A Last Letter
My uncle and aunt had to go to DFA today to fix my 4-year-old cousin's passport. They left the house quite early, while Gabe was still asleep. Not surprisingly, the little boy let out a howler once he woke up because his Mom and Dad weren't home to make him eat breakfast or take a bath. It didn't make a difference that they had been telling him about leaving him to my care today because of the errand days before. Since they anticipated his reaction, my uncle wrote Gabe a letter explaining why they had to go. It went like this (or something):
Dear Son,
Mom and Dad went to the Department of Foreign Affairs today to fix your passport. We will meet you in school after we're done. So eat your nice breakfast (hotdogs and fried egg!) and take a bath (Ate Liv will bathe you and you can take your rubber ducky) so you won't be late for school. We will see you later!
Love, Mom and Dad
Gabe read this on his own, and I read along with him. I wasn't expecting such a visceral reaction to the whole danged thing. I found myself wishing, no, more of, desiring with my whole whole soul, that my parents left me something similar to hold on to before they went.
They also left quite early in life, they left when I was still half-asleep to this world. I knew the day was coming but that didn't stop me from weeping out a storm when it came.
I can't help but imagine though, what if --- if they did write me a letter, what would it say?
To soothe myself, I wrote this:
To our Gifts from God, (they always called us this)
Mummy and Daddy went home earlier than either of us expected. We're going to the Lord of All Earthly Affairs and maybe while we're there, we could also fix your passports. Just to smoothen things out for you in life, and maybe drop a prayer or two where it will surely be heard within a micronanosecond. Don't worry, we will meet you at the end of all things, be sure of that. We'll be there to fetch you and bring you back home. Meanwhile, enjoy your nice life (such promise it still holds!) and take good care of each other (we've told you you will be everything each other's got) so that you would never miss out on any good thing that God has in store for you. We're proud of you, and we still are, even if we are too far to let you know. We will, Livia and Ella, see you both later!
Love, Mummy and Daddy
If only....
Dear Son,
Mom and Dad went to the Department of Foreign Affairs today to fix your passport. We will meet you in school after we're done. So eat your nice breakfast (hotdogs and fried egg!) and take a bath (Ate Liv will bathe you and you can take your rubber ducky) so you won't be late for school. We will see you later!
Love, Mom and Dad
Gabe read this on his own, and I read along with him. I wasn't expecting such a visceral reaction to the whole danged thing. I found myself wishing, no, more of, desiring with my whole whole soul, that my parents left me something similar to hold on to before they went.
They also left quite early in life, they left when I was still half-asleep to this world. I knew the day was coming but that didn't stop me from weeping out a storm when it came.
I can't help but imagine though, what if --- if they did write me a letter, what would it say?
To soothe myself, I wrote this:
To our Gifts from God, (they always called us this)
Mummy and Daddy went home earlier than either of us expected. We're going to the Lord of All Earthly Affairs and maybe while we're there, we could also fix your passports. Just to smoothen things out for you in life, and maybe drop a prayer or two where it will surely be heard within a micronanosecond. Don't worry, we will meet you at the end of all things, be sure of that. We'll be there to fetch you and bring you back home. Meanwhile, enjoy your nice life (such promise it still holds!) and take good care of each other (we've told you you will be everything each other's got) so that you would never miss out on any good thing that God has in store for you. We're proud of you, and we still are, even if we are too far to let you know. We will, Livia and Ella, see you both later!
Love, Mummy and Daddy
If only....
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