My eyes snapped open as a loud cry echoed throughout the whole emergency room.
The operating room opened and a sobbing kid went out with his grandpa. The kid sobbed hysterically as her grandpa tried to soothe her.
"Granpa, you're liar! You're liar! You said we will go to the mall and play! You lieeeed!", the kid shouted in between her sobs.
The grandpa tried to silence her, but it only made the kid cry louder. He murmured apologies to the people they passed by, and when they passed near me, I squeezed my eyes shut both in fatigue and annoyance.
'That kid was sure loud!', I thought as my gaze focused on them, who were heading out of the emergency room. The moment they went out, silence reigned once more, but it was abruptly interrupted when a loud rumbling sound erupted from my stomach. Colors rose to my cheeks as I looked around to see if someone had heard it.
Thankfully, no one seemed to have heard of it. The nurses were busy with new patients, and the guardians of other patients were too busy minding their own business as well.
I looked up at the electronic clock and saw that it's almost noon. I sighed as I hopefully gazed at the door of the emergency room. It's been hours since I ate something. My mother was processing my hospitalization documents, so I know she will not come back until evening or late afternoon. On the other hand, my aunt went out to get something—hopefully, it's something to eat.
My eyes lit up when the door opened up, but my hopefulness vanished as soon as I saw that it's just another patient—and he was bloodied! I paled when he passed near me. His face was contorted with pain, and I really felt bad for him. He was swiftly wheeled towards the operating room, and even with the closed door, I heard muffled screams and cries from that room. I shut my eyes for a moment to erase the bloody image of that man in my mind; however, to no avail, that seemed to haunt me at that moment. I took several slow, deliberate breaths to calm myself. I'm not really fond of blood, and my sympathetic nature wasn't any help either.
The door opened again, and this time a lady with a hairnet entered inside, bringing a large box. I looked away because it wasn't my aunt, but suddenly someone called out my name.
I opened my eyes and saw it was the lady with a hairnet. She handed me something, and without a word she left. I was quite baffled for a moment, but when it sinked in what it was, I immediately opened it.
It has food inside!
I was instantly overjoyed when I saw it was pack lunch with rice, stew, and fruit salad. My hungry stomach grumbled loudly as I saw the appetizing meal. I hastily scooped up a portion of rice and stew, and when I smelled its aroma, my stomach grumbled even louder. However, when I took a bite of it, disappointment somehow emerged in me because the food is really cold, but beggars can't be choosy, right? It's a free food, so without hesitation I started eating it.
I sighed in relief when I felt my stomach was full. I was about to close my eyes to get some sleep when my aunt arrived.
"Did you eat already, Gette? Where did that come from?", she asked while pointing the pack lunch on my lap. She then hand me a plastic bag.
It was warm when I received it, and curiosity immediately gnawed at me. I perused what's inside, and my mood lightened up. I smiled inwardly and answered her. "It's from the hospital's food ration... I already ate some—how about you, aunt?"
"I haven't eaten yet, so if you don't mind, I'll just eat the food that I've bought. I was supposed to give that to you, but it turns out that you're already part of the ration here."
I bit back my lips to prevent myself from refusing. I really want to taste that warm food, but I'm already full, so I reluctantly handed her the plastic bag.
'You're already full, you fool! Don't you dare to be gluttonous...', I mentally chided myself.
'This is just for a few days...', I assured myself.
But days passed, and even weeks. I'm admitted to the hospital for more than a couple of weeks, but even if I stayed for quite some time there, the food there never satisfied me. It's not that I'm picky, but I really don't like cold food. The taste was fine, but warm food sure tastes a lot better.
"Gette, Gette, do you want me to buy you some hot porridge outside?", my mother asked me.
"Yes, ma, please!", I eagerly agreed.
Hot porridge became my comfort during my hospitalization. It was not really the special kind with a lot of add-ons in it—it's just plain porridge seasoned with a little bit of salt. During my hospitalization, it became a routine for me every morning to eat it with a boiled egg. Even after I was discharged, I still continued eating porridge every now and then.
"Hmmmm...", I mumbled while I savored the simple yet comforting taste of the porridge I cooked.
"You're weird, Gette; it's just porridge... No need to act that you've transcended heavens just to convince me that you really cook good," Loi said while helping herself with a serving of the porridge I cooked. She ate a spoonful of porridge and grinned. "But you sure cooked it right."
I smiled as I scooped up a spoonful of porridge, and while I continued to savor its flavor, a warm feeling slowly spread within me—a feeling that gives me the hope that everything will be alright.