all changed

In the past... when my friends called and my dad answered, they'd think it was my younger brother or my younger cousin or some illegal, underaged boyfriend who had picked up the phone. Then, my dad's thick hair was beautifully jet black & neatly combed, with nary a strand out of place. His tummy would expand visibly after every weekend, the result of all the yummy dishes my mum whipped up in the short space of 2 days. Our whole family would count down to weekends & holidays with much anticipation, as they mean sinfully enjoyable trots all over the island searching out the best makan places, & luxuriously lazy family bonding times.

Now... my friends can hear the age in my dad's voice. His hair has thinned & whitened tremendously, & many times, was not well-combed. His tummy is consistenly flat, as pots & pans lay silently grieving in the kitchen. We fear the weekends & holidays, as the pain would double & the house would drown in its own shrouds of silence.

Life is no longer the same, & never will be. Places we used to frequent, we'd never again go. This sunday would have been my parents' 28th wedding anniversary. It will be a charcoal black day. Maybe she'd cry from the heavens... let's see if it rains.

I wonder if there's any one death on Earth where NO ONE is saddened by his passing. He'd have been the world's Eighth Wonder.