nothing is free...

As some of you know, Hairong has asked me to help her find her youngest son Pierre a place to live, go to school, someone to watch him like prisoner on death row in the good ol' U S of A.
Her ONLY requirements...
-A family with 1 or more children that plans to go to Harvard or any other top school in the US
-A 2 parent home (mother and father)
-One of said parents should be a professor or teacher
-Said parent should work at the school where Pierre with be attending (so that they can watch him throughout the day)
-Someone that can cook, clean, take him to school and pick him up.
I look at her waiting for the punchline, cause this has GOT to be a joke. It wasn't. She was quite serious.
Completely irrational and unreasonable...what do I do...Of course I start looking. I don't think I know that many people or have enough experience with rich folks and their strange problems, but I do know I’m resourceful as hell.
So I gathered a small list of schools and options. I explain to her that it will cost a lot because NO ONE does this...for cheap anyway. (you’re asking someone to raise your child for crying out loud) After she scoffs at how expensive children are, she asked if I had family that would like to do something like this. I told her that my family would probably be MUCH MORE expensive to work with. (much like me, my family sees an opportunity and should be paid properly for it) At this point I've already started to realize that this woman has no idea what to do with her children. Whether raising them or educating them. Her fanciful idea of raising children and being a mother are turning out to be soooo far from her ideal. She treats the children like employees.(They get yelled at about once or twice a day) They don't have any friends they can go socialize or play with, nor do they have freedom to do anything. I really am worried about these boys.
Hairong and I went to Paris for a few days (she had a Dr appt, but really she wanted to get away. Apparently she can't be with her kids more than 2 or 3 days at a time) she spent about a quarter of a million euros on clothes and some other useless things. We came back to Toulon and the boys asked their mother when will they get to get some clothes (they needed them. They wear the same 5 pants, shirts, underwear everyday). We go to carrefour (walmart of france) to get the boys a few pants and underwear. Hairong won't let them pick out their own things and she only wants to spend 30 euro on both of them.(yes thats about $43USD)I looked at this spectacle in pure astonishment. Pierre showing his mom something he likes and looked to be pretty cheap and her tell him "no, that’s too much". I watched her in Paris (with her personal shopper in every store we went to) just pick up and buy. Not one time did she look at a price tag. Now you can't tell people how to spend their money or raise their their kids, but do you have to feign poverty with it comes to the kids basic needs. At first I thought she was teaching the boys the value of a dollar and not to be spoiled and blah blah life lessons, but come on. You just bought 4 helicopters and sold your castle. Throw the kids a damn bone...
The boys happily accepted the precious scraps they were thrown and thanked their mother. I'm still dumbfounded from witnessing this. The boys later told me that they understand how things work with their mother and that she won't change. I don't get it and its not for me to understand.
Hairong does find it strange that I don't live and work in the States making millions since I am "so smart and attractive". I keep telling her its not that easy (or even like that). I tell her I was just above poor living in Chicago. She laughs at me and says "you don't need to be modest with me". I try very hard to explain to her that, sadly there are millions of people better looking and smarter than me. She replies "oh you will find a good husband and family soon to settle down with" as if to encourage me. I cannot understand how someone so worldly and well traveled, does not understand that I'm not being overly humble nor do I need to 'settle' down to feel 'complete'. I can only guess its a cultural, age, economic level difference. All she hears is "how much you win" (I've come to understand, speaking to Jacques the oldest son, that this is Chinese thinking of "what you make, your salary") I explain to Jacques that maybe there's some erroneous translating on some ones part, but I don't win money. I work hard and EARN money.
Let’s just say, that attitudes have changed toward me since I’ve told her that its not going to be as simple at she would like to find places for her son nor will the fact she has money make me act differently. I think the free ride is over. Its fine because I knew this was coming. Nothing is free.

Next installment: Agnes (not Annez as I thought)…the ex wife comes for a visit

Trying to take one day at a time,

-Anne