[5] True Filipino Horror Experiences (Tagalog)

One Last Time

One Last Time

Did it ever occur to you ano ang pinakahuling sense ang nawawala kasabay sa pagpanaw ng isang tao? I think a friend of mine found out but not in a very good way.

I met this friend sa work years ago. Initially we weren't close pero dahil sa Engagement Activities na isinecelebrate ng HR almost weekly, we slowly got along well. We became close to the point na naoopen na nya sa group of friends namin about what's going on sa bahay nila. Nakwento nya na poles apart sila ng Dad nya. Lagi silang magkakontra-pelo at akala mo may patupada sa household nila sa dalas ng pagsasalpukan nilang magTatay. He said he felt like he's always been criticized by his Dad. Lahat ng sasabihin nya at ikikilos, may puna ang Dad nya even sa current work nya that time which is yun nga, yung work namin. Everyday, litanya nya ang mga ganap sa kanila until one day we no longer heard them.

Nagulat kami when nagpa-Pass the Hat ang HR namin at nung makita namin yung name sa envelope, full name ng Dad nya. He admitted critical yung Dad nya sa hospital and yung savings nilang buong family almost depleted na. As friends, we talked to him and tried comforting him. He refused and said okay lang daw sya. Knowing him, alam namin na sensitive ang relationship issues nya with his Dad to the point that it is as brittle as thin ice so nilibang na lang namin sya. His Dad was saved from his critical condition pero he went into a coma for weeks. What baffles us is that casual na casual lang nya yun kinukwento like nothing is terribly wrong.

One session, while out on a bar, he opened up about his real feelings. He was really mad sa Dad nya. Galit na galit sya dahil he wasn't the father he was expected to be, nakuha pang mambabae. He was crying his heart out that time. Kami naman, todo-console. A friend told him na since hindi naman nya naestablish ang communication with his Dad, ngayong comatose nya kausapin at malamang hindi naman yun makakasagot. He delivered this statement so lightly na tinake namin yun as a joke so tawanan at sya din tawa din naman ng tawa. Sinegundahan nung isang friend namin na gawin nya yun na malaya sa puso nya pero ASAP since at this point sa Dad nya, walang makakapagsabi ng mga pwedeng mangyari.

The following Monday, absent sya at sabi ng TL namin his Dad passed-away over the weekend. We went to his Dad's wake after work. He then told us na sinunod nya yung advise nung friend namin na kausapin nya yung Dad nya and something urged him to hold his hand and whisper everything sa tenga nya para hindi maingayan ang mga iba nilang family members na nagbabantay. His Dad squeezed his hand then a rolled sa mata ng Dad nya without opening his eyes. Next thing they saw, flat line na yung mga nakamonitor na makina sa Dad nya. What relieved him was when all this was happening daw, he smelled his Dad's favorite cologne, isa ring bagay na madalas nilang pag-awayan ng Dad nya before kasi lagi syang may patagong pagspray non. Sobrang strong daw nung smell as if telling, "Okay na ako dito, Anak." It felt good na even daw sa huling hininga napakinggan sya ng Dad nya - as in attentively listened to him.

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