she told him.
I smiled to myself about that when I saw the Doctor h
and Amou an envelope at the airport. He said goodbye to her and then went out to the car to wait for me. I stayed with her until they called for her plane to be boarded.
"You must not think of this as a goodbye," she told me. "It's just a little space between us that we will close often. Amou Una."
"I know," I said.
"I can give you no more than you can give to yourself now. You will be a wonderful woman, and I know, when your time comes, you will be a wonderful mother and a wonderful wife. Take care of Dr. De Beers," she concluded.
I thought it was a strange thing for her to tell me to do. How could I ever be the one to take care of the Doctor? He was the one who took care of everyone else.
"He needs your understanding." she added.
She hugged and kissed me and then she started for the gate door. I waited until she turned, waved, and threw me a kiss. Moments later she was gone.
When I got back into our car. the Doctor reached across to squeeze my hand gently.
"I know you're sad. Willow. but Isabella is going home to her family, to people she loves and who love her and who miss her deeply. Don't you think you should be happy for Isabella?"
"Yes," I said in a small, reluctant voice.
"It's not like you will never see her again, is it?" "No."
