Moment with God (Book 2 of With God Trilogy)

XI

The wind circled around me and in a second, I was in a ship. Men were wearing uniforms with a black band on their left arm. I realized these were the navy military about to pay their respects for my deceased grandfather. Navy military were walking, carrying a casket on their shoulders. The navy military on my left side raised the United States flag and started marching. I was walking around with them, looking for my dad. "Is he present?" I thought while holding my tears. I looked at each of the faces of the navy until I saw a man facing the casket near the edge of the ship. He was positioned in side view from I was facing. The sun were covered with clouds. I ran to side and we faced grandpa's coffin together. A command was heard and the six casket bearers, including my dad, carried the casket, and cleared the deck. I watched as grandpa's casket slide from the deck to the waters.

"Goodbye." I heard my dad whisper without a reaction. His body looks stiff as his hand was in salute. But I noticed his eyes, his eyes says it all.

The US flag is being folded while the seven navy men were firing their rifles. The flag was then given to the commanding officer.

At my grandparents' house, there was a long silence. My grandmother was sitting on the chair in the kitchen, looking at the window. It seems she was longing for something. The door opened and dad entered.

"Joseph!" grandma gasped.

Dad hugged grandma as he sobbed. "Mom!"

"Shhh.. son. Joseph, your dad is now in peace." Grandma whispered as he wiped my dad's face.

"Mom, how did you move on so fast?" Dad asked.

Grandma walked to the kitchen as dad followed. "I never accepted it. He was on the journey for so long. And I kept praying to God that you and your dad would get along when he comes home. After all...

She looked at my dad from head to toe.

..you are now like him."

Okay. I don't really know if what she was looking at is the uniform.

I stood there confused at what grandma meant. My dad pulled a chair and sat on it, with his arms on his face. "Mom, I..This is all for him. I wanted to make him happy. I gave up my own dreams for his dreams and now..

I quietly sobbed, hiding his tears with his arms on the table, wrapped on his face. "Now, everything's useless." Dad exclaimed.

Grandma looked at him with a smile. She rubbed his back as comfort to his son. "I know what it feels." she sighed. "I also felt that way when you two left me for trainings." 

"Mom? Don't say that." Dad said with a puzzled look.

"No, no. Listen first." Grandma pulled a chair from the table and sat close to dad. "When I am your mother, and I am your dad's wife, I felt so happy having you two here. I mean being with my family. Cooking for you. Cleaning your rooms. Doing embroidery? I love decorating your blankets with your names. I feel that I am at home whenever you and your dad is at home." She looks at the window for a while and sighed.

"But when you told me that you want to be in the Navy, I was happy. Happy that you would make him proud. But actually, I was lonely when you were gone."

"Mom, I'm sorry, I..

"No, Joseph. Listen to me. I called Becca so that I could have someone here to talk to. I had fun but I missed you two. She tried to find me a job that would get me busy and I accepted. I started to work with her as a secretary in New York for three days but I missed home so I went back here. I felt that every hardwork as a mom and as a wife is useless without my boys around. I asked God for you to come back home. And you did." Dad rubbed mom's back, comforting her. 

"Mom, I'm sorry if I didn't have dad with me. But I did try my best." I watched dad hugged grandma as grandma cried silently. "Your dad is a good man. Even if you don't believe me." she mumbled. Dad smiled as he gives mom the US flag which made her broke down.

I cried with her and seeing her cry with dad, I remembered mom. She is like mom in some sort. But grandma was more of a disciplinarian than mom. Was she like grandma when she learned about me? Did she cry so much? I mean, I'm really not sure why I'm here but having a glimpse of the past makes me think that I am now dead. Or am I not?