I Married a Sick Husband

However, contrary to her firm resolve, it was not easy from day one.

 

“Sister Catarina, you need to wake up.”

 

“Uhm… Just 5 more minutes….”

 

“Can’t you get up right now?”

 

Despite the nun’s stern voice, Catarina showed no signs of opening her eyes.

 

‘I don’t know. I don’t want to wake up.’

 

I don’t care anymore.

 

If I say I won’t wake up, what are they going to do…

 

“… Aack!”

 

Catarina screamed with a panicked look on her face.

 

To say more, it was because the nun in charge, who had a sore mouth, took away the blanket that Katarina was covering.

 

“Give me the blanket!”

 

Catarina hurriedly tried to snatch her blanket back.

 

“Urgh, my blanket…!”

 

However, she could not overcome the strength of the nun in charge, which had developed through long years of labor and volunteer work.

 

The nun in charge of Catarina warned with an expressionless face.

 

“If you don’t wake up right now, I’ll discharge you, Sister Catarina.”

 

The quiet warning quickly woke Catarina up.

 

She muttered a curse as she looked like she was about to die.

 

“Ah sh-.”

 

“You cannot use foul language, Sister Catarina.”

 

“Now I can’t complain?”

 

“That is discipline.”

 

The nun answered in a calm voice.

 

“If you don’t want to comply, you can leave.”

 

“… sigh.”

 

They identified her weak point properly.

 

Catarina gritted her teeth.

 

***

 

“You make me pray without giving me anything to eat? Isn’t this a bit too much?”

 

“Be quiet, Sister Catarina.”

 

The religious activities that continued for two hours without a break as soon as she woke up made her incredibly bored and sleepy.

 

-Rumbling noises

 

Moreover, because Catarina was on an empty stomach, her stomach kept making loud noises.

 

The nuns didn’t notice, but it made Catarina embarrassed.

 

“No, just give me something to eat…!”

 

“Hang in there, sister. It’s not time to eat yet.”

 

“Ah…”

 

As Catarina was about to mutter her habitual swear words, the nun next to her glared harshly at Catarina.

 

Catarina, intimidated by her intense eyes, hurriedly covered her mouth.

 

‘… I have to keep an eye on things like that!’

 

Catarina deeply deplored this situation, but she could not help it.

 

The person who was most disappointed in the current situation was Catarina.

 

***

 

7 a.m.

 

It was finally time for Catarina to have her much-awaited breakfast.

 

“… what’s this?”

 

But as soon as she checked what was on her plate, Catarina couldn’t believe her eyes.

 

No, can this be called food?

 

“Are you telling me to eat this?”

 

Hard whole grain bread and oatmeal, known for not having a bad taste.

 

One soft-boiled egg in a glass of milk.

 

And lightly boiled cabbage was the breakfast of the day.

 

“How can I eat this? Shouldn’t you take it to the pig?”

 

“There is separate food for the pigs, so don’t worry and just eat it.”

 

“I’ve never had anything like this in my life!”

 

Let alone rich fresh cream or soft butter, she thought it would be good to have some jam.

 

At least olive oil!

 

But even that wasn’t there.

 

“Can people eat this?”

 

“Sure. We eat like this every day.”

 

In fact, looking at the diet itself, it could be said to be an excellent composition with nutrients distributed evenly.

 

But that was none of Catarina’s business.

 

In her eyes, the food on her plate looked like trash that wouldn’t be eaten even if it was brought to beggars.

 

“Everyone here lives without dying. If it were me, I would have died a long time ago.”

 

“…..”

 

“Do you have any butter? What about whipped cream?”

 

“Doesn’t exist.”

 

“Then give me some compote. No, at least there should be some jam. I can’t eat it like this because it tastes so bad!”

 

“Just eat it. That’s how you stay healthy.”

 

“This is abuse! How can I survive the morning after eating something like this? How important it is to eat in the morning!”

 

Originally, this wasn’t something someone who often skips breakfast would say.

 

But to Catarina, that fact wasn’t that important right now.

 

“This is also a part of spiritual practice.”

 

The nun’s answer was decisive.

 

Catarina felt as if she was talking to a wall.

 

“Then I won’t eat it. You can’t stop that, right?”

 

Catarina stood up with a defiant look in her eyes.

 

The food on the plate was not touched.

 

The nun, who was looking at the scene silently, opened her mouth.

 

“… You will regret it.”

 

“Hmph, that can’t be possible.”

 

“You will definitely regret it. The moment will come when you will need this food.”

 

She advised the nun earnestly:

 

“Just eat it, sister. Otherwise, you won’t be able to endure it.”

 

“I don’t want to listen to your advice. It’s yucky!”

 

Catarina shot back with a ‘yuck’ expression.

 

“I’d rather starve than eat those food scraps.”

 

But Catarina who said that, regretted saying those words in less than an hour.

 

***

 

After breakfast, there was morning volunteer work.

 

Because the service performed was different every day, the exact schedule was not written on the timetable.

 

‘I hope it’s easy.’

 

But her fate completely betrayed her wishes.

 

“… No, I can’t. I can’t do it.”

 

“No. You must do it, sister.”

 

The volunteer activity that day was to clean public restrooms in slum areas.

 

Catarina asked with tears in her eyes.

 

“Why are you really doing this to me? Are you doing this on purpose to bother me?”

 

“Sanitation cleaning is one of the services we carry out at our monastery, sister.”

 

“Stop using the word ‘sister’!”

 

Catarina, who was fed up with her, soon changed her mind and asked.

 

“Hey, if you really think of me as a sister, please leave this out. hmm? I’ll do everything else.”

 

“I can’t do that, sister.”

 

“… I’m going to go crazy.”

 

“There are no exceptions, sister.”

 

It was when Catarina was about to show her irritation at the answer that she couldn’t even skip.

 

“Ahh! Look at those bug legs. Why are there so many and so long? It’s gross!”

 

Catarina suddenly saw a large bug that caught her eye and hurriedly turned her head away.

 

‘I’ve never seen a bug like that in my life!’

 

It was such a hideous-looking bug that she wouldn’t praise it even if she had no eyes for it.

 

Catarina shuddered, her body shaking in disgust.

 

“Oh, I’m scared! It’s so horrible!”

 

“It’s called Grima. Even if you see something like that, it’s a beneficial insect, so there’s no need to be afraid.”

 

“I didn’t mean for you to tell me it’s name! I don’t want to know anything! How do you not hate something like that? Aren’t you crazy?”

 

Catarina covered her ears as she screamed.

 

From the entrance, she saw not only dung flies but also disgusting insects that she had never heard of in her life, and it felt like the uneaten food was threatening to come out of her throat.

 

‘How much more terrible will it be if I go inside?’

 

Catarina muttered, her face filled with despair.

 

“… I can never go in there.”

 

“Then you can go back home.”

 

“Are you going to keep threatening me with that?”

 

“It’s not a threat. If you plan to stay here, whether it be for an hour or a day, you must follow the rules of this place.”

 

“No matter how hard it is, this is……!”

 

“Everyone at the monastery, including me, cleans these bathrooms twice a week.”

 

“What? Ah, just thinking about it makes me want to puke! I do not want to! I can not!”

 

“But someone has to do it.”

 

The nun said calmly.

 

“If you don’t like it, you should leave.”

 

“….”

 

After hearing her simplest solution, Catarina was at a loss for words.

 

‘… I really want to go home.’

 

However, she only heard these thoughts like crazy.

 

‘But if I go back now, my father will definitely be angry, right?’

 

It was obvious even without thinking twice.

 

‘Maybe he’ll send me back here.’

 

She had no choice.

 

“Are you going back?”

 

“… I will do it. I can do it!”

 

Catarina shouted in a tearful voice.

 

‘Really, how did my situation fall to this point?’

 

She was so sad that she almost felt deplorable.

 

***