Blanca comes to clean the house I live in every other Thursday. She has been in training since she moved to the United States a few years ago under the tutelage of her mother-in-law, Margarita (who used to clean this house until her business grew too large to handle alone). Despite the fact that I speak no Spanish and Blanca is still learning English, we have built a friendship based primarily on warm, happy smiles and enthusiastic nods. We don't know much about each other but we seem to be equally impressed by the other's work. I work from home, so Blanca sees and compliments my cakes and culinary creations; I am always in awe of how she makes the kitchen sink seem to actually glitter and sparkle. When we see each other, we don't really share stories or jokes. We jump right to the unspoken punch-line and spend our time laughing together. On the biggest, most important holiday of the year -- Valentine's Day -- I make gifts for all my friends. Since I knew Blanca was coming on Thursday, I made her gift ahead of time. As I handed her a little transparent jewelry box filled with four heart-shaped strawberry pate-de-fruit candies, she stared at me without speaking our laughter language. I worried that somehow I had made her feel uncomfortable with this gift... but just then she proclaimed in a slow, strong, earnest voice: "I love you!" Perhaps her intended message was a little transformed in translation, but I'll take it.
