Perfectly Imperfect

I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it, but at the same time, I do.

I’m starting to think that I have become an attention whore.

Can someone please tell me if this is true?

Today I went to my ninong’s wake. He died yesterday of asthma and some other fatal illness I don’t know.

Ninong Bulao was an employee working under one of the companies owned by the Pangilinans. He was a security guard, taking care of logs and important memos. He resided in the office building. He was an ordinary man who loved to chat with his friends and spend time with them, on or off duty.

He used to play pranks on me when I was still young. Everytime I go to my mom’s office, I used to borrow his TV set just to watch my favorite afternoon cartoons.

He was a devout Ang Dating Daan member. He was a genius when it comes to the Bible. He lived a rich Christian life.

One of the best things I loved about him was his love for dogs. Although he was allergic to them (asthma), he chose to live with them, despite the fact that his friends and relatives had warned him that one day they would be the end of him. Ninong loved his dogs so much, he prioritized them over anything else.

There was a time when a few of his dogs died. I remember my ninong crying over his kids(he never had his own family) until he buried them by himself in his backyard. 

Ninong never left the office. He continued living there even though the place was shut down. I had no news about him since then.

Until yesterday, my dad told me he died in a hospital in the vicinity.

Ninong’s pet Neo is still in the room they shared until yesterday. He refused to eat and kept on sniffing on my ninong’s pillows and blankets. I think he’s still waiting for his amo to come home.

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Earlier at my ninong’s wake, I went up and stared at his face. It’s as though he was just sleeping. They shaved his mustache, put on a white long-sleeved polo on him, and combed his hair to a nice fix. It was the first time I’ve seen him dressed so elegantly.

…and the last.

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Salamat po sa lahat ng ginawa niyo para sakin. Naging importanteng parte po kayo ng buhay ko nung bata pa ako. Maraming salamat po sa lahat lahat.