The painter finished last Friday in the Master Bedroom and the fresh walls were warm and calming. Now it was time to restore the room so that Will and Cecilia wouldn't have to drag out a mattress to the living room like they've done since Wednesday. Their two cats, Q and Jewel, have loved the mattress-on-the-floor reunion with their people, but it was time to set up quarters in the one air-conditioned space in the apartment.
Cecilia was on the phone, inviting people to come to Daniel's Diaper Shower on Sunday; Will was in an undercover race to finish the room before C realized what he was doing and dropped everything to help. (The two of them are a great team--uma bom dua, Dora agrees.) Will engaged me to participate in this secret mission; I helped him get the scrub bucket and we consulted on the cleaning supplies needed to make the chevron parquet floor like new.
Choosing the proper floor cleaner was somewhat of a challenge (just like using the washing machine for the first time). Why, you might ask? Haven't you been cleaning floors and washing clothes for over 40 years? Well, yes. But I've been doing it in English, not Brazilian Portuguese. And there's the rub. There were at least 3 plastic bottles and a large can filled with amazing potions that claim magical powers over dirt and film: Poliflor Brilho Maximo Brilho Absoluto! 50% Mais Brilho Todos as Tipos a Piso Brilho Seco Protecao contras mantas d' agua Con Cera Natural de Carnauba. My head is spinning. Rosetta Stone Level One did not prepare me for more than "mais" which means more, "seco" which means dry or thirsty (in the masculine form!), and "agua" which means water. I got the 50% right away!! Resorting to the tiny pictures swimming on the back label in a sea of accent marks and the little squiggly lines above some of the vowels, Will and I decided on the right product for cleaning up painter's dust; and he went to work demonstrating the use of a long-handled squegee with a cleaning cloth underneath.
The floor looked great, and may I say I was impressed with the housekeeping skills Will has acquired since his teenaged years. (Mothers of teens--we need to say no more, right?)
"Cecilia likes to put a little wax on the floor after she cleans it," Will stated with a little gleam in his eye. It was obvious that he wanted to feather the nest in a way that would surprise and please his beloved. So back to the mystery products we went, poring over the little pictures and translating by context until we decided on the best one.
He called me in to see his work while Cecilia was still phoning old friends and talking about Sunday's impending party. (Will had worked quickly and Cecilia had been resting for the first time since I arrived two days prior.) Standing on the threshold, I could see the fruit of his undercover mission. The bed was made; Daniel's co-sleeper was set up on C's side; and a bedside table, Daniel's chest/changing table were in place along with a rocker in the window alcove. The polish that we chose left an amazing shine on the floor while the fresh walls welcomed me in. How pretty! Que lindo!
Then I stepped onto the parquet. I didn't slip, but it was as slick as an ice skating rink! The two Gringos had chosen wood polish alright. But the "Poliflor" on the label was the brand name, and the polish was meant for furniture, not floors. Will and Cecilia's mom and two aunts have tried to rectify the floor hazard. Needless to say, everyone in the family has had a good-natured chuckle--no, a throw-the-head-back belly laugh--at the expense of the Gringa and Son.
And Will's labor of love was not lost to anyone. After all, their new life as husband and wife was beginning that very afternoon.
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