Black Saturday

This year, Black Saturday came a week late for me.

I received a SMS last Saturday from a former roommate, Kura (actually her name's spelled Cora, but Kura's an endearment), saying that her mom have passed away. My first thought was: Oh, no! She didn't even make it to her birthday! (Kura's mom and I share the same birthday). That was also the day that the world was one in praying for Pope John Paul II, who was breathing his last breaths. I really felt sad.

Yesterday, I made sure that I went to the wake of Kura's mom. I conserved my energy so that I can drive to Merville and back. Of course, Olive went with me. We got to Merville Church around four in the afternoon. I was already on the verge of tears when I stepped into the wake. There were so many people.

We stayed for a while, listening to Kura as she recounted the last days of her mom. My tears finally spilled over and then I was sobbing (and laughing) as if I'm family. I have met Mrs. Martinez only a couple of times when I went to their home, but she left quite an impression! And Kura's stories affirmed all the qualities I saw in her. What a lady. I will always remember her.

Dunno why, but since I was diagnosed with cancer, whenever I hear that a fellow cancer patient/survivor passed away, I feel sad and sometimes, I even cry... maybe because it's a reminder of my own mortality.