Time really flies, eh? I remember on this same day last month, I was staying in the hospital after having given birth to my second daughter, Kai Lin. But I am not going to mention about my hospital stay in this post, because currently my thoughts are on the confinement lady and the assistance she had given me during the one month while I was on confinement.
I got to know her through my younger sister's recommendation. My sister had given birth to her second child in March and it was the first time I met the lady when we visited my sister then. My first impression on her was that, she was polite and quiet. I think she is in her forties (till now I do not know her age and her full name, although she told us to call her 'Ah Khim' but I insist on calling her 'Auntie' as a respect) and she has a motherly aura around her. I told her I would like to engage her and gave her an amount as a deposit on the spot. I also gave her directions to my house, after all she is not local and her home is in Malaysia.
During my discharge from the hospital on 29 Sep, I remember telling my husband that I was quite worried about 'Auntie' finding her directions to our place because the journey is quite complicated and one has to cross an overhead bridge to take a public bus after leaving from the designated MRT station. I told 'Auntie' to give me a call if she has any problem but it seemed like I worried too much because she had no problem finding our place at all. Her wits impressed me, and that was my second opinion of her.
She set to work immediately after arriving at our house; running a shower for the baby and myself and not to mention to prepare a pot of red dates soup for me (in Chinese tradition, women who have given birth are recommended to drink red dates soup instead of plain water to prevent water retention and bloating in the stomach). To tell you frankly, I was awed by her efficiency and diligence. Because of 'Auntie's' assistance, this explains why I had time to read and review books during my confinement period. She had everything all taken care of; I felt so pampered and spoilt. I know some of you might say it is her job after all, but I think it is her overall attitude that says it all. And to top it off, she is initiative too.
'Auntie' is not really 'a woman of few words' as I had thought initially, but that is because we do not know each other well when the first time we met. She is actually quite a chatty person once you get to know her well. I treated her like a family member and did not know I was so used to her company until her last day with us last Sunday. Her departure had really hit me hard. I was misty-eyed when she packed her things and bid us goodbye. She refused to take a picture despite my coaxing, saying that she does not like taking pictures. So I can only count on my memory as a remembrance, but I know the image will slowly fade away as the time goes by. I guess I am just being emotional, oh well. . .
Goodbye, 'Auntie'. I will miss you!
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