A Lonely Death

I was shocked to receive news from a relative that my aunt in New York died alone. The landlord found her body a few days after. She is my father’s sister.

I feel so sad about what happened to her. She had gone her way to help us in our times of need and especially when Papa died. She flew her way back to the Philippines to see Papa. And now, I don’t have the means to go to New York to pay my last respect to her and to do something about the situation. Her body will be in the morgue until somebody claims.

Heartbreaking news, it is. I feel so powerless to do something for her in her time of death. I want to pay her back for the good things she had done, not only for me, but for my family, and to other relatives, as well, even if only during the times she needed somebody to talk to and be with until her time came. But the sad fact is I was not able to do it because I am short of everything that I need to be there.

My aunt and I were not close to each other. Always, when we write to each other, we do not agree with each other’s points of view in life. When we meet, we are just civil. Little did she know, that I wanted to hug her and let her feel that I appreciate everything that she did and was doing for my father. We did not have the time to get chummy and everything. We did not have the time to talk about a lot of things and be with each other for longer periods of time. We were just relatives.

But as I write this, I cannot help myself from crying. I love her despite the distance (literally and figuratively). I feel sad about her fate. I never thought that such a strong person would die a lonely death. Or was her choice to be alone in moments of pain, loneliness, poor health and death a demonstration of strength? Could it be possible that she is happy with what she wanted to be – alone until the time of death? How I wish these are true.

A Lonely Death

I was shocked to receive news from a relative that my aunt in New York died alone. The landlord found her body a few days after. She is my father’s sister.

I feel so sad about what happened to her. She had gone her way to help us in our times of need and especially when Papa died. She flew her way back to the Philippines to see Papa. And now, I don’t have the means to go to New York to pay my last respect to her and to do something about the situation. Her body will be in the morgue until somebody claims.

Heartbreaking news, it is. I feel so powerless to do something for her in her time of death. I want to pay her back for the good things she had done, not only for me, but for my family, and to other relatives, as well, even if only during the times she needed somebody to talk to and be with until her time came. But the sad fact is I was not able to do it because I am short of everything that I need to be there.

My aunt and I were not close to each other. Always, when we write to each other, we do not agree with each other’s points of view in life. When we meet, we are just civil. Little did she know, that I wanted to hug her and let her feel that I appreciate everything that she did and was doing for my father. We did not have the time to get chummy and everything. We did not have the time to talk about a lot of things and be with each other for longer periods of time. We were just relatives.

But as I write this, I cannot help myself from crying. I love her despite the distance (literally and figuratively). I feel sad about her fate. I never thought that such a strong person would die a lonely death. Or was her choice to be alone in moments of pain, loneliness, poor health and death a demonstration of strength? Could it be possible that she is happy with what she wanted to be – alone until the time of death? How I wish these are true.

A Lonely Death

I was shocked to receive news from a relative that my aunt in New York died alone. The landlord found her body a few days after. She is my father’s sister.I feel so sad about what happened to her. She had gone her way to help us in our times of need and especially when Papa died. She flew her way back to the Philippines to see Papa. And now, I don’t have the means to go to New York to pay my last respect to her and to do something about the situation. Her body will be in the morgue until somebody claims.

Heartbreaking news, it is. I feel so powerless to do something for her in her time of death. I want to pay her back for the good things she had done, not only for me, but for my family, and to other relatives, as well, even if only during the times she needed somebody to talk to and be with until her time came. But the sad fact is I was not able to do it because I am short of everything that I need to be there.

My aunt and I were not close to each other. Always, when we write to each other, we do not agree with each other’s points of view in life. When we meet, we are just civil. Little did she know, that I wanted to hug her and let her feel that I appreciate everything that she did and was doing for my father. We did not have the time to get chummy and everything. We did not have the time to talk about a lot of things and be with each other for longer periods of time. We were just relatives.

But as I write this, I cannot help myself from crying. I love her despite the distance (literally and figuratively). I feel sad about her fate. I never thought that such a strong person would die a lonely death. Or was her choice to be alone in moments of pain, loneliness, poor health and death a demonstration of strength? Could it be possible that she is happy with what she wanted to be – alone until the time of death? How I wish these are true.