They Don't Know About Us

Chapter 7

"Matulog ka na Kai, pagod ka na masyado. Ano-ano nang sinasabi mo," Sasha said while she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Kai laughed. "Good night," she said. "Good night, nurse Kai," Sasha replied. Kai's eyebrows met. Then she glanced over at Sasha. "Parang nade-déjà vu ako," she claimed. "San?" Sasha asked. Her back was already turned against Kai so she turned her head towards her again. "Parang may tumawag na sakin nyang nurse Kai before eh," she said. "Kai, of course. Nurse ka kaya, hindi maiiwasang marinig mo talaga yan," Sasha replied. "Siguro nga," Kai nodded. "Anyway, good night again," she smiled at Sasha who smiled back at her. "Good night," Sasha replied.

An hour has gone by, Kai couldn't get a wink of sleep. Kai thought Sasha was right. She had no trouble falling asleep despite being in a new house. Kai stared at her long and hard. Sasha's eyes were closed, but Kai could see it in her face that she was exhausted. Then she sat at the edge of the bed. She grabbed the glass of water by the nightstand and drank a couple of sips. Right before she was about to lay back down, her grandmother had started screaming. Sasha shot up with a gasp. Then she looked at Kai. "Ako na, Kai," she said sleepily. Her eyes were swollen from being asleep. Kai nodded in return. She watched as Sasha hurried to wear her slippers and rushed towards Tonya's bedroom. She couldn't stop herself from following her.

Sasha entered the room first. Kai watched as Sasha switched on the lamp. Sasha held Tonya's hand. "La, si Sasha po ito. Okay lang po kayo?" She asked the elderly woman laying in front of her. It seems as though Tonya was in the middle of a bad dream. Kai watched as Sasha patiently waited for her grandmother to relax and calm down. When Tonya finally woke up, Sasha gave her a glass of water. Then she helped her up. "Kai, ako na," Sasha insisted when Kai started helping her out. "Kaya ko na toh. Matulog ka na dun. I'm used to this. Trabaho ko toh, remember?" Sasha reminded her. "It's okay," Kai replied. "No, it's not. Matulog ka na dun," Sasha tried to convince her. "Mag-babanyo lang naman ang lola mo eh. Then I can go back to bed. Sige na, susunod nako," she added. Kai backed away a little even though she had the strong urge to help. She was used to helping everybody out at the hospital. That's why she felt the need to lend a hand to Sasha as well. Then Kai walked towards the door. She stood there and waited for the two to finish at the bathroom. When they were done, Sasha looked over at the door. "Ay," she said disappointingly. "Kai, balik ka na dun. Matulog ka na," she told Kai who was still standing by the door. When Sasha finally tucked Tonya back into bed, she held Kai's waist and nodded for her to go back to the bedroom. For some reason, Kai found a lot of comfort with Sasha's short touch, so she took a deep breath.

When they arrived at the bedroom, Sasha looked at her. "Kai, you have to sleep. I know wala kang pahinga sa work mo eh. I can handle everything already. You don't have to worry," she assured Kai who was staring right back at her. "Hanggang seven ka lang tomorrow. You're working for twelve hours, not twenty-four," Kai informed her. Sasha immediately frowned. "Bakit? Are you not liking how I do my job?" She asked. Kai smiled. She shook her head. "No," she answered. "Then why?" Sasha asked confused. "Because you need uninterrupted sleep. This is interrupted sleep. I don't like that," Kai replied. "Kai naman. Parte na toh ng trabaho ko. Sanay nako," Sasha claimed. "I know. It shouldn't be though. I don't care how they treat you sa ibang pasyente mo, but this is how things are going to be in this house. Ako ang nagbabayad sa care na natatanggap ng lola ko; therefore, I have a say sa kung ano yung magiging patakaran dito. I want you to rest. Now, if you don't get that rest habang you're not working for us, that's on you. Pero twelve hours ka lang dito, five days a week. I'm hiring a night shift caregiver," Kai explained. Sasha took a deep breath. She knew she couldn't say anything that could convince Kai to let her stay during the night too, so she nodded her head. "Okay," she said. Then the two of them went back to sleep.

That night, Sasha had to get up more than five times due to Tonya's screams. She and Kai barely had enough sleep. "See you later," Kai said when Sasha got up in the morning. "Ha?" Sasha asked. "Twelve hours ka lang nga diba?" Kai reminded her. "Eh yes, ako yung magko-cover ng day shift so technically mamaya pa ako off," Sasha replied. Kai paused. Sasha had a point. Then she sighed. "Fine, you can stay. Pero mamaya off ka na talaga," Kai said. Sasha shrugged. "Kung may mahanap kaagad sila na caregiver," she replied. "Makakahanap sila. Maraming caregivers ang desperate for a job right now," Kai claimed. Sasha shook her head. "Yes, pero marami ring caregivers ang takot pumasok dahil sa pandemic," she reminded her. "True, pero if you really think about it, more people are more desperate for money now and they're willing to take the risk," Kai countered. Sasha sighed. She thought Kai should be a lawyer. "Okay, kung may mahanap, then I'll go home. There's no way I'll let you stay here and watch your grandma para palitan ako eh parehas lang naman tayong walang tulog," she told her. Kai nodded. She thought Sasha could be a good candidate for a saleslady. She's a very persuasive young woman. "Trabaho ko rin naman kasi yun, Kai. You really should be resting. Ako na dapat nag-aalaga sa lola mo kahit wala pa silang mahanap na papalit sakin mamayang gabi," Sasha added, but Kai only shook her head. "Kung tutuusin, trabaho ko din toh, Sash. And no, not as a nurse, but as her granddaughter. Diba ganun naman? We're supposed to be taking care of our family members," Kai explained. Sasha thought she had a good point, but that couldn't take away the fact that she's worried about her not getting enough rest. "Basta, pag walang caregiver mamaya, sasamahan kita dito," she insisted. Kai knew she wouldn't win, so she nodded her head instead.