They Don't Know About Us

Chapter 8

Kai couldn't help but smile at the note and the packed meal Sasha prepared for her. She took her phone out and decided to write Sasha a text message, but then she paused. She decided to change her mind and didn't bother sending the message. She looked up and took a deep breath. Then she put her phone back on her pocket and left for work.

That night Sasha stared at her phone. No notifications showed up as usual. It made her sigh. There goes another friend, she thought. She had lost so many people in her life over the years that she was used to it by now. She thought it was her fault anyway. She knew how to scare people away even without trying.

The next day, Sasha showed up for work. Tonya could tell something was bothering her young caregiver. "Ano? Anong sabi nya?" She asked while Sasha wiped her body with a warm wet towel. "Nino po, lola?" Sasha asked while she continued to do her work. Tonya sighed. "Alam mo? Bagay kayo ng apo ko. Parehas kayong magulo kausap," she claimed. Sasha chuckled. "Si Kai po ba yung tinatanong nyo?" She asked to confirm. "Oo, eh para kanino mo pa ba niluto yung mga niluto mo kahapon bago ka umuwi?" Tonya replied. "Para po sayo yun ah. Sabi po ni Kai madalas kayong gutumin sa gabi kaya po ako nagluto para hindi na po magluto yung pang-nightshift nyo na caregiver," Sasha claimed. The fact that she couldn't even look at Tonya made the elderly woman snicker. "Ay sus, aminin mo, you care about Kai the way you care about me. She's a potential friend kaya nag-eeffort ka," Tonya assumed. Sasha laughed. "Si lola talaga ano-ano na yung iniisip eh," she told her. "Hindi ba totoo?" Tonya asked. Sasha sighed. Then she helped the elderly woman lay her head on the sink so she could wash her hair. Tonya loved Sasha's gentleness. She could fall asleep if it wasn't so rude to doze off while they were talking. "Matagal na po akong nawalan ng gana mag-effort para sa ibang tao," Sasha claimed. Tonya opened one eye to peek. "So what do you call this? Hindi ba effort toh?" She asked the young woman. "Trabaho ko po toh, 'la. Si lola talaga oh," Sasha reminded her. "Yes, it is part of your job, but it doesn't say na you have to be gentle and do the extra work that you do," Tonya claimed this time. "Ay, it doesn't have to say it anywhere, lola naman eh. Common sense na po yun. No offense po lola ha, pero kayo pong mga seniors eh fragile na. Alam naman po nating lahat yun eh. Eh ano po ba yung sinasabi sa kahon kapag may lamang babasagin? 'Fragile: Handle with Care'. Eh ganun na rin po kayo. Kung sino mang papasok as a caregiver, common sense na po yung gentleness. It's an unspoken rule po kumbaga," Sasha explained. "You treat Kai the same, but she's not a senior," Tonya pointed out. Sasha was caught off guard. She thought Tonya had a point. "Lola, san-san na ho napunta ang usapan," she tried to dodge a bullet. "Effort ang pinaguusapan natin. You said matagal ka nang nawalan ng gana to make an effort for other people, so I said bakit sakin nag-eeffort ka pa din? You said that's part of your job, and yes I agree. You said I was fragile so you handle me with care. You said that's an unspoken rule as a caregiver. Gets ko yun. Trabaho mo toh. Which brings me back to my question: Bakit sa apo ko ganun ka din? You make an effort to take care of her, but that's not your job. Kung totoong nawalan ka na ng ganang mag-effort at ginagawa mo lang lahat ng toh para sakin kasi trabaho mo lang toh, then what's your excuse sa pag-aalaga sa apo ko? She's not your patient. She's not a senior. She's able and capable. She's not weak, vulnerable, nor fragile yet nageffort kang alagaan si Kai," Tonya explained. Sasha felt the heat radiate from the tips of her toes all the way to her face. Tonya laughed. "Huli ka ano?" She teased. Sasha siged. "Hay lola, nothing and no one can get away from you," she surrendered. Then the two of them laughed. Sasha stared at Tonya's eyes which allowed Tonya to see right through her. "You see her," she told Sasha. "You see Kai like nobody sees her." Sasha swallowed. Tonya held Sasha's face. "That's why I like you." She continued, "Nakikita mo na Kai is not as tough as she makes herself to be. Nakikita mo na underneath her facade, she's fragile and needs to be handled with care."

While Tonya was sound asleep after a bath and a meal, Sasha twirled her phone on one hand while she bit the side of her pointing finger on the other. She was in deep thought. She thought about everything Tonya had said earlier about Kai. Now she was left trying to decide whether she should send Kai a text. Then she sighed. She carefully placed her phone on the table to leave it alone. She thought the text message would be useless. She thought maybe Kai was over her. Maybe Kai didn't appreciate her little gesture. Maybe she even found it too weird that someone like her would take the time to prepare a meal for her to eat at work. Now Sasha felt embarrassed. She regretted having done what she had already done. She thought Kai probably didn't care about her little peace offering, so she decided to move on.