To herd cats

There's a lovely English expression: to herd cats. "To herd" means in French: rassembler un troupeau. Normally you 'herd' farm animals: sheep, cows etc. The fact that cats are so independent, unpredictable and agile, indicates that the task of herding cats is near impossible.

This morning, a maid was coming to start her 1st day at work for me. I'd met her twice. Talked through the job. Spoken to her sister's employer as a reference (this is India, having a reference on someone in the family is indicative of the rest of the family...And it was the best I was going to get). So I'd decided to take a chance. Her English was excellent and she came across well in the interviews.

So this morning, at the time she was due to turn up, I get the call.

"I'm not coming today Madam"

"Ah.....tell me why" I reply ("tell me" is used all the time here and isn't rude)

"I went to see my brother to ask his permission to do the job. He wants me to work at home instead, stitching. I can make more money per month"

What can you do? This is India. It's normal that she asks her brother's permission. It's normal that she does this when she's got the job offer, the day before she's due to start, and not before. The fact that Indians have an excellent reputation in chess-playing, yet in everyday life I see so little anticipation here, is a contradiction I'm still coming to terms with.

I said I was disappointed to learn this. Wished that she had spoken to her brother before putting her details on the maid internet site. Wished her well in the future. Put the phone down. Put the washing machine on...And thought about herding cats. (Photo by fofurasfelinas)