papa 2

Chapter 2

…while my father was still confined on the hospital…I sailed back to Cebu. I have to report for work. I felt I left my heart at home…I thought about many things…I realized my family needs me now…specially my mother.

Just after about a couple of weeks, while I was so busy at work, my phone kept on vibrating on the pocket of my pants. I usually ignore my phone during working hours. But at that time, I had this urge to check my phone as if I was sure it was something really important.

It was my mother calling me… she was sobbing, begging me to come home as soon as possible. I didn’t trust myself to say anything to keep my mother calm. I just listened to her for few minutes talking about how was my father that time. She was crying and telling me that my father can no longer swallow his medicine. She had told me that my father was crying too while she was talking to me on the phone. I can hear my mother telling papa that I’ll be home to see him. With that said, mama told me that my father put a smile on his face…

The call ended. After an hour or two I guess, around 3 o’clock in the afternoon…

Then, my phone was vibrating again. That time, it wasn’t my mother calling. It was my Ate Sheena, a close family friend. For seconds, she cannot speak. She was crying. I was alarmed. I knew what it was. Then I heard her finally say in her Ilongga accent “Dai, wala na gyud si Daddy mo”, (Dai, Daddy (as she calls my father) is gone).

I paused for awhile. There were no tears from me. But I was in pain, in great pain. Finally, I blurted out and asked her how my mother was. Obviously, she was not all right. I told her to comfort my mother and not leave her. That time, my kuya was in Bukidnon taking care of some of the paper works with regards to the absence of my father from his work.
He had no idea that my father had left us…forever…

I thought I had myself prepared for something like this…but the pain was excruciating.
I just wondered and had asked myself why I really can not cry. I should cry for the loss of a father. For the loss of someone I was very close to when I was a little girl. I just waited for the clock to strike at 5 o’clock so that I can go home. Rest for awhile and then think on what to do next.