Hi, need your help again.
My maid yesterday in a shameless about-turn, apologised for her misbehaviour of the past 5 years. She was sorry for letting the limping dog out of our house in Whitley Road and that she had not been vigilant in ensuring that our house was not flooded. She had been under the impression that floods happened in our area once every 50 years. My family was told to bear with her the next time problems arise and that if she did not get it quite right every time, she is sorry but will try to do better. But she reminded us that NO maid was perfect in this world and that there were worse maids.
Expressing the view that we should not compare her with her maternal mother who used to work for us, she enjoined. Like for instance, she does not tell it like it is, unlike her MM (maternal mother) and that she does things her way. This has not been easy, she pleaded, as her MM’s shadow is still very large, even when she is seated. A lot of time, she struggles mentally, on how to solve problems without being influenced by her MM. She begged us to remember that “MM is MM. She tells it like it is, you know, exactly what she is thinking and what she is talking about. Straight from the shoulder, no ‘ifs’ , no ‘buts’. So, mam, can you please give me time?”
Obviously, she knew that we had been exploring changing our maid and hence all these grovelling, even as we are preparing to sign a new contract – either with her or with a maid from another maid agency. She promised to be good from tomorrow and then we should not break the system which is working so well in the family. She thinks that all the other potential maids will help to make a mess of things and to take over her job.
From our body language, it was obvious that we were not very moved. “Sir, no maid is perfect. I made a mistake when Masel the family Labrador escaped from the toilet. But the floods were not scheduled for another 48 years as the last one happened only 2 years ago and I had read the New Paper at that time which said that it will never flood in our area.”
It does sound like a dilemma doesn’t it? I mean, if people say sorry and promised to be good again should we not be magnanimous? On the surface, I think so too. But I have to be really careful this time. In the past 10 years she worked with us, she had always started behaving well about 2 months before we renew the contract. And we had done so, always believing that like the Yellow Ribbon project for ex-prisoners, we too should have a bit of empathy.
But I am coming more and more to the view that enough is enough. I mean where will it all end, if after signing the contract, there is no way that I can rescind it until 5 years later. Then what, beyond repenting?
I really don’t know what to say.
I will not bore you with her sins for which she has not repented but I would like to focus on this new “apology” twist. Meaning, how sincere, really, is this apology? She said “sorry” twice during our lunchtime discussion but much as I hate to say it, saying “sorry” is not enough – still have to explain! I mean, if I step on your big foot in the lift, do not apologise but when I see you approaching me with two big-sized guy threatening to beat me up, would my apology be “sincere” or is it just to escape a beating?
All along, she had denied that she was responsible for the various incidents which I had not been happy with, always attributing the fault back to me. She has been bossing the family around for the past 5 years and more. Okay, it may be my fault, but I think she started behaving like that after I gave her a T-shirt from Petaling Street in KL which had “BossSini” on the front five years ago as a Great Easter present. If I had bought and given her that imitation Cake Spake bag, things may have turned out different. I have been living with that decision for the past 5 years.
So how ah? I will have to make a decision by Cooling Day on Friday. Or will I be in big trouble if I don’t renew her contract, as my uncle Gold Jock Thong (the staying in Marine Parade) warned me?
Let me know your thoughts.
My maid yesterday in a shameless about-turn, apologised for her misbehaviour of the past 5 years. She was sorry for letting the limping dog out of our house in Whitley Road and that she had not been vigilant in ensuring that our house was not flooded. She had been under the impression that floods happened in our area once every 50 years. My family was told to bear with her the next time problems arise and that if she did not get it quite right every time, she is sorry but will try to do better. But she reminded us that NO maid was perfect in this world and that there were worse maids.
Expressing the view that we should not compare her with her maternal mother who used to work for us, she enjoined. Like for instance, she does not tell it like it is, unlike her MM (maternal mother) and that she does things her way. This has not been easy, she pleaded, as her MM’s shadow is still very large, even when she is seated. A lot of time, she struggles mentally, on how to solve problems without being influenced by her MM. She begged us to remember that “MM is MM. She tells it like it is, you know, exactly what she is thinking and what she is talking about. Straight from the shoulder, no ‘ifs’ , no ‘buts’. So, mam, can you please give me time?”
Obviously, she knew that we had been exploring changing our maid and hence all these grovelling, even as we are preparing to sign a new contract – either with her or with a maid from another maid agency. She promised to be good from tomorrow and then we should not break the system which is working so well in the family. She thinks that all the other potential maids will help to make a mess of things and to take over her job.
From our body language, it was obvious that we were not very moved. “Sir, no maid is perfect. I made a mistake when Masel the family Labrador escaped from the toilet. But the floods were not scheduled for another 48 years as the last one happened only 2 years ago and I had read the New Paper at that time which said that it will never flood in our area.”
It does sound like a dilemma doesn’t it? I mean, if people say sorry and promised to be good again should we not be magnanimous? On the surface, I think so too. But I have to be really careful this time. In the past 10 years she worked with us, she had always started behaving well about 2 months before we renew the contract. And we had done so, always believing that like the Yellow Ribbon project for ex-prisoners, we too should have a bit of empathy.
But I am coming more and more to the view that enough is enough. I mean where will it all end, if after signing the contract, there is no way that I can rescind it until 5 years later. Then what, beyond repenting?
I really don’t know what to say.
I will not bore you with her sins for which she has not repented but I would like to focus on this new “apology” twist. Meaning, how sincere, really, is this apology? She said “sorry” twice during our lunchtime discussion but much as I hate to say it, saying “sorry” is not enough – still have to explain! I mean, if I step on your big foot in the lift, do not apologise but when I see you approaching me with two big-sized guy threatening to beat me up, would my apology be “sincere” or is it just to escape a beating?
All along, she had denied that she was responsible for the various incidents which I had not been happy with, always attributing the fault back to me. She has been bossing the family around for the past 5 years and more. Okay, it may be my fault, but I think she started behaving like that after I gave her a T-shirt from Petaling Street in KL which had “BossSini” on the front five years ago as a Great Easter present. If I had bought and given her that imitation Cake Spake bag, things may have turned out different. I have been living with that decision for the past 5 years.
So how ah? I will have to make a decision by Cooling Day on Friday. Or will I be in big trouble if I don’t renew her contract, as my uncle Gold Jock Thong (the staying in Marine Parade) warned me?
Let me know your thoughts.
