Another death in the family

It was on Saturday morning, April 13, that my Tita Baby called to say that my Lolo Ted (my mother's uncle) has passed away.  I was so surprised to hear that because when my Lola (his sister) came here last December, they were still able to see each other.  I knew that Lolo Ted had health issues but I didn't expect him to pass away so soon.  I wasn't even able to visit him when my Lola was here because of the hectic schedule last December.  As usual, it's only when someone passes that you really find the time to be there with them.

I remember Lolo Ted as one mischievous man LOL He used to trick my brother and I with "magic" - he'd rub the phosphorous from a match onto his fingers, then he'd rub his fingers together and there would be smoke and my brother and I would be so enthralled to see smoke coming from his fingers! Of course, we didn't know his trick then hahahha

He also used to make the best Laing in town.  Laing is a native Filipino dish made of coconut milk, taro leaves, and chili.  He made it so tasty and spicy that it's a great dish to eat with lots of hot rice! :)

We were only able to visit him and my Lola Betty that Monday evening.  There were so many errands during the weekend that there wasn't time and Patrick even had to cover an event so we couldn't go as early as we wanted.  On Monday, we could only leave after 7PM that night because of the color coding being enforced on vehicles.  We were a bit apprehensive during the drive to the funeral home because we weren't familiar with the roads going to Cavite.  Fortunately and thankfully for wikimapia, we were able to trace the right way.  The new Daang Hari road going to Dasmarinas really cuts travel time by half.  We got there around 9pm and we didn't get lost! :D

Lola Betty was surprised to see us.  She wasn't expecting us and she told me she was really glad I was there.  There were some hurts and misapprehensions between her and my mom which were inadvertently passed on to us.  That all faded away when she saw us.  To her, it was like the pain in her heart was lifted and I was glad for that.  We stayed there until around 11PM catching up.  We couldn't stay longer because it was Dana's graduation the next day and we had to be up early for that.

We did meet up with them after Dana's graduation the next day.  We were too late to be at the cremation but we did manage to be at their house.  This was practically the first time she'll get to meet Dana and Dylan so that was a big deal.

Hopefully, this won't be the last we'll see of her.  We must find time to see each other.