On the evening of the 28th, we were going home from dinner when Alwyn called to say that Ah Ma had breathed her last. When I got the call, I felt strangely calm. You know, the same way you feel get a call that your dinner reservation has been confirmed. No big deal. Nothing surprising. Nothing new.
I got to Ah Ma's bedside 15 minutes later.
She didn't look like herself. She was so peaceful. Her face was relaxed and at peace. I can only hope that was how she really felt.
Tears all around. Everyone was in various states of unravelling. Everyone was falling apart. Everyone was trying to cope with grief in their own way.
Dad was sitting on a little swing outside in the garden. He looked numb. When I asked if he was ok, he said he was.
Mum was crying openly and hugging Joanne and myself. It's funny. When Ah Ma was alive, Mum and Ah Ma would always have these great big fights. I guess Mum will have to find a different "sparring partner" for her next title fight. :)
Alwyn was crying quietly and wiping tears from his eyes with one hand while Chrissie (his girlfriend) would hold and pat his other hand. Alwyn was the closest to Ah Ma in her last year. Thank you Alwyn for being there for Ah Ma when I couldn't.
We stayed there for maybe an hour. It was so unreal. I couldn't quite believe she was dead. I half expected her to suddenly sit up. I wished it was all a bad dream.
And through all of this, Ah Ma lay quietly on her bed. Unmoving, but surely moved.
Elvis has left the building...
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