Return the favor

Remember my friend Jessie? She live near my maams old house? Her maam is all the time beat her and call her bitch. Jessie want to run away but she is still stuck in that house.

Jessie is full time so depress because her situation is not good. Then one day she phone me. She tell me that she get so angry with her maam she want to spit in her maams coffee. She say it will make her feel so happy when her maam is drinking the coffee. I tell her Jessie you not do that if you are caught it will be bad. She say Sally it already so bad at least I can laugh when she is drinking my spit. But she is too scared. I know she will not do this. 

I dont know if you remember this. Jessies maam have a loro. A parrot. It can talk. And because the maam call Jessie bitch all the time the parrot call her bitch. Yesterday Jessie tell me she is teaching the parrot all bad word in tagalog. like putanginamo. It mean f you. She tell her maam it mean I love you. And puta ka. you are a bitch. She tell her maam it mean you are beautiful.

I dont think what Jessie is doing is good because she can get in so much trouble if her maam is finding out. But I think Jessie need to laugh that is why she do this thing. 

We have this thing in my home country. utang na loob. It mean you have to repay a person what you owe them. we use it when someone do something good for you then you have to return him something.I try to explain better.

Suppose someone do some favor for you. You cannot pay money for it. You have to repay person with another favor. If you dont do a favor back for the person then you are walang utang na loob. that mean ungrateful. You have to make a balancing of all the favor.

It is not like it is a law that you have to return the favor. But something inside your head or your heart tell you that you have to do it. Sometimes the favor is so big you can never return it. But you always have to try. and keep trying till you are satisfy. That is the way in my home country.

Jessie wants to give her maam spit because her maam is giving her shit. But instead she uses the parrot to return the favor to her maam.

Run

Sara is very fast runner. She like to run. Even when it is so hot she is going for practice run. On saturday sometimes she go to al barsha park for running. Even I like to do jogging. But for me it is because I am little bit fat. It is running for fat not fun.

Anyway today I  am thinking about the word run. Some people like Sara run for fun. Some people like me run for fat. Maybe you run away from something. Or you run to something. or for something. Like prime minister or president. When Rayan is doing lot of potty maam say he have run. when Saras sock is tearing she say it have a run. when maam is not well she say I am run down. or if I ask for off day on some other day she will say I dont know Sally I have to run it by sir.

So many use for one word. As usual I tell maam. She say Sally that is all good. But now run along and do your housework. She is so boring sometime she dont want to think and she dont want me also to think. But I am always thinking about thing like this. If you know any more meaning please run it by me. see how I use it again?

Anyway in my last story I write that I will tell you about my romance with Richie. I go back to Philippines. Richie is coming to meet me at my house. He is bringing my son. our son. And he is bringing me flower. He tell me that he miss me. He cry that it is always me that he want. No one else. Not Elise. You remember he was doing affair with her? He tell me he is so sorry.

And he also say this. Because he is doing affair with Elise he realise how much he love me. Because he knows no one love him like I love him. I feel angry about Elise but what I can say? We were not together when he do affair so it not like he cheat on me. I tell him I need to think for few days before I decide what I will do. But I know I will take him back. Because of my son. Because he need a mother and a father.

My friends all tell me he is really change. No drinking. No smoking. Only working. He is doing painting job. He is looking after my son. He is waiting for me. So I get engage. to my sons father. To my love. I am happy. but I am also sad. Because I have to leave him and come back to Dubai.

But now it is funny. I miss Richie but sometimes I even forget I am engage. My life is change but in Dubai nothing has change. I am still sally. housemaid for my maam. Doing all the work. My son is still far away. Richie is far away. And I do not know what he is doing.

Yesterday I am reading in paper that there is this housemaid. Like me but from indonesia. She is going to jail for one month. When I tell you why you will be shock. Her husband is in Indonesia. He is telling her on phone that he want to leave her. do divorce. She is so upset she say she cannot live without him. She is getting depress. She want to die so she take 25 panadol. she try to do suicide. Her maam is taking her to hospital. After that she is going to jail. She go to jail for being depress.

I am thinking that this girls situation is same like me. She is here. Her husband is in Indonesia. I am here. Richie is in Philippines. I do not know what he is doing. If Richie do like this separation or leave me me maybe even I will feel like I want to die. Maybe even I will want to run away from my life.

I hope I can run back home soon. 

I am back

Many of you who is my regular reader must be thinking why I am not writing for so many day. I will tell you my full story. My contract is getting over. So I am thinking I will go back to Philippines. I think it is good time for me to be with my son. I tell my maam I am going back home. because my son is needing me.

Maam is not happy with me. She say Sally I treat you so nice and you are leaving us. For many days she is not talking to me. I feel bad but I feel I have to go and be with my son. So I am leaving Dubai. I go back home. With all my things. I think Dubai is finish. Khalas. This is in August end. 

I go back home to Davao. I meet everyone. I am so happy. My son is so happy. My brother and sister is so happy. I am even getting engage to Richie. That is long story. It is good news. But I will tell you my romance story on another day. Today I have to tell you about how I went home.

My mother for two days is happy. Then she is tell me Sally what you have done? How you have leave your job? Your maam is so good and you are leaving her? Who will pay for us to eat our food. Your son who will pay for him to wear clothes. Your brothers and sister who will pay for their books? She make me feel so guilty. 

I tell my mother that Richie is doing some job as house painter. He will pay for us. She laugh. She tell me what Richie will pay for with that money. Maybe he can pay for you and your son. But what about your brother and sister? And me? Who will pay for me? You have to do more work. You better go back to your maam before she find someone else.

I look at my mothers house. Everything in the house is coming from money I am sending. All from the dirham I am earn. We have new fridge. Before this the fridge door is broken I have to hold the door with my knee when I am taking out the food. Now my mother have new fridge. From my dirham. We have new tv. Maam is sending her old microwave for my mother. It is still working but maam getting new one she give me old one. We have toaster. We have mixer.  

My mothers house is small but it have everything. What more she is needing? Why I have to go back? And what about my mothers husband? why he not pay for anything? I tell you why. Because full time he is drinking. full time he is sleeping. He is not good man.

For many days I am thinking thinking what I must do. I am so happy to be with my son. And Richie he is also improve so much. Everyone tell me that he really love me. Everyone tell me he really miss me. That he is grow up and become man. I ask him Richie what I should do? He tell me Sally you go back for two more years. Then we will get marry.

So I call my maam. I am so scare that she already find new housemaid. If I have to go to new house with new maam and sir I feel that I will die. But I am lucky. She is not finding anyone full time. She is using agency maid to come and clean house. She is doing cooking by herself. 

She is little bit angry that I do all this drama. But I can tell in her voice she is also happy. But she say Sally I dont know. I bring you back and after one or two year again you do this? I not tell her that I am engage to Richie. If I tell her maybe she think I will leave again soon.

Anyway she is doing my visa again. And that is how I come back to Dubai. I am homesick again. I miss my son. I miss Richie. How I will pass two years?

Maam is happy I am back. I dont know what she will say when she find out that I am engage. that one day I will really go back forever. I am happy she take me back. But I just want to go back home.