From Stilettos To Ballet Flats

Kumare 1: M joined us around this time last year, in anticipation of Jaden’s arrival. At first, her work consisted of cleaning our tiny house, cook for 3, and iron our clothes. It was a pretty light load, plus I really wasn’t maselan with those things then, so she fit in okay.

After a couple of months, I gave birth. Inevitably, M had to do more chores now. We counted on her to prepare Jaden’s bath, wash his clothes, pack his diaper bag, sanitize our room and take out the trash more often (coz of the dirty nappies), and so on. I taught her how to clean and sterilize bottles and pump parts, too. I became very particular with these things, so I guess she was a little disoriented with the change of standards. I figured she’d adjust and pick up eventually.

She didn’t. If anything, she became less and less reliable. I would always have bottles re-washed. She’d forget the bottles in the sterilizer (thank God for the auto-off feature). She’d forget to wash and/or my pumps on time. She’d forget how to prepare Jaden’s stuff (something was always missing). Actually, she “forgot” too many things! I always complained then that i feel like having to re-do what she did because it was almost always palpak.

Worse, she moved around slower and slower and sloooooooooooweeer. As if she was making rampa. (I might need to emphasize that, in fairness to her, she was a former “beauty queen”. She won one of those pang-misis pageants in the province. That’s probably why she walks ever so slowly with matching swaying of the hips. Haha)

Anyway, she absolutely flunked as a yaya (we considered her for the job initially). So we looked for one and let M stay as our all-around helper.

Kumare 2: Enter C. M referred her to us (they were kumares and neighbors in the province). It was the nth referral we got, but by some stroke of fate, we agreed to meet and “try” this one.

She was excellent.

C was smart, worked cheerfully, and genuinely cared for Jaden. She quickly understood and remembered my instructions. Many times, she’d pick up my likes and dislikes without having to be told. She has the initiative to put things in order even when I didn’t say so (or even when it was actually M’s job).

She was so good, I could see that Jaden liked her too. Soon, I was able to leave Jaden with her without worrying.

She had such love and malasakit for her job — and I’d like to think for our family too — that everyone liked her. Julz’s family and mine praised her endlessly for being a superb nanny.

In return, we showered her with perks. In 3 months, she got a raise and her “productivity bonus” became a monthly thing. We gave her a cellphone, clothes, even bags. Last summer, I let her daughter stay with us too. We gave the girl clothes and school supplies. C got rewarded by Jaden’s 2 sets of grandparents too.

Unfortunately, C will be leaving us soon. She has to take care of an ailing mom and a daughter who was hopelessly dependent on her. While I understood her decision, it was with a very heavy heart that I agreed to let her go.

∞

Despite having such a light and limited load (she cant argue otherwise because I did all the house work before hiring her), M was miserably and perennially disappointing me. She had the habit of making “bali” (getting her salary in advance) and going on AWOLs. And she was STILL almost always palpak! She earned the nickname Stress. As in Stress Drilon.

I called her attention many times on sloppy work (I was told spot checks are necessary with helpers). On two occasions, I berated her. One was for going on AWOL, and the other was just last Monday after she (1) lost my money and my jeans, (2) going on a day-off without first looking for them even after I specifically asked her to do that before leaving, and (3) coming home the next day. Because I felt she was consistently disrespecting our authority and abusing our leniency, I decided to be upfront with her and told her to PLEASE shape up because “awa nalang ang pumipigil sakin na paalisin ka.” Which is true. I wouldn’t know how I’d deal with myself if i fired the breadwinner of a family of 9.

On Wednesday, without warning, she casually walked out of my inlaws’ house and didn’t come back. She’s paid til August (no thanks to her endless bali’s), but I dont mind anymore. To be candid about it, I was so relieved she left. At least, my conscience will never have to bug me.

∞

My hope for these 2 is that jealousy won’t get in the way of their friendship.

My other hope, this time for us, is that C will change her mind and stay with us.