I Did My Sister a Favor

My sister arrives tomorrow, for a week.

We have planned this time together since before I left and because my place is so small, she has booked a sweet little two-bedroom casita, only a block away from me.

Her place looked super cute, with two bedrooms and a swimming pool. Also, it is a "real house," compared with my well... charming tiny shack.

We have been looking forward to being neighbors, exploring the village together, me getting to play tourist with her, and indulging in restaurants and cafes.

A couple of days ago, in response to hearing me express some tiredness over the perennial dustiness of my place, combined with a yearning for a "normal" shower she asked me if I would do her a favor. I think she sensed that after six-weeks, I was ready for a change.

"Here's what I'd like" - she started. "I would really like it if I could start my official stay at the Airbnb a few days earlier and you could go in and add some personal touches, maybe some fruits or something. Making it feel, homey, you know? So that when I got there on Sunday, it would already feel lived-in and cozy for me." To which she added: "And if you wanted to take a shower and a dip in the pool and maybe sleep there a couple of nights, that would be nice too."

So smooth, isn't she?

So because how could I turn down doing her such a big favor, yesterday found me walking several times from my place to hers and back, carrying baskets of food, my laptop, and my yoga mat, Lila wondering what the heck we were up to, now.

There was definitely a touch of Mexican Beverly Hillbillies in the air.

The pool is divine. The shower is tiled, with great water pressure and a seemingly unlimited number of temperature options, at a fingertip. The towels soft and huge. What really got me was when I turned on the kitchen sink to wash the dishes: I immediately had hot water rushing out of the faucet.

Wow.

So here we are, couches, oven and all.

So glad I could do her this solid favor.

I just hope I don't get too soft.