March 29, 08 will be the 100th day since my father's death. He was only 64 years old when his life was taken away from the deadly but curable disease - dengue fever, his life would have been saved if the doctor who treated him at the time went extra steps to do the blood test on him. On the morning of December 22, 2007, I was over at Szu's place and getting ready to drive to Las Vegas for Christmas. My cell rang about 8 in the morning, it was my little sister. I remember the exact words that she said to me, "Sis, can you fly back today? Father is in critical condition and brain damaged, he can't wait anymore", she was sobbing on the phone. I froze for a few second. I don't remember what I said to her on the phone before I hung up. But I know I immediately went on Internet and search for the air tickets, I called travel agent, I called friends to help looking for ticket. I told Szu I have to go home, can't go with them.
Adeline found the tickets for me through MAS airline, we were lucky. My flight was leaving the same day I received the phone call, departured at night. The flight was delayed for couple hours because of the wind condition. While I was waiting at the airport, I called my sisters back home and tried to sort out the situation. I was clueless. Brain damaged? How? I thought to myself, he will wake up when I get home just like in the movie, people wake up from coma. Time was ticking, it was passed 1 o'clock in the morning. I made another call, my mother picked up the call. She cried. She kept asking me to say something to my father, I didn't. I didn't know she put the cell phone next to my father's ear. I regret it. I really blamed myself for not doing it. That's the last chance he could hear me.
He passed away on December 23, 11.57pm. I was on the flight from Taipei to Kuala Lumpur. My flight arrived in Kuching at night on December 24. My brother in law and his kids were waiting for me at the airport. All family members were home preparing for the funeral. It was almost midnight when we arrived at the shop house where I grew up, I saw my father. They put him in the refrigerated coffin, he looked very calm. I was standing next to him that night, starring and talking and wishing he could hear me.
I am extremely proud of my father. He is one of people aside from my mother and sisters that I love and respect very much. He worked hard his whole life to provide and to protect his family. He didn't have the chance to finish school because he has to help my grandparents to run the business and raise his own siblings even though he was not the eldest in the family and he never asked anything in return. He is a great man with golden heart. He will always be in my heart and I know he is in heaven now looking out for us.
