An amazing migrant caretaker who’d helped this family out a whole lot, not just in helping to care for the writer’s husband, but in, many, other ways as well too, translated…
Since we had a hired nurse’s aide at home, my neighbor asked, if I’d felt, uncomfortable having a stranger at home? And I’d always answered them, “having an extra pair of hands to help me with things through the day, I don’t have the time to express my gratitude, how can I feel, uncomfortable?”
Weena is from Indonesia, with the heavy burdens of economics on her shoulders from home. Maybe, it’s she’d been through the bad stuff, she could understand how difficult it is to bring in the pays, so, not only did she save every penny she’d earned, she’d, saved a ton of money for me as well. In the past, I had no clue of the expensive of daily living needs, nor was I agile in comparison shopping, believed, that so long it’s, convenient, that it wouldn’t matter if I’d paid three, five dollars extra. But, she’s different in that, believed, that a few dollars here, and a few dollars there, it would accumulate to a whole lot, so I needed to, budget my money very closely.
Awhile ago, my husband had an open sore on his toes, needed the dressings morning and evening, and it takes several bigger Q-tips at a time, I’d had her to go buy the Q-tips at the cosmetic shop close by, she’d told me, “that won’t do! In this shop, it’d cost ten dollars each, that shop a little farther down the street only sells for five dollars each, I’ll go there!”, I’d told her, that it’s too hot, just buy the Q-tip closer! She’d still insisted that she should, save all the money she could.
As the outbreaks got worse, during the time we were locked in, she’d also used the produces we have at home, the flour, the yeasts, and made the traditional Chinese buns, and fixed the problems of breakfasts. And she’d also, used the soybeans given to me by the relatives, the green beans, and grew bean sprouts out of them, and made the soy beans into soymilk too. She’d also turned the leftovers into a huge pot of stew as well, and, gave me the savory meals during this, trying time, satisfied my needs for the food as sustenance, also, saved me, a ton of, money as well. Every time my husband was due back to the hospital for his check, I’d told her to take the cab, that she wouldn’t have to wheel him the longer way, but she’d always told me, that it was, no trouble, that she’d not needed to take the cab.
That, is how Weena is, not only did she do her best, caring for my husband, so I won’t need to worry, and she’d, always, saved a few dollars, and walked farther, sweated like crazy, and my heart ached for her. I’m grateful to Weena, she’s a great helper, and, a helpful “wife” to me.
And so, this, is having a wonderful nurse’s aide, and not everybody is so lucky, to find one nurse’s aide like this family had, and this woman, because she knew the hardships of being tried by money, that’s what caused her to carry that frugal mind, saving every penny, not just for her own expenditures, but also, for the family who’d, hired her to help care for the elderly person too.
Life, the Obstacle Course 