It's Not Your House

 "Bakit ka naghahanap ng gamit sa hindi mo naman bahay?"

That's what the petulant, misguided child told me when I was looking for a pitcher in the kitchen. I felt so attacked! It took all my might not to answer her back. I just responded with a very cold, "Excuse me?" I think she felt my wrath because she took a step back. I ignored her and worked on getting water. 

She used to be a very sweet child. I lavished her with gifts. Her favorite was a tutu skirt which I was told she always wanted to wear. I excitedly bought a Barbie doll for her in Singapore for Christmas. I imagined she'd be as excited as I was when I got my first Barbie. It was met with nonchalance. I was told she had several Barbie dolls already. 

Lived there since birth! That's meeh!

The happy, simple child was gone. Her behavior totally changed from then and I rarely saw her after that Christmas. She would run away whenever I would visit my Mom. So that child in the kitchen who said those words to me is a totally different person now. 

I thought about writing her school and asked teacher-friends if I should. They think it's a good idea. I realized though I should just stop being emotionally invested in them. I was told also that at this point they do not deserve my family's love. It's not up to me to correct the child. It's the responsibility of her parents to instill proper values. 

I wrote about it today because I feel it's the best way for me to exorcise the pain they inflicted in my family. We took care of them for about 20 years, the least they could've done is take care of the trust given to them. I hired professional cleaners to clean and disinfect the house. I can't imagine how they slept alongside rats, roaches and termites. I'll need to find someone who can help clear out the backyard since they put unauthorized stuff there (no wonder snakes have been coming!). 

What would you do if this happened to you? 

#BeKind #StaySafe #VoteWisely