We were at the ICU, my uncle and I; our turn to tend to my grandmother who’s been in and out of hospitals since last year.
My uncle had just flown in from Australia. My mother, worried sick about my grandmother’s condition, called in her siblings from the other parts of the world, to see if maybe having them here can nurse my grandma back to health.
It was twilight, I think, when we went inside the ICU room.
My grandma looked up when we entered the room, and she beamed when she saw my uncle. My uncle approached her bed, kissed her cheek, and held her hands.
We had a little chat, about this and that. Uncle Junie made a few jokes, elicited small chuckles from my grandma.
And then out of nowhere, my grandma whispered, “Dong, I can’t sleep.”
So my uncle, while holding my grandma’s hands, softly sang:
Matud nila, ako dili angay
Na magmanggad sa imung gugma
Matud nila, ikaw dli malipay
Kay wa ako’y bahandi na kanimu igasa
My grandma closed her eyes, and with a sigh of relief, gently fell asleep.
I looked away and headed out the door. Moments like these are not meant to be disturbed.
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