Goodbye

This story happened in Negros Occidental dated February 02, 2012.

Just a little background: my Lolo was diagnosed of severe Tuberculosis and Pneumonia sometime on the year 2009 and was bed ridden until one fateful day on the year 2011, same day as our annual fiesta February 09, when he rose up from bed like a normal 71-year-old man would do. That was the happiest day of my life and I thanked God for so many times that he have extended my grandpa's life so that he can enjoy it with us.

I thought I was still going to have like five more years with him since he was still young. And sadly, I thought wrong.

Four days prior his death, me and my son visited him (my son was only 2yrs old that time). My grandpa enjoys being taken on a ride on a pedicab and enjoys even more with his great grand son. He likes to wave at people and takes pride of his apo. During our visit, my grandpa wanted to still have a joyride even if it is past 5pm already and said he just missed me and my kid. I turned him down saying I need to go home because there will be no one to take care of our meal for the evening if we go home late. He half-downheartedly let us go and gave me 50pesos for our fare; grandma said it what his last money. Up until now I don't know if it was a sign I should've foreseen.

On the evening of january 31st, we received a phone call from my grandparents' neighbor saying that my grandpa was rushed to the hospital. I was cooking lumpiang shanghai for my family on that same moment and I was thinking just then that I can bring some to my grandparents the next day. As my Lolo's always rushed to the hospital couple of times in a month, we were just thinking it was just a simple asthma attack and he was just there for his regular oxygen therapy. But my parents still went to the hospital. I decided to spend the night at the hospital myself. When my grandpa heard my voice (he experienced stroke), he lifted his head lightly and made a sound which he did not do since he was rushed to the hospital, even to my grandma. It was really hard to see him that way and in just a span of 24hours, he had so many bedsores all over his body that he did not have for 2 years of being bedridden then.

The next morning when my dad came in. We called my aunt that is in another country and she said that grandpa can say goodbye and it's okay if he can't wait for her. After that, my dad talked to my Lolo and said he'll just be smoking outside and go back ASAP. Right after my dad left, my grandma told me that she think Lolo was no longer breathing. I run out to get my dad who was not even halfway on his smoking and told him the news. They prepared everything and I was left there lying beside my dead grandpa, I even fell asleep crying until the nurse woke me up.

The night he died seemed as if I died too. We went home, just me, my kid, my younger brother and my boyfriend that time. That evening, we were on the dining table when my son came up to us and showed me my phone and said "mama look, there's lolo oh" the four of us looked at the camera and we were sure it was him peeking through my bedroom door.

Another event happened after his burial. We used our phone for videos and pictures during the process but after a week as I checked my phone to let my friends see the photos I've taken during the last day of my lolo, they were all gone, even the videos. It was just so hard to explain how it happened when they were kept on the camera folder but the prev pics prior to the burial were still there.

Anyway, my grandpa was so much of a camera shy.

I know this is not so scary but I just wants to share this as my first story. I just hope everybody will value their loved ones before it's too late.