English+Memoir+VAAY

The Mourning  “There’s no easy way to say this.”  “No easy way to say what?”  “It’s about your aunt.”  “What about her?”  “She…….” It has been approximately six months since my aunt has been dealing with an incurable disease. After countless visits, the doctors eventually diagnosed it as the dreaded cancer. She wasn’t very old at the time, only in her fifties. Because of the illness, eating wasn’t that easy for her and she felt as if her mobility was limited. Apparently when she would try to walk, it would be as if she was walking on dangerously sharp needles, spiking through your skin, right into your nerves. She tried to do everything she could to battle the disease. She tried various medicines and went to get radiation done several times to try to fight against the cancer. However, she stopped going after she knew that she couldn’t make it. This was one battle she knew she wouldn’t claim victory over. The month was now March and my family and I visited her one day to see how well she was doing. We were welcomed into the house by my uncle, the husband of the sick aunt. He and everybody else in the house just stood there, their face emotionless. They didn’t say anything else to us during the time we stayed at their house, they didn’t have any reason to. There my aunt was, lying on the lumpy, worn-out couch, she was as still as a stone. My sister rushed to her, and this is what I overheard from their conversation. “How are you feeling?” my sister asked. “Not that well…” she replied. “Hang in there aunt! Is there anything I can do to help?” “Not really,” she started sobbing. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I will be able to make it to your graduation.” We then left, wondering just how much longer she can last, how much longer she can fight against the cancer. Days and weeks went by since then. I had a hard time concentrating on my daily schoolwork, thinking about how much time we have left until my aunt is gone. I would get grades that I usually wouldn’t get, grades so bad that my mom would constantly be disappointed and force me to study harder. It was about 6:00 AM one Sunday morning, and there I was, lying on my bed. The morning sun gleamed through the blinds of my window, brightening the whole room. Birds chirped in a melody and the calming wind made it seem peaceful outside. It seemed like it was going to be one of those perfect days, but there was just an eerie feeling going on in the room. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I suddenly woke up to the startling sound of the thundering footsteps. My dad, apprehensive, rushed into my room, possessed with a troubled look on his face. This wasn’t normal, considering that it was this early, and that this just wasn’t the kind of person he is. He just got off the phone, but I wasn’t sure who he talked to. With a phone in his hand, the doorknob in the other, he revolutionized my morning, and even my life. “Son,” my dad solemnly said. “I have something very important to tell you.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “What is it?” I replied. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">“There’s no easy way to say this,” my dad mumbled.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “No easy way to say what?” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">“It’s about your aunt.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">That was when it hit me. “What about her?” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">My father finally revealed, “She passed away.” <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">As I look back to this day, I regret not being able to do anything to support her. I should have treated her better and tried everything I could do to help. I was young at the time and I didn’t know that it was one of those things you lose permanently. It’s very sad knowing that we have lost one of our important family members, one of our heroes. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Never will I forget her noble advice that got me through the toughest of situations. Never will I forget her kindness, the love she showered me with. Never will I forget the wisdom and life’s lessons she passed down to me. Her life was something I took for granted, and that was the biggest mistake of my whole life.