My kind of people.

Claudia. I’m not supposed to write about Claudia. Because she’s our housecleaner. Here in Carbonia. In Sardinia.  We’ve gotta respect her privacy. But I’m sure Claudia won’t mind. If I write a little bit about her. I like Claudia. I wish her well. She has a difficult time.  Because her husband is out of work. And because she has some health problems. But that’s the way of life in Sardinia. The economy isn’t good. The unemployment rate is high. Higher than it is in the U.S.    As for coping with illness – well, Italy has socialized medicine.  That’s a plus. But often, one has to wait in line to see a doctor. My Italian true love recently waited three hours in the waiting room.  Takes patience, and a good book to read. And if one wants to see a specialist, the wait could be for months. Unless one opts to go to a private practice doctor. At your own expense.  Some do. Claudia did.    Thing about Sardinians, Claudia included, they are resourceful.  Some how, they find ways to get by. Ain’t easy.  Anyway, I’m getting to know Claudia. Though we speak different languages. But we manage. We had a nice chat the other day. With my Italian true love serving as translator. It worked. Wonderfully. We sat around the kitchen table.  Exchanged pleasantries. And laughs.   Claudia has a good sense of humor.  That’s almost a necessity in tough times. One of these days soon, my true love and I are gonna take Claudia and her husband, Victor, out to eat. They’re a couple worth knowing.  Trying to make the best of life. My kind of people. –Jim Broede