“You did what?” Nithya nearly choked.
“I slapped her,” Nonie said calmly, as if she’d just admitted to borrowing someone’s pen. “Only twice—once for Suraini, and once for all the other girls she’s bullied. Not my fault.”
The room fell silent for a beat, and then all of them burst out laughing.
“All this happen in the staff dining room”
“yes” She replied
“Suraini? You mean that sweet, soft-spoken Malay girl?” Asked Nityha.
She nodded. “Yes, Suraini. You know her. Always so polite, so gentle—never raises her voice, never complains. I came on morning duty one day and saw her crying. Just quietly wiping her tears while folding linen.”
“Oh no…” Noorie voice sound alarm.
“I asked around. The nurses from the other station told me what happened. Apparently, she was on night duty with her—Lateefa. That woman bullied her the entire shift. Humiliated her. That girl barely spoke the whole time, just did her work in silence.”
“And then what?” Noorie leaned forward.
“I went straight to the nursing officers.”
“To complain?” N asked.
“No,” Nonie replied, her voice sharp with purpose.
“To volunteer.”
“To volunteer?” Nithya repeated.
“Yes,” she said. “I told them I’d like to be S/N Lateefa’s assistant for her next night shifts.”
“You did?” N’s eyes widened. “And the ward sister agreed?”
“They were delighted,” she said dryly. “No one else wanted to be paired with her. She was toxic, and they all knew it. They didn’t ask questions—she just said yes.”
“You were definitely up to something,” Nithya said, grinning.
“You’re right,” Nonie smirked. “I wanted to teach her a lesson. Give her a taste of her own medicine. So I gave her a hard time.”
“I can imagine,” Noorie chuckled. “So what happened during the night duty?” Nonie leaned back in her chair, a wicked little smile forming.
“Let’s just say... she met her match.”
“I did all my work,” Nonie said, waving her hand like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “As usual, she didn’t lift a single finger. Spent the whole shift at the nurses' station—on the phone, chatting away. Didn’t help with turning patients, changing dressings, updating IVs—nothing.”
“At all?” Nithya asked, already knowing the answer.
“Nothing,” she repeated. “And then at midnight, off she went for her supper. Took her own sweet time coming back. And when she finally returned? Straight to her reports. That’s where she stayed the rest of the night.”
“Let me guess,” Noorie said. “She didn’t respond to a single call?”
“Of course not. When a patient buzzed during my supper break, she had the audacity to call the junior nurse from the central station to attend to it. Didn't even budge.”
“She’s got nerve,” N muttered.
“Oh, she had plenty of nerve,” Nonie said, raising an eyebrow.
“Then, at 7am—just as the morning staff were starting to come in—she turned to me and said, ‘You need to help me file these reports and update the census.’”
“And…?” Nithya asked, already grinning. “I looked at her and said, ‘Nope. That’s not my responsibility.’ I handed over my cases, passed the report to the incoming team, and walked straight out of the ward.”
The ladies burst into laughter. “How did she react?” Noorie asked.
“She went bonkers! Started yelling, waving her hands like a madwoman. Accused me of being insubordinate.”
“But… she’d been working on her reports the whole night, right?” N asked.
“Exactly!” Nonie said, throwing up her hands. “That’s the point. She had the time. She just thought she could dump the last-minute filing on me.”
“So what did she do?” “She shouted at me across the ward. Said she’d report me to the nursing officer for refusing duty.”
“And?” I asked, leaning in.
“And I told her, very calmly, ‘Please do. I’d be happy to tell them what you were doing all night while I ran the entire ward alone.’” There was a beat of silence, and then the ladies all cracked up again.
“And…?” Nithya prompted, already grinning.
“I told her—I’m not afraid. Complain lah! I said to her, ‘Go ahead. I’ll complain too. And my list will be very long... and very detailed.’ I dared her to do it.”
“You did?” Noorie laughed.
“So did she complain?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Ahhh,” N said, shaking her head.
“S/N Lateefa finally met her match. I heard you were called into the HNO’s office. What did she say?”
“The usual,” Nonie said with a shrug. “‘You’re in uniform. You must behave professionally. How could you react like that to another nurse?’”
“And…?”
“I told her the truth. ‘She started it. I was sitting there in the staff room, doing my work. Minded my own business. And she just had to open her mouth and throw nasty things my way. Her mouth is like poison. So I responded accordingly.’”
“And then?”
“She said, ‘Still, not while in uniform.’” Nithya couldn’t help but laugh.
“So what, you were supposed to go home, change into jeans, and then slap her?”
“Exactly!” Nonie said, rolling her eyes. “I told her, ‘You think it’d be better if I waited till I’m out of uniform? Like I’m plotting revenge in secret?’ Nonie said, ‘It was a spontaneous reaction. She provoked me. I just… responded.’”
“Right,” N said with mock solemnity. “And then… what did your fairy godmother say?”
“She looked at me and said… ‘Let me see your shoes.’”
“Your shoes?” Noorie blinked. “Why?”
“She wanted to check what type of shoes I was wearing. Apparently, S/N Lateefa told her I gave her a flying kick.”
The ladies all erupted into laughter. “Flying kick?!” Nithya gasped. “Did you?”
“Come on lah,” Nonie said, half-laughing. “If she was a black belt in karate or taekwondo, maybe I’d consider it—it might be fun. But no. She’s not. And I sure as hell didn’t take off my shoes to kick her.”
“And then?”
“Right at that moment, S/N Lateefa got called in. The HNO asked her to point out where I supposedly kicked her. Her white uniform? No mark. Not even a scuff.”
“So what did she say then?”
“She said—and I quote—‘She took off her shoe... and then gave me the flying kick.’” That was it. The ladies all doubled over laughing.
“It’s funny, right?” Nonie grinned.
“It’s hilarious! Imagine—in the middle of a rage blackout, you still pause, remove your shoe neatly, and then execute a flying kick?” N was shaking her head, laughing.
“So… what did your fairy godmother say after that?” Nonie leaned in, with a twinkle in her eye. “She just sighed... looked at me for a long time... and said, ‘Next time, don’t use your shoe. Keep your feet on the ground. And give me your report by Monday.’”
“She said nothing at first,” Nonie continued, her voice quieter now. “Because by then... she already knew S/N Lateefa was lying.” The ladies all leaned in, listening.
“I told her I was ready to tender my resignation. I’m not proud of what I did—but I did what I had to do. And I’ll take responsibility. If that means resigning, so be it.” There was a pause.
“I was lucky, actually,” she added. “There were no witnesses in the staff room. It was just her word against mine.”
“And?” I asked. “She looked at me and said she didn’t want my resignation. That wasn’t why she called me in.”
“Oh?”
“She sent S/N Lateefa out of the room and spoke to me privately. No scolding. Just... quiet. Then she started talking about responsibility. About what it means to wear the uniform. About how being a Staff Nurse comes with weight—you have juniors to guide, standards to uphold, patience to learn.”
“She gave you a lecture?” Noorie asked.
“Not really. It wasn’t scolding. It was... I don’t know. It felt more like advice. But I couldn’t figure out why she was saying all that. At first, I thought she was just softening the blow.”
“No lah,” N said, smiling. “She’s giving you a hint.”
“What hint?”
“It means you got selected for the student nurse programme.” There was a beat.
“Oh,” Nonie said softly, blinking as the realisation landed. “Ohhh.” We all stared at her for a second—then Noorie let out a soft cheer, raising her glass again.
“To our future Staff Nurse Nonie!” she declared.
"To the one and only flying kick champion!” N added.
“Who never actually kicked anyone,” Nonie grinned.
“Allegedly,” N teased. Laughter followed again, light and full, echoing warmly in the room.
“I wouldn’t want to challenge you on anything,” the N said, her voice calm. “Only a fool would attempt such a thing… but—there is someone who wants to meet you.” Nonie frowned.
“Who?” N didn’t answer directly. Instead, she reached into her bag and pulled out a cream-colored envelope. She handed it to Nonie. “I’ll leave it to you to find out,” she said.
“This is the invitation. You must bring it with you. Without it, they won’t let you in.” Nonie took the envelope, slowly breaking the seal. Inside was a card—heavy, elegant, and embossed with a symbol she recognised instantly.
“I’ve seen this before…” she murmured, running her thumb over the emblem. “And this place—this place is damn expensive.” “I know,” N replied with a knowing smile.
“You’ll like it. Trust me. Don’t worry about paying anything. You’re invited, remember?” Nonie studied the card again, then looked up.
“What kind of place is it?” “A private lounge. Incredible view—an aerial view of the Singapore harbor. Especially beautiful at night.”
“You’ve been there before?”
“Many times,” she replied simply. Something about the way she said it made it clear—this was no ordinary social event. Nonie looked back at the card. Who was waiting for her there? And why? She didn’t say anything, but we could tell—her mind was already racing.
Chpt 26 / 36
