Spaghetti Bolognese on Father's Day and Some Yaya Rants

I am again starting to feel that the nature of my and Elmer's jobs are making our lives and our kids' young lives abnormal. Sunday is family day. But Elmer and I work during Sundays. Holidays mean vacations or travels. But Elmer and I work during holidays. I feel that our kids are missing a lot because of our jobs. Yes, we work for our kids but... Oh well. Don't mind me. Just me...ranting.

Yesterday was Fathers' Day. It was one simple, ordinary day for my family. Elmer left for work because, uhm, he had to. I had to not go to work because our effin' house help slash nanny didn't come back from her supposed dayoff. When Elmer came home at around 4:30PM and the rain was pouring really hard, my kids and I had just waken up from siesta. We had brunch in the morning and never ate lunch that day. We agreed to have spaghetti bolognese that afternoon for our early dinner and in celebration na din of Fathers' Day.

Let me just get this out of the way. As I became mature and started to work, I unconsciously developed commitment and love for my job. I learned the value of work and time, and became accountable and more responsible. I'm not saying I am a perfect employee, because I absolutely am not. It's just that, my job (and of course Elmer's) is what keeps my family live everyday and, sometimes, buy things that we want and not just those that we need. Pero again, sometimes lang 'yung mga ganun.

I don't get people, like that effin' girl that I hired as our house help slash nanny, na walang isang salita. Walang kwentang kausap. Walang utang na loob. Nakakainis ang mga taong walang kwentang kausap. Wala siyang kwentang kausap! Pakshet siya!

When I hired her, I made everything clear. My job, as well as Elmer's, has unusual shifts, work days and all. In short, hindi siya ang tipong trabaho na siguro ay nakasanayan niyang Monday-Friday, 8AM-5PM. And I told her, as much as possible, we wanted someone who could and was willing to stay with us nang matagal. Pero sinabi ko naman sa kanya na hindi ko siya mapipigilan kung gusto na niya umalis. Only thing I asked her to do if gusto na niya umalis was to let us know at least a month early. Understandable naman siguro 'yun para makahanap kami ng ipapalit sa kanya. She said okay. She said she understood. She said she could see herself stay with us for a long time, at least a year maybe. A year was fine with me. After a week or two after she was  hired, I asked her how she was so far and if she was liking the way we're treating her. She said yes. "Ambait mo nga ate e." (Oh 'di ba?!) I even asked her to just tell me if there was anything that we were doing that she didn't like at all. She said none. That was about 3 months ago.

In the evening of June 6, pinagalitan ko siya. Dahil after the instruction and despite all the warnings that I've given her not to go to one neighbor's house because it was "dangerous", pumupunta pa din pala siya. Siyempre kasama si Calli sa kanya. Kanino pa ba sasama 'yun 'pag wala kami? That was reasonable pagalit naman. I even told her na hindi naman ako sira-ulo para magalit ng walang dahilan. She said she understood. In the morning of June 7, while I was still at work, she texted me saying uuwi na daw siya sa June 8. Kesyo meron daw siya aasikasuhin sa kanila. Na wag ko daw isipin na dahil pinagalitan ko siya kaya siya uuwi, kasi hindi daw talaga daw talaga 'yun ang rason. Meron lang daw siya dapat ayusin sa kanila. Kahit hindi ko daw siya payagan, uuwi na daw siya.

I was more shocked than galit. Pero tao lang ako, galit talaga ako sa kanya that time. Buti na lang nasa work ako nun kundi baka kung ano na ang nagawa ko sa kanya. Jooowk! ^_^ Nasaan na ang napag-usapan naming one month notice?! Before texting her back, I texted Elmer who was with our kids and her that time in the house. Bakit kaya ako pa ang tinext niya e andun naman ang kuya niya? Sabi ni Elmer, 'wag daw ako makiusap sa kanya at baka lumaki ang ulo niya. My response to her text, "Ikaw ang bahala. Pero Lyn, baka nakakalimutan mo, June 8 na bukas. Andiyan naman ang kuya mo. Siya na nga ang kausapin mo." After maybe about 30 minutes, she texted me again. "Sige ate, sa June 14 na lang ako uwi." Okay, I was feeling confident that I (or shall I say my Muder) would find me another one in a week's time. 

When I came home that afternoon, she was not in the living room watching TV like she used to. Calli was with her daddy in the bedroom playing. I asked Elmer where Lyn was. Nasa kwarto daw, natutulog. Oh di ba?! Ang totoo nga niyan, mas marami pa siya tulog kesa sa akin. When she came out of the room after, maybe, an hour after I came home. Namumugto ang mga mata niya. I wondered kung bakit siya umiiyak? E nung gabi nga nang pinapagalitan ko siya, hindi naman siya umiiyak. Nanood pa nga kami ng TV nung gabing 'yun. I don't really undertand kung ano ang iniiyak-iyak niya. I asked her what her problem was. Wala daw. Fine! Wala kung wala. Pero wala na din akong gana sa kanya that time. Pero dahil natural akong mabait (Hindi charot 'yan!), I remained mabait sa kanya.

On June 10, I don't remember anymore what we were talking about, she brought up the topic of her leaving on June 14. She changed her mind! I didn't know exactly what to feel. I have to admit, Elmer and I were already not feeling her. In short, pinagta-tiyagaan na lang namin siya dahil desperado kami that time na may magbantay kay Calli when Elmer and I are at work and Nikki is at school. "Ate, hindi na lang ako aalis pala. Ayaw kasi ng boyfriend ko na nakatambay lang ako sa bahay namin. Kasi daw labas kami nang labas ng mga pinsan ko." Her decision was favorable to me. I still accepted her. But, there's a but. Uuwi pa din daw siya sa June 14 kasi last shift ko naman 'yun for that week at 'wag daw ako mag-alala, babalik daw siya sa June 16 kasi may pasok na ako sa June 17. May aayusin lang daw siya sa bahay nila. Okay, that was fine with me. Like what we agreed on, binigyan ko siya ng pamasahe pababa sa probinsiya at pabalik dito sa Baguio. When Calli and I sent her to the van terminal, I reiterated that she had to come back on June 16. That was not the first and only time I reminded her that. "Oo ate, 'wag ka mag-alala, babalik ako kasi may pasok ka na ulit sa Linggo." I held on to her words.

On June 16, I texted her early in the morning. She didn't reply. I thought baka walang load. I again texted her couple of times at around noontime. Still no reply. I again texted and called her in the afternoon to ask if she was already on her way back here. Still no reply, no answer. I was sent straight to her voice mailbox. Shala siya! May voice mailbox pa ang bru huh! When I was calling her phone again in the evening, I would immediately get a busy tone. Elmer said baka binlock na daw niya ako.

I was already feeling agitated and irritated at the same time. I sent someone to her house in the province to find out if she left for Baguio that day. She was not in her house and she didn't leave for Baguio. She told someone in her house, I think a cousin, that she planned to leave very early the following day, Sunday, which was also the first shift for the week for both Elmer and me. E 'di nag-text man lang sana siya. Hindi 'yung ini-ignore niya ang mga texts at tawag ko.

When we found out na hindi siya umakyat pabalik ng Baguio that day, it didn't take long for Elmer and me to decide na i-tegi na siya. That was the final straw. Hindi naman kami ganun kababaw. Before this incident happened, she had already given us so many reasons to fire her. Ayoko nang i-enumerate kasi baka humaba pa lalo ang mahaba nang post na ito. Sinasabi lang kasi ni Muder nun when I was complaining to her na i-ignore na ang mga minor flaws and shortcomings niya because no one is perfect. Pak na pak naman si Muder!

I texted her na 'wag na siya bumalik. Ipapadala ko na lang ang mga gamit niya. Bumale na siya ng 500 bago umuwi. Binigyan ko siya ng 300 for her pamasahe sana pabalik dito sa Baguio. Sabi ko, sa kanya na 'yun. That was more than enough sa ilang days na stay niya sa amin this June after ng last sahod niya. Still, I ended my text to her with a "Thank you". I didn't wish her any harm or anything like that. Walang ganun! Still no reply from her. I think na-receive naman niya ang text ko dahil hindi na nga siya talaga bumalik.

Aside from her salary and other things na napag-usapan namin, Elmer gave her a new cellphone kasi parang bibigay na ang cellphone niya. Although hindi naman high-end 'yung cellphone. Hindi naman kami rich. I gave her a rarely used pair of sneakers, new pair of sandals and new clothes. I let her go out whenever magpaalam siya. Hindi namin siya pinagluluto kasi hindi siya marunong. Minsan, ako ang naglalaba kasi nahihiya naman ako sa kanya kasi ang galing magbihis ng mga anak ko. Ako ang naglilinis ng banyo kasi I didn't like the way she cleaned the banyo. I already showed her once how I liked it done pero she didn't learn. Ayoko na ulitin ipakita sa kanya so ako na lang. So bawas sa mga trabaho niya 'yun. Plus, this is Baguio. That means, walang masyadong dust, walang masyadong dumi, sa tingin ko lang naman ha. Plus hindi naman ako cleanaholic and germaphobic kaya I didn't oblige her to do house cleaning everyday. Ano pa ba ang gusto niya?!

I felt so betrayed!

That's why I could not come to work yesterday. I had to take care of Nikki and Calli. Today naman and tomorrow hindi papasok hindi pumasok si Elmer. Bahala na sa coming days. I'm hoping na may rescue nang dumating from my Muder soon.

I was surprised and saddened at the same time when Nikki told me, "Sana Mommy lagi na lang wala si Ate Lyn, mas masaya. Sana ikaw na lang ang mag-alaga sa amin. Kung malaki lang sana and sweldo ni Daddy 'no? Mga sixty thousand, kahit hindi ka na mag-work Mommy?" To which I replied, "Oo naman. Mas masaya sana. Pero sorry tayo, kasi fifty thousand lang ang sweldo ng Daddy niyo e." Charot! I told Elmer that. Sabi niya, "Hindi imposible 'yan." Huwaw! Lakas lang mag-wish! Pero I trust him. In his field and in Texas Instruments, hindi nga imposible 'yan.

Now that's out of the way (I know, ang haba ng sagabal sa way 'no?), I'll go back to how we spent the Fathers' Day. 'Yun nga. We had spaghetti bolognese. We all loved it except for Nikki. Nakakatawa tuloy ang prayer ni Nikki that night when we were all on the bed during the blackout. She said out loud in her prayer her Salamat Po's then her Sana Po's. One of her Sana Po's was, "Sana po palagi kaming may food araw-araw para hindi kami magutom. Pero sana 'wag na po 'yung spaghetti kasi hindi masarap." Hindi dapat ako tumawa pero natawa talaga ako. In fairness naman, masarap talaga 'yung spaghetti, promise. Calli and I even came back for seconds. But let me make that clear, si Elmer ang nagluto nun. ^_^

We could have gone and celebrated Fathers' Day out. But because nga of work, hindi pwede.

That's it, pancit!

This may already be late but I still want to greet all the fathers in your lives, my dearies, a Happy Fathers' Day!

Ciao! ♥