When A Heart Gets Broken

Part 42:Parallel

There was a long line up of old people, mothers with babies and youths when the van transporting the volunteers arrived at the La Presa Health Centre. The mayor was there once again to give them a briefing on the tents assigned to each medical personnels.

" Miss Rae, you will be working with a student nurse in tent 1," announces the mayor's staff. Rae went ahead and met up with Ivy, a third year nursing student from St. Loius University. She gave Ivy instructions and oriented her with the supplies and medications that she brought with her to the Philippines.

Most of the people she saw that day have colds and flu. Babies were the most heartbreaking scenes as most of them have laborious breathings.However, after a thorough assessment, they were only given over the counter meds as they suffer from the common colds. Ivy gave them pamphlets on how to care for babies with colds and how to prevent transmissions of microorganisms.

Rae and Ivy were on a short break and started a casual conversation. In between gulps of coffee, Rae found out that Ivy is a working student,

" I worked in the cafeteria after school to help my parents in my school expenses.It's hard because nursing is a demanding program," Rae nodding her head in agreement with the student." I almost stopped one semester because we couldn't come up with enough money to pay even the partial tuition fee," Ivy's eyes have moistened." My father came out with a bundle of peso bills. He told me that he was saving it for something else but I should get it instead." Ivy's tears started falling one by one. Rae reached out and held her hand." ^Six months later he passed away. He kept the truth that he was diagnosed with cancer. That money was to seek for a secong opinion which he did not so I can register for school." Rae felt a big lump on her throat as she remembered her own struggles to fight poverty and the road that led her to meet Liam.Rae decided to end their conversation by excusing herself to go to the washroom.

They resumed immediatleyas soon as they returned to their tent as if no heartbreaking conversation took place.

"