How hired help became, family, the sole companionship of the elderly persons here, translated…
As My Boss Didn’t Come Home for the Sixth Day, I’d Made Grandma’s Favorite Food, like Fried Eggs with Tomatoes and Stir-Fry Salmon; I Thought, that Maybe if She had Her Favorite Foods, Then, She Wouldn’t, Feel So Sad if My Boss Didn’t Come Home………
Dad Didn’t Say a Word to Me, But His Eyes Turned Red
I wasn’t raised in a well-to-do family, not only were there holes on the door, as it rained, the roof would, leak, and there’s the proprietorship of our home not being ours too. Since I could remember, we’d needed to borrow the money from everybody we knew, to fight the cases, and, when it was necessary, we’d, gone to the loan sharks, but, sometimes, we were asked to pay back more than we took out, and if we don’t pay up immediately, the debts hiked up higher and higher.
When I was too young, my mother left us, and, everything landed on my dad, back then, I’d made up my mind, to start working soon as I can, to make more money to help out with the household economics, so he didn’t need to have a hard time, trying, to make the ends meet. Afterwards, I’d gone to work as a worker on the production lines in Jakarta, but what I made each month, still couldn’t help out with the family.
illustration from UDN.com
Friends from back home told me, that Taiwan is a place where dreams can come true, that so long as I am willing to work hard, and in two, three years, I will be able to buy a house in Indonesia, like my next door neighbor, Di, after working four years in Taiwan, she was able to come back home and opened up a restaurant that’s all her own.
This planted down that thought of working in Taiwan, but my father would NOT agree to it, he’d worried that as his daughter go off faraway, if something were to happen, he couldn’t be there for me in time. And yet, the economic pressures grew greater by the day, and, he couldn’t deter me from the thought, and he finally, agreed, and, for the sake of making the money for the language training and for the agent, he’d, sold off the only ox we have left.
Before I left I’d told him, “do wait for me, until I make enough, and return to pay up all our debts, then I will buy a brand new better house for us, so you and my younger siblings can live without any worries.” He’d not said anything, just started, getting red in the eyes.
She’d Wiped Off the Tears from the Corners of Her Eyes, and Put the Salmon into My Bowl
The agent told me, that the first job they’d found for me was being a nurse’s aide, my boss is an interior designer, works too hard, didn’t have the time to look after grandma, so he’d hired me to take are of her. Grandma is probably in her seventies, very tiny, even though she’d had a stroke, she’s still, quite, spirited, and would need to be taken to the hospital for the checkups every now and then.
As I came to Taiwan, because I need to look after grandma, I’d, started taking up a set schedule, wake up to make the breakfasts at six in the morn, grandma loved porridge especially, she said that she’s elderly and with bad teeth, and needed softer foods like porridge, it’s easier for her to chew and swallow. After breakfast I’d started cleaning the house, and grandma would start having conversations with me, sometimes, we’d gone to the marketplaces, or to the parks to stroll; she’d told me, that she’d often gone to the parks as the days are about to end, because she loved watching the young children playing there.
My boss hadn’t come home a long time now, and, as he’d come home, he’d not, interacted with grandma at all. Later I’d learned, that he was divorced from his ex-wife, and his wife took his son and left, and this house, went from originally four members, down to two, just him and grandma.
The sixth day when my boss didn’t come home, I’d made grandma’s favorite dishes, like tomato fried eggs, pan fried salmon; I think, as she had her favorite foods, maybe, she wouldn’t feel so sad about his not coming home. Actually, I knew, that he’d had the new cases, and is busying at work, but didn’t know if he knew, that grandma’s, waiting for him to come home.
That evening, it was just me and grandma, the huge house was filled up with our conversation, our laughter, Grandma was an avid Christian, and shared with me a ton of stories of Jesus Christ on the supper tables, and I’d told her about everything back home, including our leaky house, my younger siblings who’d misbehaved quite often, and how my dad was, waiting for me to return home.
Grandma asked me if I get homesick? Of course I do, but, I won’t leave here, when I miss home, I just, take my cellphone out, and see the photos, then, get even more motivated working.
it’s just the hired help and the elderly person every day…
“If you didn’t come and take care of me, I may be the only person left in this house”, Grandma suddenly told me, although she was smiling, but, I sensed that sensed that sadness in her eyes.
“Grandma, this place has you and me now, you won’t be all alone!”, I’d told her, she’d wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes away, and placed a piece of salmon into my bowl.
The lights are dimming outside the window now, only grandma and I remained in this house; and even if I weren’t alone here, I can, still feel grandma’s loneliness.
It’s my families that’s given me the courage to come here, it’s grandma’s kind heart that’s made me want to stay by her side. If I can, I want to hear her tell me more stories, if I can, I want to, cook more of her favorite foods, to accompany her for, a few more, nights.
And so, this, is how connected a foreign caretaker became with the elderly whom she was looking after. In the process of caretaking, because it’s just the two of them, because the children, the grandchildren live far away, or are all, busying with work and or school, it’s just, the elderly person and the caretaker, and, because the elderly relies on you completely, you two became, families to one another.
Life, the Obstacle Course 