Woman leaves civil service job to make time for daughter
Single mum Melissa Sailla still remembers what it was like growing up in a household with divorced parents, how everyone went their separate ways.
Not wanting her 15-year-old daughter to have the same experience, Ms Melissa gave up her job at a ministry and joined Deliveroo in 2020 so that she would be able to make time for the teen.
Ms Melissa makes her deliveries only when her daughter is in school or asleep.
"I am very close to my daughter and I cannot bear to let her be on her own after school," she told Berita Harian.
"I do not want her to mingle freely, I want to protect her.
"My parents were divorced. It was sad and there were risks, it was easy to fall under bad influence."
Ms Melissa chose to become a Deliveroo rider so that she could watch over her daughter, adding that she installed closed-circuit television cameras in their one-room rental flat.
She also highlighted how lucky she was to have immediate neighbours she could depend on to keep an eye on her flat when she was out working.
"Chinese, Indians, Malays... we all live in harmony and help one another," said Ms Melissa.
"My neighbours even make sure I do not miss out on activities such as food aid distributions."
In her free time, Ms Melissa sings at events or busks.
She has produced three singles in collaborations with local composers Bob Ghazali and Yazri Malik.
"Singing makes me happy, it relieves stress," shared Ms Melissa, stressing that her daughter remained her focus in life.
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