Sometimes I think we humans really take life for granted. We always put off telling people what we really think/feel assuming that have all the time in the world to tell them how we really feel. Until it’s too late…
It happened to me before and you’d think I’d learn from it but I guess sometimes we really don’t learn from our mistakes because we keep thinking it won’t happen to us.
It all started on 24th Nov 06. Aunt Jenny (3rd aunt) called me to inform me that they’ve admitted my grandma to Assunta Hospital for check-ups as the Universiti Hospital docs could not find anything wrong with her so maybe we just needed a change in opinion.
Aunt Irene (youngest) will be staying with grandma for that night and Aunt Jen wanted to know if I can do Sat nite. I told her it’s ok by me but I don’t know what time I’ll finish of work on Sat as I’ve loads of paperwork to catch up with (no thanks to my trip to Pattaya and training). She started commenting that couldn’t I finish my work on Mon? Well, duh if I could finish my work on Mon who in their bleeding, demented mind would wanna stay back on a Sat/Sun (except for those with totally no life???).
I got very upset and actually commented to my maid that “Come on, grandma’s already 83 years old. How long more do you expect her to live?”. A sentence I will later come to regret til this very day.
I ended up arriving at the hospital at 9.00 p.m. (Hanyie dropped me off as I didn’t want to park my car there). I went to the hospital expecting to get some sleep as I slept quite late the night before knowing that I’ve gotta spend my Sat nite with my grandma.
Grandma normally sleeps through the night at home, so I pretty much expected her to do the same in the hospital too. Aunt Irene didn’t say anything when she called me earlier so I imagined all to be well.
Not so, during the whole course of the night (I think it started around 11/12), grandma kept waking me up at least 3 times, every hour. It wasn’t like she called me or anything. More like she started shouting for my maid to take in the clothes or something like that. It really freaked me out as she was talking to her right (when I’m located at her left) when there’s no one there.
The best part was when she turned to me and said,
Po: Esther, I hear you have a lot of guys interested in you ah?
me: ???
Po: Good la. Find a good man and quickly get married!!!
me: ?!?!?!?!
At that I told her to go to sleep. It’s bleeding 3 a.m. in the morning and other occupants wanted to sleep (it was a 4B room). No such luck. I manage to keep her quiet for a few minutes (half hour tops) before she started rambling/shouting/scolding again.
This went on for the whole night and I didn’t get enough sleep and still had to go to the office later in the day. When the nurses came in around 6 a.m. my grandma started scolding them and saying that we’re trying to kill her (she was on no food/drinks observation). She even starting to moan loudly and nothing I did would stop her. No scolding, no soothing words. I really pity the other patients…
In the end, I requested the nurses to change her room (to another which had 2 comatosed patients) so she’ll not be able to bother the others.
I called my aunts and told them to come quick as I need to go back to get some sleep. In the end, they called mother instead. I got Hanyie to come pick me up and later went home for a nap. I ended up waking at 3 p.m. instead of 2 cos I was just too tired.
Rushed to do my banking (month end), went to office to do my work until around 8 p.m. system prompt me to log out. I picked up Hanyie to go for some dinner but stopped off at the hospital to see my grandma first.
It was the last time I ever saw my granny alive…
Monday and Tuesday flew by and I couldn’t find the time to visit her at the hospital as I stayed at work til 11p.m. and 12a.m. for those two days. How I wished I tried to find the time now…
