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July 10, 2006
Die A Little
Y'know every moment we die a little, and some days, we die a lot... but we keep going. This past Friday night my sister called and told me that our beloved aunt Medina is stricken with liver cancer. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, and she was just here with my other aunt this past September. We had no idea...
My parents and I visited her and my uncle when I was about 8, but the 30 years that I've been in the United States, I've never once saw her again in Australia [tho she offered the 2 times that she's been here since Alec and I met]. All these years that I've been here, I think I saw her like 5 times the most.
The 4 kids, me being the youngest, regard her as our favourite aunt cuz we were the closest when we were little! We all grew up together and she treated the kids like she was our big sister!! She was adopted by my grandmother when she was just a child, and ever since, she's been living with us in HK until she got married around 1976. She's not doing so well at the moment. A few months ago, my aunt told my mom that she was sick, but not with cancer or my mom would've freaked. My mom told us about my aunt's sickness just recently, but she told us that she's supposed to be getting better.
My sister was crying uncontrollably on the phone. I had to tell her to stop it so I could understand her [I know, terrible me!]. We were devastated, but if someone's not composed, the other person has to. Well, that's my excuse for telling her to stop sobbing. She came over Sunday and we talked to one of my aunt's 2 boys. She literally had to beg my little cousin Alex to tell her the truth about his mom, cuz his mom told him not to disclose any information on her condition. My sister finally got the information out of him.
Good boys. They were with us when they were babies. I remember I used to give the older boy Osmond a hard time cuz he was such a brat. Then again, he was like, what, 4? Now he's in HK and the younger one in Melbourne with his mom. Both are in their early twenties. They both love their parents so much with such understanding and respect. I love those boys. Really good kids. I think they're both in shock these days cuz when I talked to them, they both spoke nonchalantly - lifeless. Everyone can tell that they have a special bond together with their parents when they're all around each other. Respecting your parents and at the same time, parents respecting their children, for a lack of a better work, is simply so comforting to see... and they show. Sad to see them losing their mother so soon.
Anyway, to end the story, my parents and I are flying out to see my aunt on the 21st cuz we all can't go sooner. I hope we make it on time.
Posted by Robert at July 10, 2006 10:28 PM