Farnie’s employer – Natalie’s relatives – also included Farnie in their holidays, extended family parties and gatherings, and even weddings. During Chinese New Year this year, she returned to Singapore to be with them. There was a family reunion, after all – and she was family.
Farnie recalled fondly something that Natalie’s cousin, her employer’s young son, had once told her: “You are not my maid. You are my aunty.” She had simply said she didn’t see a need to dress up to visit the shopping mall with him “because I am only your maid”.
Similarly, when Natalie’s aunt got married, “they didn’t allow me to dress like a maid”, she added, chuckling at the memory. Farnie dressed like “one of them” – as far as the family was concerned, she was one of them.
They often reminded her, “If you have a problem, you can just tell us. We count you as family”, she recalled.
“That’s why I felt comfortable to stay longer with this family.”
Recalling her painful decision to retire, Farnie said: “I think I have done enough for this family, so I decided to go back. I also see Natalie (and her sisters and cousins) all big already.”
