The one about maids...

Well, tonight, we said goodbye to our Indonesian maid of 2 years. Ida had been with us since before Ethan was born and frankly, we had gotten used to her. Her work ethics are as good as they come. But most importantly, Jo and I believes that she really loves Ethan.

Needless to say, tears flowed as she said her goodbyes to Mum and finally to Ethan at the airport. We had hoped she could stay on but her family commitments in Indonesia did not allow her to assure us that she would come back. Our new maid had been with us already for the last one week. We call her Yati and she does look a lot older than her "official" age. Anyway, Yati certainly does not measure up to the high standards Ida had set for us. Its going to take a lot of getting used to another person and her methods.

Our drive to the airport just now was a surreal experience. Somehow it felt sad and emotional. For Ida, she certainly is leaving behind her "best friend" for the last two years - Ethan. I hope Ethan won't miss her too much however. He is so used to having someone chase after him and knowing his likes and dislikes. Having someone able to handle Ethan does free us both up to do our own things.

We brought Ethan along for the drive and he was a little perplexed as to why we were out at night. As we reached the airport, Ethan was standing in his regular spot beside Ida at the back; I looked back thru the rearview mirror and noticed Ida wiping tears from her eyes. It was touching eventhough Ethan seemed oblivious of it all.

At the airport, the boy was having a grand old time running around the wide open spaces. Ida's luggage was overweight and the poor woman had to pay extra for that. It was pretty painful. Anyway, finally with all things sorted out, we bid her farewell. She gave us a glimmer of hope, saying that if we could be patient, she might be able to sort out her affairs at home and would be willing to come back if we would have her. At the moment, I think there's no question, we will want her back but the eventuality is still far off. So, she's gone. We'll all miss her in many ways but I think she'll probably miss Ethan most of all.

Whatever it is, she's given us a lot and genuinely cared for Ethan. For that I thank her and wish her all the best wherever she is.