Here We Go Again: Update

Chugi na si Simang. Sino si Simang? Si Helper 14. Kasi laging nakasimangot.

Pero bago ang lahat, I'll relate muna one thing I noticed sa aking dalawang helpers, si Helper 12 and Helper 14 (si Simang). Whenever TheHusband's home, they would become suddenly enthusiastic about cleaning. As in.

Si Helper 12? Ay naku, kulang na lang ay maglambitin sa sapot ng gagamba kakalinis.

Mapunta naman tayo kay Simang. Nung Wednesday, may sakit ako, so TheHusband was the one who picked up Sharkteeth. He brought her home, ate dinner, and went back to work. Eto naman si Simang, after breakfast (the busiest period in House KoKo), wala nang ginawa kundi manood ng TV and lounge around. Aba, pagdating ni TheHusband and S, biglang kuha ng mop at biglang naglinis ng floor.

I was teasing TheHusband that he should file a leave muna sa office for a couple of days, and surely, our house would be spic and span by the end of his leave.

Sooooo, let's go to the primetime show.

Pagdating pa lang ni Simang sa bahay, I was immediately taken aback. Not only was she unsmiling, she was scowling. Bigla tuloy akong napaisip, have I encountered her before, i.e., na-okray ko na ba sya? Nireplay ko in my mind ang mga taong inokray ko dito:

Guard sa BPI na bastos sumagot? No, lalaki yun.
Nanay sa school na sumisingit sa pila? No, mas matanda yun.
Babae sa hospital na sumisingit sa pila? No, mas matanda rin yun.
Babae sa McDo na sumisingit sa pila? No, mas matangkad yun.
Crew sa McDo na hinayaan ang isang customer na hawakan yung fries para i-check kung mainit pa then returned the pack along with the rest of the unsold ones? No, mas mataba yun.
Tatamad-tamad na tindera sa Lee Plaza? No, maitim yun.

Meron pa ba? Parang wala naman na. So more or less, na-eliminate ko na sya from those I have okray-ed. So bakit parang galit eto?

After we showed her to her room, I asked TheHusband bakit ganun yun. Eh alam naman ng lahat...between the two of us, TheHusband is more understanding, and he said na baka hindi people person. Hahahaha! Understatement of the day.

Nung unang gabi nya sa bahay, I heard something break and I asked S to check it out. Nabasag daw ang cover ng cookie jar. So bumaba ako, hoping she'd tell me about it. When I checked it out, may cover naman ang cookie jar. Yun pala, maabilidad sya: pinagdikit nya ang cover ng cookie jar para mukhang ayos, pero in truth, broken pa rin. Hahahaha! Panalo. Deadma lang si Simang. Nary a word.

The busy hours in House Koko are from 5 am to 7 am. Breakfast time kasi for S. After that, kanya-kanya na kaming work. Or so I thought. Si Simang, hayun, nakaupo lang. Nanonood ng TV. Like I said, I was sick, and I couldn't give her some training, but I was hoping she'd even try to tidy the place up a bit. But no. As on now, dusty shelves are still dusty; dirty clothes are still dirty; wrinkly clothes are still wrinkly. But she mopped the floors (see above). Hehehehe. When she couldn't understand my instructions, she just flatly gave up and returned to watching TV. What a piece of work.

Eto ang clincher:

Me: Simang, punta ka ng grocery. Alam mo yung Hypermart? 
Simang: Oo.
Me: Bili ka ng duha na [two] bangus and 10 na chicken drumsticks. [I gave her a list, just to be sure.]
Simang: Oo.
Pagbalik ni Simang, may dalang dalawang bangus. PRITONG BANGUS.
Me: Bakit ito binili mo?
Simang: ...
Me: Isoli mo ito at bili ka neto [giving her the list again].
Simang: Di na lang [no].
So naisip ko baka nahihiya na isoli yung pritong bangus.
Me: O, sige, dinner na lang natin eto, pero bumalik ka sa grocery at bilhin mo etong nasa list.
Simang: Di na lang.
Me: Kailangan ko yun.
Simang: Di na lang.
Naisip ko baka hindi alam kung nasaan ang bangus at chicken sa grocery, minonstra ko kung nasan.
Simang: Di na lang. Di na lang.

Sabi nga ni Tsokoholik, "blur-blur."

Para saan pang may helper ako if she wouldn't help. It was so frustrating.
Ang sama na nga ng pakiramdam ko, ang sama pa nyang tumingin. It was like having one of those scary paintings whose eyes follow you around with their sharp gaze. Creepy. Kaka-stress. Si Helper 13, nakakainis lang kasi utang ng utang at absent ng absent, pero naman, pag busy ako sa work, pinagpe-prepare ako nun ng lunch at dinadala sa work area ko. Si Simang, wala.

Long story short: She was let go na yesterday. And House KoKo is bright and shiny again. Still messy, but the pall of gloom is gone. Para akong nabunutan ng tinik. Hay.