I'm more than just the second wife

24

I'd been assigned the male ward along with Doctor Mhlongo. The past six weeks I've made an enemy of the nursing staff and the patients adored me especially the old geezers. All of them either wanted me to marry their sons or grandsons. It was funny how they all fought over me when I did my rounds. The nurses hated me because they couldn't ill treat the patients in my presence and even in my absence because I'd hear about it and ensure they paid handsomely for it. They didn't bother to check and replace the drips, some patients wouldn't get food if they were admitted after meal times only because they took some of the food for themselves and they didn't change the sheets daily as they were meant to. They also addressed them rather rudely.

I ensured that I breathed down their necks about doing their jobs right and if there was a mess up I'd check who'd been on duty for that shift. Several verbal and written warnings had been issued already because I just failed to understand why someone would pursue a career where they had to work with people and then end up mistreating them. Now all of them, in all the wards, because they knew I went beyond just my ward, were doing their jobs as they should and I was happy. I didn't care for their affections I just cared that they treated these people ,some of them old enough to be their parents and grandparents ,with dignity and respect.

I'd just walked in and the patients made a racket welcoming me in. "Sanibonani kodwa mabhungu ami amahle( Greetings my handsome men.)" The geezers smiled the widest. As I got to the end of the room a stench of urine and feces filled the air. I did my best to keep from scrunching my face at the smell. I know he couldn't control it. I found the source to be an old man in about his late sixties. By the looks of it he'd suffered from a stroke. He was new because he wasn't here when I left last night "Sawubona baba, I'm Doctor Mkhize. How long have you been here baba?" I asked trying hard to remain calm and not leave this room screeching in search of the nurses on duty.

"Sin..ce 14:00 mta...nami. I...soiil...ed my sh..eets around 15:00." He's been covered in his own mess for 3 hours. The nurse from this shift will know me. Just as I was preparing to go search for her she walked in smiling as her attention was on her phone screen. "Madala! I hope sitting in your own shit has taught you to control yourself. I'm getting married next month cleaning your shit will give me bad luck." I pulled out my phone the minute she walked in. She didn't deserve her job! There were so many young people sitting at home with nursing degrees longing for jobs and will treat people better than this. I put my phone away just as she looked up from her phone popping her gum. Her blood ran cold from the sight of me. "Do..do.. please. I'm the bread winner at home." I looked at her long and hard as she spilt her crocodile tears.

"Please change the sheets and mattress ." Is all I managed to say with how angry I felt at the moment. "Ubaba ubani?" I asked as I pulled on a pair of gloves and helped him off the bed. "Ndlo..vuu." He said in a glassy voice. I closed the curtains that shielded his space from everyone else. I pulled out a wad of tissues from those on his bedside and wiped his behind and got him out of the gown. I knelt next to his locker and pulled out a new one and what looked like his toiletry bag. "Come let's get you cleaned up Gatsheni." I said as I helped him to the male showers and the men shouted lewd comments in jest about how Ndlovu was here for 2 sec and he's getting lucky with me. I've learnt to not take them too seriously. I actually looked forward to my short shift with them because they always have stories that are larger than life to tell me. They're great people and so far I hadn't lost a single patient. I know it's only been a month and two weeks but every victory deserves to be celebrated in my line of work. I led him one of the few showers that had chairs and their shower heads still worked. It was one of those that had movable heads. I'm guessing to cater for patients such as Ndlovu who either couldn't stand for long intervals at a time or stand at all.

He thankfully didn't protest when I began washing him starting from his head right down to his toes. He sat there like an obedient child. I dried and lotioned him and put him back in his hospital gown and we waddled back into the ward. "I'm sorry for the mess baba!" I yelled over my shoulder to bab'Ngema, who was the caretaker here. I'd left footprints of water on the floor. "Akunani ntombi yam(it's no problem my girl." He yelled back smiling as he wiped away my foot prints.