Househelp drama is one which most husbands dread being dragged into. They say as a man of the house, never get involved in what the househelp does.
Let the wife have her own jurisdiction. Unless you want to be asked those questions we all dread.
“Mbona unamtetea (Why are you intervening?)” This question pops up when the two have had a difference.
My wife Palma was always in charge of the kitchen. She hired and released her helpers, discussed salary raises, and any changes needed.
Anyway, all of us have those moments where we hit crossroads, those days you wish you had dealt with differently, from the moment the sun shines in the morning to when it sets in the evening.
You analyze the whole day and say “I should have lived this one different.”
I tend to think that some situations clearly catch us off guard. The heart is willing but the mind is detached.
The dilemma in itself. That's where I was with my wife Palma and our expectant househelp, Auma. The pregnancy raised a storm in the house, especially after her confession.
Not because she was pregnant but it caught us flatfoot as we had not planned on whether to release her to have her own family or to retain her.
“I met Johnny one year ago and we have been planning for a family,” she stated.
Auma is one of the best househelps we have ever had in our 12 years of marriage. But we were irked by the fact that she did not divulge to us that she was seeing someone.
It would have helped us plan her replacement, appreciate her service and offer her a send-off package.
“You would have even introduced him to us. Does he go to church?” I asked and Auma nodded.
With the children enrolling in a new school, the renovations at my church in Utawala, my brother’s wedding coming in a few months and the national crusade in the offing, we were stretched.
I was even thinking of visiting my nearest Co-op Bank branch for a soft loan.
“We need to discuss this issue Baba Mirriam,” my wife nagged me after we arrived home on Sunday.
“You cannot keep ignoring it for a week, eeh! You just heard her confess that she was afraid of losing her job,” my wife stated.
“Then what should we do? Release her without paying her. That’s wrong and what picture will I be painting,” I answered as I undressed, and put my tuxedo back into the wardrobe.
These moments are when I always saw my wife in her best element.
“Why are you smiling?” I asked her as we prepared for dinner.
“Cause all I see is you being worried and fidgeting yet I already took care of the situation,” she answered.
“Okay, fill me in,” I answered, sitting by the edge of the bed.
“I don’t want you to argue. Just listen, okay,” she stated.
“Mama Mirriam, what do you think I am doing by sitting here? Am I not listening?” I answered as we both laughed.
“Let us expand our agriculture business and have her work with us for the remaining five months of her pregnancy…”
I was astounded. How can we expand the business yet we are short of cash.
“Why are you creating this dilemma now? We have school fees and all those other expenditures. Do we plan the budget afresh... You have me here thinking. One problem over others.”
But she cut me short. “Just listen to me…”
“We already agreed to have her send her cousin to replace her. This will allow her to move in with Johnny,” my wife added.
“But Mama Mirriam, you have not explained how we are expanding the business. How did you even agree to this,” I wondered.
Her answer was brief and precise.
“I visited Co-op Bank and learnt that we can get a Co-op Micro, Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) Business Plus Loan through the MCo-opCash App or via USD *667# and pay for our stock.
“Via the MCo-opCash App, we can bank anytime and anywhere without physically visiting the bank. I was informed that the MSME loans are affordable,” my wife added.
All we need to do is open an MSME account.
A quick call to the bank and we were further informed that Co-op offers MSME Term Loan that can be repaid up to 60 months.
MSME Overdraft/Working Capital- where our business doesn’t need to stop when payments are delayed. We can access our overdraft facilities which allow us to withdraw our current account beyond zero.
The quick mobile biashara loans via MCo-opCash or *667# and even business mortgage and construction loans.
Further, Mamam Mirriama and her chama can even access Mkopo Wa Kujengana to grow their self-help group.
“What do you say?” she asked.
What could I say when she got it figured out.
All we could do is now plan a farewell party for Auma, our house help.
“She has really been helpful to us and let's assist her raise her own family. With Co-op assisting us to expand and with the market we recently tapped into, we will be able to take care of her until she is on her own feet,” my wife Palma added.
“She changed our lives, especially with the kids,” I agreed.
Auma will now work with my wife in coordinating the farm, the supplies and the sales at the shop in Utawala CBD and the farm in Machakos.
Her cousin will take over in her place and I promised my wife that Johnny and Auma will get married at my church.
That's all we could do to appreciate her impact on our life.