Turn the Page 2: My Destiny

Chapter 8

Sophia stared at June before she nodded. "Kain pa po kayo. Ubusin nyo po yan."

June offered her plate. "Get some more. I'm sure gutom ka pa. I can always order more."

The nun shook her head. "Busog na busog na po ako. Thank you."

June couldn't help but look at the nun. "I'm trying not to be a worry-wart here, but I can't help it. You used to have an excellent appetite. You never say no to food. Wala ka bang gana ngayon? What's wrong? May nararamdaman ka ba?"

The nun chuckled. "Majority po ng inorder nyo, sakin napunta. Kaya may karapatan naman po siguro akong mabusog."

Though June was still worried, she smiled at what the nun said. It also made her feel good hearing her chuckle. "Sabagay pag nagutom ka naman you can always come here for free. If they refuse to give you free food, tell them to charge it to my account."

The nun looked at June. "'Wag nyo na po ako isipin. Busog na busog na po ako. I had more than enough, thank you. Kain na po kayo para makapagpahinga na kayo. Late na po eh."

June frowned. "You're not driving at this hour pa, are you?"

Sophia shook her head. "Hindi po. Dito na po muna ako."

June sighed in relief. "That's good. I'm glad to hear that." She then gave the nun a gentle smile. "Alam mo—sayang na wala silang cake. It would have been the perfect dessert tapos paired with coffee? Yum." She used the hand gesture for "perfect" while longing to have something sweet and decadent. "You know what? Since the people here have been so kind and accommodating, why don't you bake them a cake or some cookies? Something that they can munch on. I'm sure they can use some treats while working the night shift. The sweets you bake are to die for. I'm sure they would love that. It's just a sweet way of saying thank you, literally."

The nun swallowed after remembering the whole ordeal with the nurses at the bathroom. It made her feel a mixture of anger and sadness while she looked at June who seemed completely oblivious to the fact that there has been some mistreatment by the staff towards her. "Hindi po yata allowed mag-dala ng outside food dito dahil po sa pandemic," she tried to make an excuse, although there was some truth to it.

"Just because we're dealing with a pandemic doesn't mean kindness has to disappear along with the many things the pandemic has already taken away and continue to take away. Even just a tiny dose of kindness goes a long way. We need it now more than ever. I think you can bend the rules a little bit. Plus, I trust that you would be really careful to wash your hands properly and follow all the safety food prep. Bake them something, anak. If they don't accept it, give it to the people in the streets. Sa hirap ng buhay ngayon, I'm sure they would appreciate it. They're starving, so I'm sure they could care less about the pandemic and its rules. At least, whether or not the staff here will accept your little gift, they would know that you still carried out a good deed for them. Kahit papano your little gesture would let them know that we appreciate them kahit hindi pa nila tanggapin yung binake mo para sa kanila. It's the thought that counts. Use my card to buy the ingredients. Get whatever you need. Don't worry about the expenses. Ako na bahala dun," June instructed.

Sophia stared at June. She thought she had an amazing and thoughtful heart, and she loved that about her.

By the time June took her last bite, it had already been more than an hour since they had placed their order. The nurse that they spoke to at the nurses' station stood by the double doors that led to the staff lounge. She and Sophia had a quick stare down.

"Excuse me lang po saglit," Sophia placed her hands on the table to get June's attention.

"Oh," June's back was against the entrance, so she turned her upper body to see what Sophia was looking at. "Sure, sure," she nodded when she realized it was another person seemingly wanting to speak to the nun.