Dating : Only In Death, We Love

“Till death do us part…”

I don’t understand how they managed to get through the marriage together and have children. My grandfather and my grandmother always quarreled. At all times, I would call it miraculous when she would kiss grandpa on his birthday, but that was the only time I saw them being sweet to each other. Perhaps they did not take their vows seriously.

Their story is not a beautiful one to be told. It is not the kind of love kind of genre that readers would like to discover. It was more like an Action type of drama. However, in the surge of COVID19, I took a lot of days observing them, caring for them, and somehow their story changed just like that.

My grandfather is like a cat. His doctor generously gave him the title. A con man who survived nine strokes and hurrah! He still lives. He goes through the process when his kidney does not accept his urine anymore, and for that reason, he needs something that does the trick for him. He forgets how he should be thankful for the modern medical types of equipment nowadays and how it costs our parents per session. He has already passed the first year into it.

On the other hand, my grandmother always likes the buzzing sound of the hard-to-get-the-signal radio and sleeping. She swung my crib, cloth crib, from when I was a toddler to a giant toddler. Taught me how to cook rice and has let me hear her frustrations and pain regarding the physical and emotional abuse that my grandpa gave to her. I could tell just by looking at her crippled face that she longs for love. She never tasted it from him for all the years they got married because he would always take that out from the options despite having three beautiful children.

Just by remembering their hardships because of me and their pain, I had decided to look out for them, like when they looked out for me. It is a blessing to be with them these days, pure connection with my grandparents and a golden time to be with them before someone godly takes them out of our league.

One evening my grandpa was hurried to the hospital as he couldn’t stay calm and could breathe. Everyone panicked. Then, at that moment, I looked at her room, she was trying to get herself up to see what was going on, and from his grunts, she knew. Grandfather has grown weaker, skinnier, and talkative. I sacrificed my nights to stay on guard for him. Once, he thanked me for being awake at the time when he needed some attention. Then days after that, a miracle happened.

Grandmother asked for forgiveness. Perhaps it was the order from her sibling, or because of us, or just because she is worried about him and death in between. He didn’t answer her. No matter how loud she was to the point that she was crying and wiping her tears, he did not utter a word. However, just days, she asked to get close to him, and he initiated their conversation. She did not ask anything, but this, “Should we cross now?” he did not get that though. They were in love, just late. However, I forget to ask him about how their ancestors looked like when they visited him. I did not know if these visions he sees are part of sleep deprivation or just death luring him under his coat.

From the pressure given by their children and grandchildren, we all wanted it to happen- For them to reconcile and make peace before it is too late. Now, grandma won’t cuss at him every time they get together, nor grandpa laughs at how irritated she was. And yet here they are, loving and caring for each other in the brink of life.

To my dear Grandfather who had passed away weeks after I saved this in my drafts, I love you so much.