24/7の仕事｜24/7Work｜ 2020/11/15

待ちに待った日がやってきた。先週に生まれた娘が退院して家にやってきたのだ。なにせ初めてのことなので、何をどうしたらいいのかわからない。赤ちゃんの世話の仕方など雑誌などを見ていたのだが、生まれるまでは実感がわかなくて頭に入らない。３時間ごとのミルクタイム、一日十数回のおむつ交換、沐浴など、夜中も土日もない24時間体制だ。仕事だとやってられないと愚痴になるけれど、自分の顔をまじまじとつぶらな瞳で見られると、それすらやりがいになってくる。クライアントからは用のある時だけ泣き声で呼ばれ、お礼の言葉やギャラもないけれど、喜んでお世話させていただきます。（絵と文：サカキテツ朗）
The long-awaited day has arrived. My daughter, who was born last week, left the hospital and came home. It's my first time, so I don't know what to do for her. I was looking at magazines about how to take care of my baby, but I couldn't really understand it until she was born. It is a 24-hour system with no holidays in midnight or Saturdays and Sundays, such as milk time every 3 hours, changing diapers more than 10 times a day, and bathing. If it happened at work, I would complain, but she look at my face with her shining eyes, it's even more rewarding. The client calls me crying only when I have a need, and although I have no words of thanks or guarantee, I am happy to take care of her.-Text and illustration by Ted Sakaki