If the hired foreign nurses are kind to your next-of-kin, then, you are, most likely to, reciprocate that same kindness back to those whom you’d, hired to take care of, your loved ones, translated…
After my maternal grandmother’s funeral, our generation didn’t stop at all. My eldest male cousin immediately set up a discussion on my grandmother’s foreign nurse, V’s condition. Before my grandmother passed, V had found, that there was, a benign tumor in her system, but because she’d wanted to take care of our grandmother, she’d, insisted that she wasn’t in a hurry to treat. While she wasn’t worry, but, we all, were, even though it was benign, but if the tumor continued growing, who’s to say, that it won’t become, malignant, right after the funeral, my eldest male cousin immediately gotten all our hands on deck, those of us who’d helped to sign her up for the hospital sessions, signed her up for it, those who are responsible for taking her to the checks, took her to the examinations, and, we’d, set up all the details of her treatment.
My older sister was responsible for accompanying V to the hospital for the treatment sessions, and getting her into the hospital to stay for the checks, while the operation on the following morn, I’d taken over the shift then. The surgery was scheduled for nine in the morn, by 8:30, V was already taken in. I waited from the waiting room outside the O.R. from nine in the morn to one in the afternoon, it’s, embarrassing for me to tell, that I’d, never, actually waited outside the O.R. this long, there must’ve been, three switches of the sets of the families, mostly came by two or three. “I’d told you, your mom’s condition was caused by her not willing to let go, after this surgery, do console her, to take it easy.” “I’d told her too many times already, if she takes my advice, she would’ve, already, listened.”
families, waiting in the E.R…
The “neighbors” in the waiting areas talked of their loved ones in surgery again, and again, and again, and, I got, a clear note of, what their lives are like, the neighbors weren’t nosy, but, they’re, mostly, worried and stressed over their, loved ones. Sometimes, those around the patients are, even more, worried than the patient her/himself, those who’d left, would never understand how trying it is, for those of us, who’d, stayed behind. I sat here, and, waited, heard the P.A. stating, “So-and-So’s families, please come wait outside of the operating room”, and, the moment that the P.A. sounded off, someone would, rush to collect the belongings, and run over.
But what of those without anyone there? There are, those. And, after the P.A. sounded, and nobody had, responded, nobody rushing toward you, you wake up on your own, recover, on your own, then, check yourself out of the hospital, and, my heart, wrenched a bit as I thought to here. Having someone wait for you, it’s, a blessing, even if, it’s someone like me, unrelated to the patient. Everybody told, of how lucky V was, to have met a family like ours, to help her through the surgeries, and the recovery.
Is it lucky actually? I’m thinking, that calling it affinity, would be more, fitting. Fate had, brought V across the seas to the countryside of Taiwan, to meet up with my maternal grandmother, and, so many of the hired nurses, my grandmother got along with her, the best, without her, I can’t even, begin, to imagine how my grandmother would’ve, lived out, her final, years, how much torture my grandmother would’ve, needed to, weather through. You don’t necessarily need to be related to someone, to love and care for them, the giving from the heart and soul became, etched in the hearts, with someone waiting for you, this connection, this bond, is enough, to help us through, the dark waters in our, lives.
Recalling how my own surgeries had gone, after the anesthesia wore off, between being completely awake and still dreaming, the familiar voices called my name aloud, someone, stabling my limp body, it’d, made my consciousness become like that man, holding tight to a piece of driftwood in the vast oceans, drifting in the pains, but knowing that I’m still, alive. Being alive, with others who care and worry over us, it’d, given us, a little more courage, when we need to, face the darkness, in our, lives.
And so, this, is how well this family treated their hired nurse, because this hired nurse treated the grandmother kind too, and, it’s still, a reciprocation, if you’re nice to the ones we’d hired you to look after, and surely enough, we will, reciprocate your kindness toward our loved ones, back to you, because that, is just, how humans work, what goes around, comes, back around!
Life, the Obstacle Course 