A Sad Monday

I finally made it to my bed at 3 am after a quick stop at McDonald’s on the way home from the hospital. Typical of Sundays, the admissions tended to come during ungodly hours after they had enjoyed their weekends. After going through the admissions, I was peckish and decided for a quick burger on the way home.

The sleep then also wasn’t a particularly good one, being interrupted every half an hour or so. But the call just after 6 am woke me up. My Mum rang to tell me that one of my Aunt took the turn for the worse overnight and was fighting for her life in Intensive Care.

I made plans to visit her later that morning, since I had to sort out my post-call chores. Anita went to pick up my parents after dropping Irfan at school. They plan to go earlier. Then the news broke that she was no longer with us.

My parents and Anita arrived as the body was being cleaned. I couldn’t finish my work in time and by the time I reach the apartment, they were already transporting my Aunt in the hearse heading back to Penang. They plan to lay her to rest later in the afternoon. My parents then drove back to Penang, but I wasn’t able to go at such short notice, especially on the day post-call.

It was only a couple of weeks back that her son - my cousin - got engaged. The wedding was planned next month in Terengganu and Penang. It looked like it would be a sombre affair. Alfatihah ...