I’ve been having a love- (at times, hate) affair with yayas for 3 years now, from the time Jeremy was born. While Ate Kara is my eldest, I’d say she is the luckiest since it was my mom who took care of her. She did not have a yaya, and that’s largely because my mom was much younger then, and therefore, she caould still take care full time of babies. Besides, she was just too happy to have a baby to take care of since our youngest, Anne, at the time, was already 14 years old.
Anyway, back to my love affair with yayas.
Yaya no. 1 was a teenager who, at her young age, was able to take care of Jeremy, who was already 3 months old at the time, very very well. She only lasted for 4 months because her parents decided to take her to her aunt so she could go back to schooling.
Yaya no. 2 lasted for three weeks only because on her third and last week (even if I didn’t like her because she was always texting), during her watch and while Bong and I were in the office, Jeremy, who was already 8 months then, fell off the bed, face down. (Imaging going home and finding out your baby did not just have a large bukol, but a black eye as well)Yaya no. 2 was nowhere in sight. Where was she? Beats me. So she had to go right there and then.
Yaya no. 3 lasted for 6 months. She was the second eldest daughter of our own yaya who hails from Samar. Unfortunately, her parents decided to just take her home when my mom refused to lend them money (Oh, they always “lend” money from her…wala na nga lang bayaran.) That was their way of getting back at her, I guess.
Yaya No.4, who was Cassie’s first ate, was also a fresh high school graduate when she was brought to us. I did not know if it was wise to trust her with a newly-born (Cassie was, at the time, only 1 month old), but she also did well, taking care of Cassie for 10 months.
Because Yaya no. 3 left, we had no recourse but to get Yaya No. 5, a young girl who, at the onset of her stay with us, clearly did not want to work for us. She told us she was just forced by her aunt to work. And since she was not doing well, we had to let her go after just a few days.
With Yaya No. 5 gone, Yaya no. 6 arrived from Butuan. She was the sister of my in-laws’ kasambahay. She was heaven-sent, too, because, as she was already a mom, she knew how to take care of the little hyperactive boy and I saw that she truly loved him. Unfortunately, her own husband, who was the jealous type, decided to make her come home because his own sisters were feeding him with malicious stories, so even if yaya no. 6 and we, Bong and I, did not want to let her go, we could not do anything but let go of her.
At about the same time, yaya no. 4 left us, telling me her mother wanted her to go home. A few months after, I found out she went to Samar to pursue her soldier-boyfriend. This really broke my heart because of all my yayas, I loved her the most. I sent her to a vocational school, paying for her tuition fee, because I told her she will not be a yaya forever. When the time came that she had to go home, we even bought food and stuff that she could take with her home. But even if she wasn’t honest with me, we still kept in touch. At one point, I even offered to give her money so she could return to her mom since I knew nothing would happen if she would stay with her boyfriend. But I guess, that’s the life she already chose for herself. I just asked her not to get pregnant right away because having children at a very young age will only hinder her from ever accomplishing more things in life.
At last, Yaya numbers 7 and 8 came from Davao. Yaya No. 7 was a 40-something woman who told us her age was only 38, while Yaya No. 8 was 18 years old. They were sort of related. For 8 months they were with us. At first, we had personality differences since Yaya no. 7 had the tendency to do things her way even if we asked her to do something the way we want it done. But she was the “malambing” type. She would always hug me and even kiss me on the cheek whenever she’s happy. I did not mind these at all since a happy yaya means happy kids, as well. Yaya No. 8 was also ok since she did not say much. Come December, they asked if they could go home to the province for Christmas break. They asked for two weeks, which we granted. Apart from their December salary, we gave them their 13th month bonus, and a one-month advance. In turn, my mom gave them as Christmas gifts, P1k each, while my mother-in-law gave them P500 each and grocery items to take home. For our part, Bong and I also bought food they could take home with them, and I shopped for toys for their nieces and nephews. To our deep consternation, when they got back to Davao, they just informed us that they were no longer returning and that the money they took, obviously, would no longer be returned. Well, I should have expected this, because at about the same time, I found out that Yaya No. 7 had 6 kids, all of which, she abandoned. Three are in Davao, and the last three, are somewhere in Sta. Rosa. The two sets of kids have different fathers. And yes, her life story is what teleseryes are made of. But what she did to us, was another fodder for teleseryes.
With the two yayas gone, we were blessed when Yaya No. 9 ad Yaya No. 10 came. These are sisters in their mid-20s. We were doing well for six months, but during their last few weeks, they told us that an uncle called them to tell them of possible employment abroad. You know the drill…yeah, they, too, left us.
To the rescue came Yaya No. 4 who finally was back in her hometown temporarily. She promised to take care of Cassie until we were able to get her a yaya, as Yaya No. 4′s boyfriend from Samar was arriving to finally meet her mother. Taking care of Jeremy was Bong’s friend, who I refuse to call a yaya because she was really more a friend who was there to help us while she was, herself, waiting for notice from her employer to start working in a factory in Valenzuela. She stayed for a month and a half, after which, she had to go home on an emergency. Her husband met an accident and so, even with potential employment in a factory, she could not do anything but go home to Ilocos.
On the day Bong’s friend left, Yaya No. 11 came. She was a 22-year old widow with two boys of her own. Hers was another sad story, her husband stabbed and killed two years ago. Unfortunately, as it was her first time to be employed, she also did not know practically anything. You’d think being a mother to two kids would have already made her wise for her age, but no. We found out she didn’t know how to cook, nor clean the house. Somebody else does the laundry and ironing of clothes so while Jeremy is away at school, we agreed she would help clean the house (when she’s not having siesta, that is.)
At about the same time, Yaya no. 4 left us as her boyfriend/fiancée had already arrived, which was ok, since Yaya No. 12 had already arrived, too. Yaya No. 12 was a 39-year old woman whose family is in the province. Unfortunately, after a month and a half, she was asked by her siblings to go home as her mother, who was taking care of her youngest, could no longer do so after meeting an accident at home. Fortunately, she agreed to stay until we can find somebody to replace her.
Two Sundays ago, Yaya No. 13 arrived. She is now taking care of Cassie, and so far, so good.
But only days after Yaya No. 13 arrived, Yaya No. 11 received a call from her older sister telling her to come home as their younger sister was seriously ill. I did not want to believe her at first considering the abruptness of the call, and because she did not mention she had a sick sister at home. But since nobody would take care of her two boys, she had to go home. She was in tears when she asked permission to go home. This was just last week. I was reluctant to let her go even when I knew she was not a good yaya (she was actually the reason for Jeremy and Cassie’s asthma attack which started last week, too), because it would mean just one yaya left to take care of the two kids. But I did not want to be bothered by my conscience lest something bad happen to her family. So yeah, I gave her her last pay and sent her off. Last Monday night, I was informed that her bedridden sister finally passed away on Sunday. Yay.
So now, Yaya No. 13 is at home, with a temporary yaya who will be leaving us on Friday Night because come Saturday, tempo yaya has to be present for an early morning parade of basketball teams. What do you know, at 39 years old, she was asked to be muse of a team. Ang bongga ng yaya ko ano? Tinalo ang beauty ko. hahaha!
On the following day, Sunday, Yaya No. 14 is due to come. She is the sister-in-law of Yaya No. 14. We have agreed they would stay until April 2011 when they would go home to Tagbilaran for their town fiesta.
Hayyyyyyy…How I wish I could have a happily-ever after ending to this story, but for now, the only thing I can say, is that the saga continues. 
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