ward (completed)

15

"Ano kayang pinag-uusapan nung dalawa?" Mayang said as she observed Nic and Richard who were animatedly "conversing" in the other side of the room. It's been another half year and Nic has gained a little more confidence and independence. She can now be left for short periods without much fuss (whereas she would throw a fit when she did not see familiar faces like June's when she looked up from an activity she was busy with). This time, June was not in the activity hall with Nic. And although Hanz was nearby, he was also attending to other things. In general, life in Wing 11 had become quiet and "normal" for the past six months.

In their 'corner', Nic, who still only allows June to touch and hold her, is looking at Richard who seemed to be sharing a story. She smiles and laughs at him, throwing her head back once in a while. There are no actual words exchanged, though. Just a lot of facial expressions, gestures, and sounds.

"Oo, tapos umutot si Sam...eh nakasara yung mga bintana nung kotse...ako ba naman yung tinuro!"

"Tapos?"

"...buti nalang naisip ni Mommy na buksan yung bintana nung kotse...eh mabilis yun patakbo ni Daddy kasi highway...malakas yung hangin kaya lumabas agad yung amoy...masakit na pala yung tiyan ng pinsan ko, di nagsabi...buti nalang dumaan kami sa may mcdo kasi nagugutom na ako..."

One of the other notable things that Nic had been doing that showed her sociability was sharing. One afternoon, while the patients were having snacks, Nic suddenly put the extra cookie she had on her plate, into Richard's plate. Richard had finished his cookies but was making a lot of sounds ("Pahingi pa ako ng cookies, please"). He too, was surprised to see that he had a cookie on his plate whereas Nic's plate was now empty. She was smiling while eating, though. ("Uy! Salamat sa nagbigay!") From that time on, Nic always shared whatever she had with Richard (strangely enough, she only shared with Richard. She once growled at June for giving an extra piece of chicken to Andeng). And although she could generally feed herself, not all her food went to her mouth. Somehow, she still lacked some coordination skills especially with skills that required visual attention.

Nic was like a toddler in many ways. She needed to be cared for and assisted with in many of her skills. She could walk, run, and move like any adult but she lacked the coordination when it came to more detailed tasks like fixing her hair or feeding herself with a spoon. Because she was basically neglected as a child, she longed for the attention and touch of a mother. She needed to be in diapers 24/7. She did not have the verbal skills to say what she needed because somehow, in her growing up years, she was ignored and a scan of her brain showed that there was some trauma to the verbal part of her brain (probably caused by her head hitting the ground or something and the bruise was left untreated). The traumatic experiences she had as a child manifested in her "anger" with the world before she found a "home" and felt safe at Wing 11.

"...nung bata ako, wala akong dress. Isang t-shirt lang ang lagi kong suot. Kay Daddy siguro yun. Di ko nakilala yung Daddy ko. Sabi ni Mommy, baliw daw yung Daddy ko at iniwan kami. Yun lang ang suot ko, yung yellow na t-shirt. Binigyan ako ng dress ng Tita ko nung isang beses. Maganda sana. Pink yun e. Pero kinuha ni Mommy. Pinunit. Sinunog."

Richard looked at Nic as she 'told' him her story. He had his full attention on her as well. After a long while, they both became silent but were still looking at each other. Richard moved from his chair to the floor where Nic was, at her favorite corner where the foam blocks were. He sat facing her.

"Wag ka maingay pero nauutot na ako."

"Bakit ambaho? Nag-poop ka ba?"

"Ay shet! Napapoop ako! June?"

"Teka..." suddenly, Richard farted loudly.

They stared at each other, sensing their 'mishap', then both suddenly laughed loudly – they "connected"!

June had returned to the activity hall and smelled the accident that just happened.

"Nic, come muna, sama ka sa akin sa room mo" June called Nic who stood up and walked to her room. June followed her.

Hanz also took Richard to his room to change.

Many days after that, it was common to see Richard and Nic having their 'conversation' on a regular basis. They would sometimes be at was now lovingly called "Nic's corner" or they would be walking around Wing 11 or the garden together. They also enjoyed playing together.

"Nic! Dun ka sa kabila nung seesaw dali!" Richard sat on one end of the seesaw and held the plank straight while looking at Nic, 'inviting' her to play.

"Ano yan? Gusto ko dito sa swing. Para akong bird pag nasa swing ako. I'm flying!"

"Dali na! Ayoko si Je o si Tim ang kalaro!"

Nic got off the swing and walked over to the seesaw. June assisted her to sit on the seesaw. Richard sat down which made Nic's seat raise above the ground. Nic's eyes grew big, she had never been on a seesaw although she'd seen the others at play. June's hand was behind her because Nic had thrown herself back slightly when she lifted off the ground.

"Wag ka matakot. Masaya to."

"Richard! Bakit ganito?"

Richard pushed with his legs so that Nic's seat and weight would lift his seat up. Nic was not really prepared for it so she had her legs outstretched. Her seat bounced on the ground due to the fast force and gravity. She bounced off the seesaw and rolled to the side (good thing she fell that way) of the seesaw. June pulled her away from the seesaw quickly. The impact also made Richard bounce off the seesaw. He was surprised and shocked by what happened that his eyes grew big.

"Richard naman e!" June said.

Richard moaned then laughed. Nic, who was equally surprised, laughed also.

"Ang saya nun! Ulitin natin!" Richard scrambled to stand up and went for the seesaw again and sat down. "Dali na Nic!"

Nic was a bit hesitant for a while but also stood up and sat back down on the seesaw.

"O, Richard, slowly lang" Hanz got up from the ground and helped Richard hold on to the plank while Nic got on. This time, he and June held on to the plank for a while, while the Nic figured out to use her legs as springs. When Nic seemed to get the hang of using the seesaw, June 'let go' and moved away.

"Ang saya-saya!"  Like a young child, Richard threw his head back as he laughed and drooled. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.

"Wheee! I'm flying!  Ganito siguro feeling ng bola no? Yung nag-b-bounce..." Nic held on to the the handle tightly but also slightly threw her head back in glee.

"Bounce bounce! Punta ako sa trampoline mamaya...sama ka?"

"Parang jump jump pala to...pero may pag-fly....yehey!"