Lady of the house

it's midway through my mom's visit, and the house is cleaner than it's ever been.

consider: all my clothes are folded, which, if you know the usual state of the walk-in closet, is a blooming miracle. all of marlon's polos have been ironed and arranged from left to right by color, as well as in the order of my mom's tastes. "ito yung mga gusto ko," she said, pointing to the neatly pressed left side of the closet. "ito naman yung mga mukhang mamang-mama,"she said, turning up her nose and pointing to the right side, where the polos were not quite as wrinkle-free. 

the miniature payatas of grocery plastics we reuse as garbage bags have been folded into a single paper bag, the ripped ones thrown away. the bed is immaculately made every day, the cosmetics on my dresser lined up in neat rows. there are fresh rolls of toilet paper in both toilets and no dirty dishes in the sink at the end of a long workday. 

in fairness naman to us, we cook her nice dinners. it's nice to see my mom liking what marlon and i cook, and sharing the secrets of jamie oliver with her.

as my mom washed the dinner dishes this evening, marlon murmured "there's a new standard for the woman of the house," hugging me to soften his giant, none-too-subtle hint. 

"excuse me noh! she's had years of practice!" i protested. 

but it really is amazing. moms -- you gotta love them.