Gone in [what feels like] 60 seconds

As you may have already guessed, my pregnant yaya spent her last Christmas with us before going back to her family.  Based on our last conversation this morning (yes, breaking up is soooo hard to do...) she is due to give birth anytime now.  Vito and I have survived our first week without yaya, thanks to Clara, my house maid (more on her later) and Nonoy, my driver-turned-yayo.  This arrangement will have to work until I get someone qualified for the yaya role.

Last night, my mother-in-law was able to get 2 girls from Zambales, aged 18 and 21, who were to be given to me as yayas-in-training.  I wasn't enthusiastic to hear that they were so young.  Based on my experience, our house help of the same age would either end up getting pregnant by their boyfriends or worse, the family house boy or driver.  But as the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers and I was desperate.

One look at them and already I had this sinking feeling that they wouldn't last.  The older girl was slightly taller and darker, spoke slowly with a low voice and a slight lisp. The younger one was so small I swear she could fit in my pocket... like... a... pocket maid! She was better looking than the older one, had more confidence and walked with a lighter gait.  I took them home last night, fed them and oriented them with their tasks for the next day. The older one was to be assigned to do household chores while the smaller one would accompany Clara as assistant yaya.

Today went by without any major hitches.  I felt I was over staffed but I thought, better over than under.  When I got home tonight, I gathered my staff for a review of the day's work and assigned tasks for the next day.  Thirty minutes into the meeting, the 2 finally tell me that they have decided to leave.  I knew they wouldn't last but I didn't think that they would leave after 1 day!  To cut the long story short, I let them go tonight.

I was surprised that, for first-timers in Manila, they had quickly and readily made arrangements to be picked up by a "cousin" at the nearest jeepney stop.  They were also all packed and ready to go within the same minute I had given them permission to go.  And when I brought them outside the village to drop them off, I was amazed at how fast they got out of the car and scurried away.  It was like they had propellers for feet.

My conclusion is that they used my poor mother-in-law as their free ticket to their Manila holiday.  So I end the night with the same situation as the night before--desperately seeking yaya.