Martina, first row right, was in my first ESL class in 1990. She worked as a housekeeper for well to do families. One of Martina’s clients announced that she was ‘moving back to the farm’ and asked Martina to relocate with her. Martina’s client had been so kind to her that Martina felt she couldn’t refuse to the client’s face, so she asked her husband, Reuben, to decline the client’s offer on Martina’s behalf. At the meeting where Reuben was to decline, he said, “Thank you for your kind offer. We accept.” Martina was stunned. They owned a house, a business, and had two teenaged children established in school. How could they leave all that behind to move to a farm?
Barbara standing next to Martina and her husband, Reuben
Well, the decision had been made. There was no going back on their word now. So, they moved with the employer to ‘the farm’ which turned out to be a huge ranch for breeding Kentucky thoroughbreds. Martina’s employer gave Reuben a job in his field of construction. The employer built a house for Martina and her family. After several years of living on the horse ranch, the employer decided to relocate to Kentucky to raise the Kentucky thoroughbreds on Kentucky soil. This time Martina wholeheartedly followed her employer. In Kentucky, another massive home was built for Martina’s family. When we visited recently, we met Martina’s housekeeper—provided by her employer—as Martina was no longer a housekeeper, but was functioning as her employer’s personal assistant. My first ESL student, Martina, is truly realizing the American dream.
Martina and husband, Reuben at their home in Kentucky