In the Night

It’s my first time working nights at my old job. All the kids here have HIV. During the hustle and bustle of the day, I almost forget this. Medical stuff aside, these kids have issues. They are loud and tough, and the things that come out of their mouths can make me blush. They are old beyond their years. They give me a hard time. They try my patience. But at night it’s a little different. When I have to wake them up in the middle of the night to take their medicine, they are sleepy eyed children. They are babies. They cuddle up against me. They quietly swallow pills I don’t think I could manage and large amounts of liquids that are intolerable before falling back to sleep. They will do this for the rest of their lives. Every day. Every night. It’s no wonder they need the tough act during the day, because they are so very vulnerable in the night.