May
17
A Little Boy Named Totoy
Filed Under Meanwhile
So here’s the most recent census of the kiddie population in our house: a 7-month old named Charlie, a 3-year-old named Tin-Tin, a 5-year-old named Alex, and a 7-year-old named Totoy. Tin is my aunt’s daughter. Totoy is the new help’s son. Don’t call Bantay Bata 163, you suspicious little person! We’re not putting that child to work.
See, we went to Tubigon for the town fiesta. The new help lives there. Long story short, I saw her walking with her son towards the town plaza. I felt a lump in my throat the size of, oh, a Rizal statue? But I promised Wett I’d stop offering people a home with us because the last time I did, the help who left somehow finagled me to say yes to
1) sending her daughter to Abellana;
2) allowing said daughter to stay with us until she finishes high school;
3) allowing her son to stay with us while he looks for works in Cebu;
4) allowing clauses 1 to 3 without any repercussions on her salary.
I know, I’m roadkill to anyone who knows just the right buttons to press. And if it weren’t for clause no. 5, which finally jolted me out of that I-want-to-become-a-charitable-institution phase the help somehow managed put me in, Wett would have thrown me out of the window by now. Why? Because in typical Chin fashion, I decided on all four future outcomes without asking his permission.
After that weird incident, the poor husband made me promise to stop offering people shelter. But that was then, you see, and there really was no swallowing the lump in my throat. So in the politest way possible, I told the husband, “I have an idea.”
“Save it,” he snapped. “I already know.”
“I haven’t said anything yet!”
“I saw where you were looking.”
“Oh. So can he?”
“No.”
“Please?”
“No.”
And that would have been that BUT I saw the help with her son once more that night and I just had to try again.
“How big a space would a child that small need, really?”
“It’s not the space,” he reasoned.
“What is it, then?”
“He’ll distract her from her work. He needs taking care of, too. With him afoot, do you really think she’ll work as diligently as before?”
“You’re right. But with him around, she’ll get a daily reminder why she has to work.”
In the end, we compromised. Totoy can stay with us for two weeks. We’ll see how the “integration” goes first before extending long-term welcome.
How is Totoy doing, so far?
On his first day, he wrecked my daughter’s bike. On his second day, he messed with my sister’s things (and now she’s mad at me as well). A few hours ago, the help had to walk up and down the neighborhood to look for him because Totoy being Totoy (and so used to being allowed to romp under the province’s sun whenever and wherever he wants), he just can’t be bothered to play within the gates, like he was told to.
Tomorrow, I’m pretty sure someone will tell me “I told you so.” And I’m pretty sure, too, I’ll find myself agreeing with him.
P.S Just in case you’re curious, clause no. 5 is that Mormon son no. 2 be allowed to hold fellowship meetings in our house.