I got such a shock last Saturday midnight when I got an email from Gelle informing us that Joey’s dad had passed away that afternoon due to an asthma or heart attack (results were inconclusive and they didn’t subject him to autopsy anymore).
What makes this sadder is that Joey and Gelle had flown back to the Philippines for a Boracay vacation with Joey’s family, including his sisters who are based in Japan.
The night before, Gelle had just been raving to me about how she was having so much fun and how beautiful Boracay was… how was she to know that it would all end so sadly?
I called her to ask where the body was being held so that we could send flowers and she proceeded to narrate how it happened. She said it was like a scene from a movie.
They were island hopping. Joey’s dad got so excited that he decided to go swimming despite everyone’s protests. When he surfaced, he looked like he was having trouble breathing. They got him onto their boat, but his spasms continued and he turned black in the face.
There was pandemonium in their tiny boat and they rushed him to the nearest clinic once they got onshore. Unfortunately, only an obgyne was in the clinic, whose best efforts couldn’t revive him and he was declared dead on arrival.
As everyone cried, Gelle turned to Joey to comfort him, but he said he was fine, guy that he is, and to comfort his sisters instead.
After all the chaos had subsided, though, Joey finally had time to be alone with his dad, and Gelle saw how he hugged him and broke into tears himself. Joey never cried, and it got her when she saw his tears.
It got to me too, and I started crying at the other end of the line, prompting my colleagues to ask why. I hope they don’t think it strange that I’m reacting this way about someone I had only met once. I’m just sad for Joey.
This reminded me of my own father, who is a man’s man, who was so strict and scary that his word was always the law in our house.
One afternoon, we were all in the living room when the phone rang – it was my uncle, wanting to talk to my dad. My dad talked to him calmly and just said a few words, his face not betraying the magnitude of the news that was just relayed to him. After he put the phone down, he told us matter-of-factly that his mother had been found dead in her home.
A few seconds after that announcement, though, his face suddenly crumpled and he uttered a strangled “Nay!” before breaking down into sobs. It was the first time I had ever seen this man cry and it broke my heart.
All my condolences to Joey and his family. I’ve only ever lost a parent in my dreams and the anguish I felt then soaked my pillow with tears. I can’t even begin to comprehend the pain they must be going through now.
