For about a month, I had a great new PCA. She was dependable, helpful, and eager to please. She was early nearly every day, and never asked to leave before the end of her shift. She was a good cleaner, and enjoyed the praise I gave her when she wanted me to check her work, and make sure she was doing her job to my satisfaction. This PCA was only nineteen years old, and this was her first employment experience. Her age and the fact that this would be her first job gave me pause about hiring her, but I'm glad I decided to take a chance. We were able to accomplish much in one month's time. We arranged my bedroom closet and parts of the kitchen. We cooked together twice. For a month I felt organized and secure in the knowledge that I wouldn't have to struggle to do everything on my own - cooking, shopping, laundry, cleaning, etc. I appreciated the little things that she would do for me without even being asked. I enjoyed her youthful exuberance, and we chatted about music and cute actors. It seemed as if she actually liked coming to work, which was so refreshing. She didn't balk at anything I asked her to do, even cleaning the oven. She was patient on our long waits for the paratransit rides, even though she claimed she was not a patient person. She bagged the groceries herself at the supermarket, and insisted that she help me to my apartment in a downpour, covering me with an umbrella. "l'll just make a run for it," I told her. "Oh no!" she replied. "I'm not letting you fall down." She is actually an inch or two shorter than me, but she could reach high shelves in the store and carry heavy bags of cans and cleaning products. She tried tofu for the first time when we made spinach stuffed shells, and said she liked it. We were very different in age and cultural backgrounds, but we shared a fondness for chicken and potatoes in any variety. :)
And then the day after I returned from the Fourth of July holiday, an afternoon that she was supposed to work - bam. I get a text from her: "Bad news - I've moved to Houston." No warning at all. I was dumbfounded. I called and got her voicemail. I left a message, asking her to call me back. I just wanted to know what happened. I wanted closure. But she hasn't returned my call, and I know she's not going to. I contacted my case manager. Time to start the process again.
I'm not taking this personally. She did not quit because of me. She lives with her mother, and I firmly believe it was her mother's decision to move. My PCA may not have found out until the last minute. Still, she could have let me know, even if she had to give me bad news on a holiday. The sooner she informed me, the quicker I could begin a search for someone new.
I'm trying to look on the bright side of things. I'm grateful for the month we worked together, and all that we were able to accomplish. I enjoyed my time with her. I appreciated her hard work and dedication to her job. I will look back on our month together, and remember how good it felt to have someone who was reliable and took her job seriously. I hope her life goes well for her. And I have to have faith that my next PCA will
have many of the same qualities that made the former PCA such a pleasure to work with.
Everything in life happens for a reason.
librarianintx
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