Death Leaves No Time for Goodbye(s)

Death. The final frontier. The one event every creature in existence must face, regardless of how big or small they might be. Philosophers, Saints, Preachers, and thousands of other people have tried defining death, and even defying it. Hundreds of (so-called) warlock, wizards, necromancers and other ‘magic men’ have even gone so far as to try and reanimate the dead; even a few hundreds from the oh-so-logical field of science have fallen prey to the allure of defeating death! But, all of these attempts-be it to define death or defy it-have one thing in common. They have failed miserably. I myself have a personal experience with death, one that has led me to ponder its mysteries time and again. And at the end of it all, I too have developed my own little philosophy regarding death.
It all started in April, 2008. Dad met with an accident, a small one really, nothing of consequence as such. But, it had an effect that would change our lives forever. The first signs of trouble showed up hardly a month later, in the form of an ailment that (I now know) is called ‘elephantitis’. Back then though, all twelve-year-old-me knew was that dad’s leg was swollen. A lot. But, as is often the case with children, I was left out of the ‘loop’ per se, kept away from the distress and worry mum and dad felt, told that everything would be ok, and that I should go play in my room. Little did I know, that they were very wrong indeed. If only I’d known then what I do now, that dad’s swollen leg was a sign of a failing heart…well then, things might have been different now.
Fast forward to one year later. Dad’s condition was worse. Much worse. He could no longer walk without support. Driving, one of his many passions, was completely out of his reach. He woul...

... middle of paper ...

...he doctor confirmed what we’d thought. Dad was dead. Gone, farther away than we could ever have imagined, too far for us to even try and bring him back. And all I could think was, “Why didn’t I hug him? Why didn’t I ever get to say goodbye? To tell him how much I love him?”
Death is ultimate. It makes no mistakes, and takes no prisoners. It cannot be reversed. To get to bid a loved one goodbye is a luxury few people enjoy. I know that now. I know how sudden death can be, and how everything can change in (literally) a heartbeat. Leaving no heartbeat. And so, I live. I live every second of every day like it’s my last, leaving nothing unfinished. I tell my mother how much she means to me every single day. I live, in his memory. I no longer fear death, for I know that it will come to me too.
And so, I live, experiencing everything to the fullest.
Hoping to do dad proud.