Where is Ann?

I have been struggling to find time blogging lately. Home chores seem to never end and when finally it did I am already too tired to write down thoughts. Where is Ann?  I am starting to miss her. Ann is our former house helper. We have a saying in the house “where is Ann when we need her?” this phrase comes up when house chores becomes overwhelming at times. When Ann left two years ago, my husband told me to find a replacement.  I thought during this economic tough times we should try without a maid. Now I slowly regret that decision. Having an extra help at home would be nice especially when you are trying to achieve something important. In my case, I want to learn creative writing and computer programming. Time spent on scrubbing pots and pans, mopping floors, doing laundry and so on could be used in developing those skills.

Ann was barely nineteen when she started working for us. She was a good girl and a conscientious worker.  She may not be the best helper we had but I can say for certain she is someone that is very trustworthy. I hired Ann during the time I went to nursing school when I needed someone that I can trust to take care of my then grade school son’s needs while I was staying late at the hospital doing rotations. Everything went smoothly, I didn’t have to worry about my son because Ann was a responsible house helper and nanny. We had other maids before but I remember her in particular because she worked for us the longest. Actually we already considered her as a family member. She was always included in our outings, eat outs and trips. So when she left there was a feeling of loss.    

She was approaching mid twenties when we started to notice she lost her jovial vibe. Oftentimes she was quiet and in deep thought. I had a feeling she was starting to worry about her future. One time she told me that she feels frustrated about life, about why some people are poor and some are rich. Her family is so poor that every time her mom or dad gets sick the money she saved up for months will just go to the hospital bill. I told her to find her destiny, if you don’t want to be poor forever; you need to do something about the future. Plan and learn a skill to better off in the future. Don’t settle for less, dream big and reach for it. I told her if she’ll encounter a better opportunity along the way, its okay if she leaves us.

However if she prefers to stay with us then she should go to school at night or on a weekend, “we will support you”, my husband and I told her. I even taught her how to use the computer so she won’t feel way behind in this age of technology. I have no doubt of her being smart because she learned quickly. When finally she decided to quit her job with us, we told her good luck, and then she left. We have not seen her since then. Later on I’ve learned she found another job. It was not a life changing job but a few steps better than a maid, a job where she can socialize with people her age.

I observed when a woman finally gets free from bondage of being a maid; she would put that past experience quickly behind her. Having worked as a maid put a stigma on a person’s pride. Though others are happy to have a maid job, most women are just forced because that is the only solution to a present situation in life. So a former maid though how much she appreciates you for being a good employer you are part of her bitter past that she wants to erase in her memory. So when she finally resolves her financial conflict and tells you goodbye, don’t expect her to show up at your doorstep ever again.

For the meantime while I am not able to find someone to replace Ann, I will just have to learn how to multi-task house chores or probably demand that the two guys here in the house share responsibilities.