Today is a very sad day cos Brendan's grandmother passed away at 7.30pm... She had colon cancer and the doctors estimated her life expectancy to not pass Chinese New Year (mid February 2013), but she left us earlier than that.
Le bf and I were supposed to go and visit her together with his dad and sisters (Mama Chew in China) at 7pm. I finished work around 5pm today, we decided to go for a quick dinner before visiting Ah Mah.We planned to reach the hospice by 7pm, however it was raining heavily and the traffice was so horrendous that a 25mins drive became 1 hour and we still had to find a parking lot.. When we arrived at her ward at 7.35pm, we were told by his aunt that we were too late and just missed seeing Ah Mah for the last time.
5 mins too late.
Ah Mah was at the hospice for a few weeks and I kept reminding Le bf to go and visit her with me but somehow our schedules clashed, things cropped up, he want to wait for his sisters to go visit Ah Mah together instead of just us two.... A thousand and one reasons and excuses, but a million regrets. :(
5 mins too late.
Papa Chew & Le bf's sisters reached 10mins after us and Papa Chew was devastated because he was at the hospice earlier today and Ah Mah seem to be well and could still talk to him, though the doctor said her condition is deteriorating fast and there's nothing they can do but to just ease her pain with powerful painkillers which I think is morphine.
The wake will be held for 5 days and the Chu Bing will be on Sunday. I have a Christmas party planned at Nat's house this Saturday and my sister's birthday high tea this Sunday.. Since we planned those events a long time ago, I will not cancel them but have to do my best to work around the timings. I'll apply for compassionate leave and will be at the wake for the next 5 days.
Though I only know Ah Mah for a few months, she already accepted me as her granddaughter-in-law and even bequeath a gold bracelet for me which she planned to wear for me during our wedding tea ceremony! I am so touched and happy that Ah Mah loves me and treats me like family even though we met a few times only. She even cooked dinner for me! - Le bf said I am the only girl lucky enough to eat Ah Mah's cooking.. (Well, considering I am the only girl he brought home to meet Ah Mah, isn't that commonsense? Haiyoo).
Everytime we go to Ah Mah's house before she was hospitalized, she will praise me for my Teochew beauty. She says that Teochew ladies are pretty and very fair and Le bf is lucky to have me.. I am "Ah Mah approved" hor! She will also nag at Le bf to faster get married and said she doesn't have much time left to wait, and Le bf is her only hope to drink the wedding tea cos the next male cousin is in Primary school and both his sisters are the next 2 eldest cousins who are not planning to get married soon too... Each time we will hush her and say "Choy!".. but I guess she knows her time is coming.
The biggest consolation for us is Ah Mah accepted Christ before she passed on and we know she is going to a better place now without any suffering or pain.
She will still have a Buddhist funeral cos her daughter insisted on it, but it's fine cos it's the salvation of her soul that matters.. not the funeral rites.
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