Friday, June 08, 2007

Prison Break

I've heard this show is pretty good.... but I haven't seen it. Altho... we did have our own little prison break in the family today.

We got a call around 10:30 this morn. from my husband's sister informing us that demon SIL's housemaid ran away, as well as this housemaid's sister who worked for said SIL's family. So... we head out to have lunch at in-laws and I notice all the shoes missing from the steps of our housemaid's room..... Hashim takes a look inside and EVERYTHING is gone. The room has never been so spotless.

I called her cell, which btw, I let her borrow and she has it turned off. We call her husband's phone, who worked for my FIL and is the one that begged us to bring his wife here in the first place, and his phone is turned off. He also ran away.

We're assuming they've been planning it for days or even maybe longer. Chulani, the girl that worked for us, went on and on all day yesterday about wanting to go out last night to look for a shirt.... that's the only thing she had on her mind it seemed. I took it that she was excited w/ the prospect of wearing said blouse or such.... so we let her go. Now, in thinking about it, I'm sure they were planning their getaway and getting everything ready or some such.

She did come in this morn. and do a few things in the house, and her husband was seen at my FIL's house this morning, so since we let her go to church on Friday's, I'm assuming she used the "church time" as her getaway time.

Funny.... or nice of her because she left all the clothes we had made (uniforms) for her, and she left all of these children's clothes for a little girl and a baby doll (she has a 2 yr old girl in Sri Lanka), which I thought was a bit weird. Some of the clothes were dirty or stained and there was a pair of little underwear... made me wonder if the stuff had been stolen from my MILs school... I don't know. There was a pair of worn little boy sandals, a toy car, a little Buz Lightyear toy.... and they have a girl. Plus, w/ an outfit she bought just the other day ... I knew these clothes are clothes she can't afford. I wonder why she left them.

They left several things. Hubby is going out there now to take the TV we were letting them use, in case they try to sneak back in tonight to take it and try to sell it. Apparently her husband was borrowing money from everyone yesterday or trying to. I'm wrapping up all the clothes that were left out there and the bedding and bringing it inside. Not quite sure what to do w/ it...

This girl thought she was a little princess. When she first came here she was all happy because her husband was helping her do her work but when I put a stop to that, her whole attitude and demeanor changed. And here I thought things were going so well. Yeah, I've had to give her little talkings to over the course of the last few months, but I thought things were going well. The baby really liked her and she was always sweet w/ him.... but I think it was all fake.

I noticed the other day and have noticed it several times for the last week that the cats act somewhat hesitant around her.... which is a clear indication, to me, that something isn't right. I've had to get on to her many times for not giving them enough food in the mornings because when I go downstairs in the afternoons, they're always starving and in the evenings they always act like they haven't eaten all day.

It's better that they're all gone. The rumors they were making up and the stories they were telling made my mind crazy inside. No matter how many times I told her that I didn't want to hear it, no matter how many times Hashim yelled at her or her husband about it, she never stopped. I had to use my fingers and zip them across my lips to tell her not to say another word so many times I can't even count it, and she'd still keep going... and here I was saying how good she was not too long ago.

I guess that was before her husband stole my husband's rollerblades and swore that Hashim gave them to him. There was a huge situation over this because he waited until Hashim left for Dubai to bring them out and use them and when I questioned him, he started yelling at me .... which.... was the wrong thing to do. This is when I stopped allowing him to come to our house because we've had several things come up missing.... matter of fact one of my husband's favorite hats that was given to him by my mom came up missing from our car and no one is in that car except me, the baby, Hashim, Chulani and her husband... who cleans it.

And... what is the freakin fascination w/ silverware????!!!!! I swear... almost all of our silverware is gone again. She swore she didn't take it but I've never been one to see a fork get up and walk away.... but maybe.... just maybe they do at night when I'm asleep.

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's really frustrating that Bahrain doesn't do jack **** about these kinds of situations. I bet if we call the police, they won't do anything, which is the reason why i'm not calling them.

And... what's funny is that even if they do get caught, WE will have to pay for their tickets to go back home.

Is this ridicules or what?!?

Anonymous said...

to quote you: "so since we let her go to church on Friday's,....."

Sounds like your a slave owner with the way that is written!

Thank ya master thank ya!

Um Naief said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Um Naief said...

anon, you know, i did write a long response to you, but really, it's not worth it. think what you like. you have no idea what's been going on in our house and what freedoms she was given. but freedoms are taken away when you lie, steal and not do the job you were hired to do. if that makes me a slave owner/driver.... then please call me master.

Ixchel said...

personally i don't like stay over maids..way too much trouble. We used to have one that comes 3 times a week. Less problems. We had one once in Jordan, she ran away too. I'm sure you treated her well.

Anonymous said...

I am thinking you were born and raised in the states right? Slavery was abolished right? Do maids not get time off? I am sure you are very familiar with the 40 hr. work week right? What has happen to you since you moved to Bahrain? Why would 2 ppl and a baby need a maid anyway's?

Noor

Anonymous said...

This is what happens when you take strangers into your home,anon's tring to wind you up i think or he-she wouldent remain anon?

Um Naief said...

anon, you know nothing of the freedoms that this girl had in our house nor the amt of hrs she worked. you know nothing of our life here... so until you do, call me master.

Puppy said...

Um Naief,

So she ran away? The shri-lankan girl? who was stealing ur stuff? and not having shower? that girl?

well that is a good news, i think that was the only way to get rid of her, when she will leave by her own.

So look at it positively at it, but its very unpleasant fact that some of the stuff were stolen again, silver and stuff :(

Let it be the only loss.

As for prison break series, its so good. I am addicted to it, from the moment i saw main hero Wentworth Miller, i started watching. 185cm, wellbuilt and blue/green eyes, what more a puppy can dream about :))))

Islander said...

we'v had maid problems as well.. its a pitty they'r relied on so much in our part of the world..
my mom is the nicest to them, but they still steal or run away... so looks like the nicer you are, the more likely they are to take advantage..

and to anonymous: maids are not treated like slaves in our country. they themselves choose to come here to work, and are paid for it, it really sad that people have to resort to this to make a living but its a fact of life. in our home they live very comfortably, 3 meals a day, a nice room to stay in, and a nice monthly salary, and thats more than they can get out of a normal job where they came from.
please dont judge someone by one line your read.

Um Naief said...

puppy, yep, she ran away. and you're right, it's for the best. it seems that i keep learning one lesson after another w/ ppl coming into our house... so like gazza, says, i think it's best to not have them stay... i was never comfortable w/ anyone living here anyways... so it's better all around. i've heard how crazy ppl are about prison break. one of the ladies at my afternoon tea was telling me all about it. she's addicted to it like you. :) i might just have to rent it and watch and see what all the fuss is about... since Lost wont be back on until Feb.!! :(

sunshine, you know, my husband says the same thing as you. the nicer you are to them, the more they take advantage and that's what she did. i was nice to her, gave her things but it was always to where she wanted and expected more. and i agree w/ you, it was HER choice to come here and work. i didn't force her... but see... she expected an Indian love story.... she'd come to be w/ her husband and not work. when i expected things to be a certain way... well... it burst the bubble she was living in.

Munther said...

Hate to say this but T I told you so ! Oh and ignore anon he/she are not even worth responding to !

Anonymous said...

Moe "not worth responding to" ?=\
3eeb 3alaik lol , everyone here has a point ... annon = Noor ...?

"Why would 2 ppl and a baby need a maid anyway's?"
Sounds true depending on the nature of the parents job , if they are a busy parents then someone should take care of the lil one ...

yalla she ran away better than doing something else ...

be selective when hiring them , u never know when things might go wrong ...

better luck next time :)

'Citizen X' said...

Hi,

Your situation is no different than many other people whose maids have run away.

It happened to us 15 years back, it happened to you now and it will continue to happen in the future to others.

Pay no attention to cowards like 'Anonymous', cowards hide rather than reveal themselves.

Also, I have seen one episode of 'Prizon Break', if you like Indian movies than watch it. Don't get me wrong, i love indian movies. The reason i say this is that there are too many incidents that occur that are just not realistic, i refer mainly to the map on the guy's body.

CX

Um Naief said...

munther, you were completely right! especially w/ all the gossip stuff... they started doing the same stuff.

mohammed, w/ respect to why two ppl and a baby need help is because we live in a two story house and when you have a 4 mth old, you don't just leave the baby to play and go and clean the house. plus, i will never allow a housemaid to take care of the baby/child. they can help clean, and i will be the one to raise my child. i don't have maids cook nor do laundry... these are things that i do... but w/ cleaning other things, i need help at this point.... because like many here, i also don't give my child to my MIL to raise or my mother, who lives in the States. i raise the child myself and will continue to do so.

citizen X, yeah, i know they run away all the time, and really, it's for the better. i think she had a dream in her mind of what it would be like to be on a free visa, so they decided to try their luck w/ it and ran away.

Peceli and Wendy's Blog said...

Um Naief, just think about it - she is from a poor family and perceives you as rich. Now aren't your a psychologist - can't you see that she has many problems about 'class' and being a 'servant'.
If she runs away, that's her life. Where would they go anyway - back home to Sri Lanka?
I do have a problem about 'class'. There but for the grace of God go I - sort of thinking. Try and be in her shoes and see how that feels.
w.

Lotus Reads said...

Um Naief,

I am sorry to hear about all the trouble the maid caused you. Hashim is right, should you or the police find them, you'd have to buy their tickets home, maybe it's just better this way. You know, since coming to Canada we haven't had a maid and I haven't been happier. I was so dependent on them, first in India, then in Dubai, but now I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders....sometimes they're not worth the trouble. Hope everything is resolved quickly and easily for you.

Um Naief said...

wendy, i try to put myself in her shoes. i actually told her how to run away some wks back and what they'd need to do in order to do so. believe it or not. call me stupid, but if she doesn't want to work for me, then so be it. if they don't want to work under anyone and be on a "free visa", having their own hours, and making it like that... who am i to say otherwise. she obviously wasn't happy and neither was i.... so be it.

lotus, you know, it is easy to become dependent upon someone else. my sister constantly gives me grief about it.... but she also had my mother there to help her when she had her baby... and i don't have that. i will say this, i've never liked someone living w/ us. it caused an uneasiness in me that i couldn't settle. now, she's gone... and, like you, there's a weight lifted off of my shoulders. it feels good to not feel as though i'm under someone's peering eye. and... i'll at least be able to do things in the afternoons when husband is free... or... the house will have to wait.

all will be ok.

Olivia said...

Ahhh! It frustrates me that you have so many problems with your household help! One after the other, they all turn out the same!

I remember how liberated you felt when the last help left. (An ironic use of the word there.)

Peceli and Wendy's Blog said...

Um Naief,
When I read my comment again it sounded like a lecture. I didn't mean it like that. There's no tone of voice in our printed words.
It seems you are better off without this person. Take life easy and enjoy your baby and let some of the housework rest a bit - tidy, but not absolutely spick and span. You sound like you are lucky with a beaut husband so enjoy your days and your privacy.
When I had my little boys we had teenage girls live with us - relatives - and they were a great help out of their school hours. (two at high school, one at night classes) I was teaching part-time then and needed babysitters. Peceli was home part of the day too as his office was part of the house.
w.

Jahooni said...

LOL is all I can say.....
OR I could say "Told ya so!"
I'm telling Mom about Hashim's hat! You are in BIG TROUBLE.

Um Naief said...

olivia, it frustrates me too. i figure i'm too trusting and too good to them. hashim tells me over and over that i shouldn't be so nice, but then i feel bad... but they screw you over anyhow, so in the end... i don't really know it truly matters.

wendy, no worries. i didn't feel like you were lecturing me. i was mad really when i posted the blog, and my thing is that i do put myself in their shoes, and then wind up getting it all thrown in my face because of stuff like this. i thought, as i've gotten older, that i've learned how to tell if someone is good or not, and it seems that i keep getting these ppl that trick me each time. i do think about where and from what she came from... i know it's nothing compared to what we have here, and i don't blame her for wanting more for herself. i just believe she's very naive and trusts a husband that isn't looking out for her best interest. but... she's young and will learn lessons the hard way.

janeen, well... i once again am living and learning.

Olivia said...

I am usually too nice as well. What works better in general and in the long run in life? Being nice.

Although, it is the not so nice people who get to be the millionaires.... :(