Departure
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The howling of his mother and the pounding knocks on his room's door at 7 in the morning jolted me up from his bed immediately. I sprang up from the bed, to be specific.
It was like an unexpectedly expected news - her departure. Still, nothing could prepare us for the loss of her, despite all the signs over the past month.
Looking at her still and cold body on the bed, I placed my hand over her cupped and wrinkled hands gently, in fear of waking her up. "She's sleeping", that was what we exchanged amongst ourselves, because uttering that word sounded too distant, too harsh. But that is how reality presents itself at times, isn't it? Especially at a time like this.
No more witnessing of that cheeky slight smile and winking of her eyes directed at me whenever her favorite grandson teases any one in the family or cracks a joke only she appreciates the most. No more hearing her childlike complaints.
For our own comfort, even if it helps just a little, we tell ourselves this is a blessing for a kind angel like her. Being a devotee, she must be in heaven with Jesus and Mary now, where there should be no more pain and suffering. For all these years, her weakening body has undergone tremendous pain, with grandpa shouldering her suffering and taking care of her every need which was also slowly depleting his energy.
Clock still ticks, but the livings will always mourn and grieve for the dead. The vacant look in grandpa's red eyes as he wanders off alone in his slow pace, it reminds me how all of our sadness pales in comparison with his. We may have lost a mother/grandmother, he has lost his lifetime partner, his confiding best friend, his soul companion.
