helper needs help

My mom is wondering what the hell is wrong with Arlyn, our helper. She’s starting to push my mom over the edge by repeating whatever my mom asks of her. For instance, if told to wash the dishes she goes, “Huhugasan ko na po ang pinagkainan?” If told to clean the garage she goes “Lilinisin ko na po ang garahe?” It’s probably just a phase, I thought.

And then, two weeks ago my mom got a phone call from our neighbor, Mrs. Joson. Apparently, our neighbor’s seven year old daughter Paula had been acting strangely during the Christmas holidays. She asked her mother if Santa Claus actually existed and would not accept “Yes” as an answer. Turns out, Arlyn, who hangs out a lot with our neighbors’ helpers, told Paula, “Hindi naman totoo yang Santa Claus na yan eh. Nanay mo lang yun.” This pissed Paula’s mother off, especially when her daughter simply won’t listen to her accounts to validate the existence of Santa Claus. When I heard this atribida story, I almost died of laughter.

When I woke up the other day with everybody gone, I heard Arlyn talking to herself in her room. For a moment I worried she really might be having head problems. I found out afterwards that she’s got a new cellphone far more advanced than the one I’m currently using, and that she’s receiving more phone calls than I do.

scary

Thanks to my favorite channel on TV, WOWOW, I saw Wings of Desire again the other day. There were no English subtitles, just Japanese ones, but I didn’t care. It was just beautiful to watch. (I love seeing city shots in movies as if the city is some kind of a non-speaking character. Like in Manhattan or Happy Together or Lost in Translation.)

I have given up on the idea of having guardian angels a long a time ago but I’m flexible enough to revise my belief if mine finally shows up.

I’m sure a lot of people believe that someone out there is watching over us, 24 hours a day. It is very possible that it’s my voyeuristic cousin from Pangasinan. At any rate, to me it sounds like a terrifying prospect or at least something I should worry about. In Sleeper, Woody Allen tells Diane Keaton, “Unfortunately, it’s the government.”

The only consolation, if you’d call it that, of having someone who ALWAYS watches over you is the right to say “Hindi lang ako napapraning.”