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A few days ago, Singapore content creator Chiara Ang shared an emotional video about preparing to say goodbye to her family’s domestic helper Tessie, who was retiring after 38 years with them.
Well, the goodbye has now happened, and Chiara didn’t simply send Auntie Tessie off at Changi.
Chiara told 8days,sg that she flew home to the Philippines with her and is spending six days there so the 64-year-old wouldn’t have to make the emotional journey alone.
After 38 years together, we suppose a wave at the departure gate wasn’t quite going to cut it.
Tessie’s history with the family actually goes back even further than 38 years.
She first worked for Chiara’s cousins for four years before moving over to Chiara’s family to care for her grandmother.
She then stayed with Chiara’s immediate family continuously for the next 38 years, never working for another household during that time.
Tessie helped raise Chiara, her older sister and their younger brother from birth.
“I have no remembrance of life before Auntie,” Chiara laughs.
And judging from Chiara’s stories, Auntie’s duties occasionally extended beyond the usual job scope.
When Chiara’s mum hid snacks from her as a child, Tessie once discovered the secret stash while cleaning and tipped her off.
“Since that day I’d happily ‘dive’ into the curtain of clothes two arms in, pulling out snacks at random like it was a blind box,” recalls Chiara.
Auntie also provided useful intel on her parents’ whereabouts and whether they were in a bad mood.
Then there was the time a boy allegedly punched Chiara’s younger brother at a playground, and Tessie shouted and chased after him.
The family had actually been preparing for Tessie’s retirement for years.
They began appealing annually to extend Tessie’s employment after she turned 60 and did so for another four years.
By then, Chiara’s parents had retired too.
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