Quote:
Originally Posted by SerflySGR
"Hospital called. Ma passed away." The news truck me like a bolt from the blue. My tiredness dissipated immediately and I was suddenly wide awake.
"When did this happen? Why didn't the hospital call me?" I asked my son, whom I noticed was sobbing uncontrollably.
In between sobs he tried to explain that the hospital had tried to call me on my mobile phone but couldn't contact me so they called the home phone. I hugged my young son; that was all I knew I could do.
I was truly lost.
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Wanda,
Adek and I rushed the the hospital. I also made sure I informed my parents lest they nagged at me for leaving them out of the loop. The whole morning was a blur - various forms and documents to sign and then there were the arrangements for the funeral and burial. There were some rituals that we needed to follow but I had hoped that my parents would help me look into that.
The first hiccup came in the form of the autopsy. Apparently the hospital could not release my wife's body and it had to be sent to the Health Sciences Authority first before it could be released to us.
"What nonsense is this?" I bellowed.
"Why can't you just leave my wife's body alone and release it to us? She died of an illness, what's there to investigate?" Personally I was surprised at the fuss I had kicked up. Some policemen who were on duty came over to calm me down. My parents were equally distraught and they added to the drama.
Wanda came over and squeezed my hand. Perhaps it was the calming effect she had on me or perhaps I knew there was no way I could win this argument, I just let them have their way.
"Are you going to just stand there and let these people take your wife's body away?" My father questioned me.
"Is this how a husband protects his wife?" H*e challenged me further.
"Dad, you are not helping." I answered, trying very hard to keep my anger in check.
"There are rules that the hospital has to follow. Besides, the body is no longer in the morgue, it has already been moved and on the way to the autopsy table. Even if you want to stop it, there's nothing for you to stop. Who knows, maybe she's already there! Or maybe you want to go to the HSA and stop every vehicle going in?" Somehow my emotions made me overlook the fact that we were talking about my deceased wife here and not some character on some TV series.
Nadia came a while later with her cronies and I was surprised that they treated me much better than my parents did.
"You have done all that you could, Serfly" Nadia consoled,
"She's in a better place now. HSA is a requirement for most, if not all hospital deaths; they want to rule out negligence and also, in some cases, foul play."
Her last words made me frown.
"No no. Don't get me wrong, I'm just saying. Sister is so kind, she would have never been a victim of foul play." she laughed. She placed her hand on my shoulder and said tenderly,
"I am sorry for your loss brother. Although we are not very close, please let us know how we can help you."
I was truly touched by Nadia. Never did I expect my wife's cynical sister to be so kind during such times.
With nothing else to do, we all adjourned for the day. My parents went home to help prepare for the funeral while Wanda and I were tasked to go to HSA the next day to collect the body.
Wanda and I dressed plainly and waited our turn. When it was time to go into the morgue, I hesitated.
"I together you Abang." Wanda cooed sweetly and squeezed my left hand. I nodded and walked into a room with a large glass window.
On the other side of the window lay a woman covered in a shroud. The coroner, pulled open the cloth covering the body's head. I squinted. I noticed my brows forming a frown. Who was this person lying in front of me? She's nowhere near how I remember her. There must be some mistake.
"Is this your wife?" the coroner asked politely. He must have noticed the look on my face or perhaps he was used to such puzzlement so he continued to speak after a short pause.
"Decomposition sets in fairly rapidly so your wife's appearance might have changed somewhat from the last time you saw her."
"But I just saw her last night." I protested.
"The night before, you mean?" the coroner corrected me. I really felt like punching the guy. No apparent reason. Just probably pent up frustration then I heard Wanda sobbing.
"Kakak..." She sobbed softly.
"You confirm?" I asked Wanda and she nodded her head furiously.
"Thank you Mr Serfly." The coroner pointed to the door behind me, as if to rush me out of the room.
There were even more forms to fill and sign - from the release to the undertakers and the like. I didn't shed a tear throughout the whole ordeal. I thought I had forgotten about her. I thought I didn't love her anymore. I cursed at myself for being a playboy. An adulterer. A heartless cheat. Seeing Wanda take care of every one of
Adek and my needs made me feel even more guilty.
As they lowered her coffin to the ground, I heard a loud wail. I was surprised it belonged to me.
My wife was gone now.
It's only me and
Adek.
And my maid............ Wanda.