My house is nearly complete. I am on cloud nine, so excited about it. My life as a bachelor is interesting to say the least. Especially living here in the tropics. One of the drawbacks is that I eat out all the time. So I decided to start living a more normal life and hire a maid to cook dinner and keep the house clean. Thinking this will save on me having to get service from different areas such as laundry and part time household cleaning and eating out twice a day....
Well thinking that I can just bundle it all up in one hiring I decided to access a few people for potential prospects. Which actually worked out pretty good because the people I told of my intentions had access to women who were qualified for the job.
I let them know that I had specific requirements ; no small children, must be over 40 (for muturity sake), English Speaking, live in or out, able to cook multi cultural meals.
My salary offer is 15k... Primarily because the qualifications I request are the same as the agencies that place overseas working... These women are able to get twice that working abroad. So many scoffed at the 15k because they are only interested in working long enough to pay agency fees then they are on a plane. The only ones left are the ones who don't speak English and they are only able to get 4 to 5k per month... So I know that I need to attract the good worker with a better than average pay.
Well a lady who I shared my needs with found me a couple of candidates. One was too good to be true. Her name is Edna. Now Edna came with one drawback. She has small children but, she assured me that all of her 6 kids are in school. Her mother in law is at home to tend to them. Her husband works construction but it's very hard on the family so she needs to be employed as well. Plus they live with his family. So after showing her the house and explaining to her what I expected from her. I agreed to hire her. I told her that I wanted her to start working on the 1st of June in two weeks. I added her to my Facebook we exchanged numbers and she made a list of the things I needed such as pots and pans and dishes. I told her that she would be buying everything as well as groceries on her first day of work.
Well the starting day was here in no time... Edna was at the door with bells on all ready for work... We talked about our plans for the day. I gave her the money to buy groceries and essentials and then I suggested that we go to her house and meet the family. I was even more happy that I hired her because the house was but two rooms and she has a husband and 6 kids and they live with his mom and dad... So I could only think that this was a godsend for them.
Well after that we parted company. I later came back home around 1pm to notice she had returned with everything she needed to get started. I gave her a brand new smart phone (4k) and told her that I will be taking it out of her pay later and she agreed to that. Now the reason she needed the phone was so that she could access YouTube videos for instructions on how to prepare various dishes. Not a problem. So again I leave but, not before letting her know that I wouldn't be coming back home until later. I told her that once she was done with what she was doing that she could head home... I also informed her that she never had to work past 430pm. So I last saw her at 1pm...
That same day around 7:30pm I get a call from my friend Tessie saying that she was outside my house with the police. She sounded very nervous and confused. She asked me where was I and I told her I was in Laoag. I asked her what was going on. She says that the police and Edna's husband came to her house saying that Edna never returned home... OMG my heart sunk. A million thoughts rolled through my head. I am thinking that she might be inside the house in some form of distress... I asked Tessie to use her key to get in my house and she was so nervous that she left her house with out the extra key... So the police drove her home and she got the keys and the police searching my house inside and out. No sign of Edna. I asked Tessie to check and make sure my money was in its hiding place. Yes I showed Edna where the money was because after all she was to be trusted with access to it because as my maid if I can't trust her then I can't hire her.
Well the money was there undisturbed. Plus the change from her earlier shopping. Well that was only cause for a new round of worrying. I then head back home driving like Richard Petty... I go straight to Tessie's house. Once inside I could see that Tessie was shaken and angry. She tells me that after the search of my house her and the police officer (who by the way is her nephew) they go back to the police station and whalla, there's Edna sitting and talking to the police lady. Edna was filing a report of domestic violence against her husband. Remember he said she never came home from work at my house... Come to find out the husband upon her return home attacked her and beat the crap out of her because his dad tells him that she must be doing other things for me because 15k is too much pay and plus she came home happy about that new phone... WTH? ALSO, this is after a few RED BULLS... That's right dad and son are alcoholics. My heart sank... I was so outdone I could hardly breathe. Tessie saying that she tried to explain to the husband that I in no way would try anything improper with his wife and that I even went to his home to meet him... She told him that because his wife was fluent in English and that is how and why she was being paid so well. But, you can't make sense to a drunkard. I assured Tessie that I would have no more contact with them...
Wouldn't you guess it. The very next day while I was outside making me some coconut oil this clown rides up with Edna and a few of their kids. He came to apologize for his mis behavior. I asked them to wait there at my house. I told him that I was going to go get Ate Tessie because she's my paid interpreter. I left and returned with Tessie who informs them that under no circumstances would I re hire his wife and that she should keep the phone and I gave her money earlier and that she should keep that as well. Like most abusers he thought a big grin and happy face would be enough but it wasn't for me because once you forgive an abuser you enter a vicious cycle of bad behavior...
The only bright side is I received a text from her telling me how grateful she was and that she was in Manila. Yep, she left his butt... Good for her. It's just sad because she has 6 kids and a bleak future.
So now I have this 3500sq/ft home and no one to cook for me and keep it clean...
It's not the first time my thinking I'm doing good gets misinterpreted...you guys be careful when dealing with these people they have a CRAB BARREL MENTALITY.