I call my mom muneca. Which in Spanish means doll. I have for some time. It's my term of affection for her. And now that she has traveled across the country and moved in to care for me while I'm recovering from surgery I started calling her Nurse muneca. Translated to Nurse doll. It makes her giggle. I started adding the nurse part a few weeks back. I would call her and say nurse! Are you getting your rest? I need you soon. Si, si estoy lista she would reassure me. (Yes yes I am ready). Nurse muneca que haces (what are you doing) I texted her a few weeks ago? Getting my hair done and a pedicure so I look cute for you she replies. Ah si, we can't be in the hospital with our toes or hair looking ugly. Good idea I'm doing the same I reply back. She laughs.
It's so incredibly healing to have loving hands on you while you recover. From something as serious as cancer surgery or as simple as a tooth extraction. As adults I find over and over we don't seem to allow this. We are so programmed to be independent and stubborn in this way. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's we don't want people to see us weak or vulnerable. Or maybe it's because we don't want to have to put on smiley faces for someone else when we don't feel like that inside. Who knows why, we all have our own reasons. I have been guilty of this myself. Others I know have done the same. I find out later they went through something kinda serious but only after the fact. It surprises me. I can only say and speak for myself that if not for my nurse muneca and every other person who has come to care for me through their loving actions I would absolutely not be in such good spirits that I am or surely be in a much worse position than I am now.
So here she is with me. Everyday. Helping me get out of bed every time so I don't overuse arm muscles that are not supposed to be used, walking by my side to steady my shaky legs. Greeting me each and every morning with a buenos dias beauty, what would you like for breakfast? Except my mom has a heavy Caribbean Puerto Rican accent and when she says you it sounds like jew. And when she uses a j it sounds like a y. So if I tell her something funny and true but slightly unbelievable she says are jew yoking me? No, I tell her I not yoking you. It's adorable.
I have these tubes that are stitched into me on each side that empty into something that looks like these little plastic grenades. Three times a day she strips the tubes and empties the grenades. Recording the date, the time, the amount, and the color. Ooh look at this color she says, looking good beauty, looking good. She patiently waits for me outside the bathroom door after my shower to dry and brush my hair telling me oooo that's so cute, where jew get that? Referring to my little dress or nightgown.
Nurse muneca I call to her when I have to move out of bed or it's time for my medication. Yes, beauty ya vengo (I'm coming) and there she comes. Calmly and lovingly to move me or give me the next round of medication. Telling me stories of who called to ask about me or what she just read always in her melodic soft accented voice.
Every morning to help my nausea from all the narcotic medication I take she makes me the most delicious shakes filled with spinach, berries, carrots, protein power and almond milk. I drink every drop. The other day she tells me, listen beauty (she pauses) I have to tell jew something. What Is it ask? Well she says I have been sneaking prune juice into jour shakes because the doctor says it's very important jew....well jew know (she moves her hands like to say you know what I'm saying but I'm not going to say it) jew taking so much pain medication that we don't want problems in dis area. Hopefully jew like it.
Oh nurse muneca, you're too much while I laugh out loud holding my chest at the same time. It hurts to laugh but still I do it.
