My Journey to Widowhood (Part 3 of 8)

It was understandable that the difficult task was how to inform the two children of the death. Furthermore, at that time, the telephone from Mati to Davao City is operating only at seven in the morning. We arranged that the news will be told them by a religious sister and they be accompanied in the plane by her and a teacher close to the family. The company officials arranged for it.

The presence and condolences of his co-employees in Mati was my strength during the long night since I cannot communicate. There are no cellphones yet, not even the telephone line to the city at night. I was then at wake consoled by his co-employees. The feedbacks I got from them must had assuaged my sorrow. It was then I knew that he had used what we have learned from the marriage encounter sessions to counsel some of the office personnel who have marital problems. How happy I was to hear that. Other anecdotes surfaced out of his giving and lending to those in need. It is in death then, would we know the life led by him from the perspective of others who have encountered him. His presence through the stories distracted us from the grim reality of his death.

Morning came. The coming of light was welcomed but it reminded me of the difficult task of breaking the news to the loved ones. As regards the children, they were not told of the death because I preferred to do it myself. Midmorning, I went to the airstrip of Mati to meet my two children. I prayed what would be the first sentence I would utter to them. When they stepped down from the few-sitter plane, I ran to embrace my daughter and muttered “Your Dad is now with the Lord” That surely was a shock because the Dad and I were never absent from work for health reason for more than twenty years. (Ma. Iris Melliza)