When A Good Friend Is No More

Posted by Jeffrey on June 17, 2011

Yesterday my wife and I attended a requiem mass at church, and tears were flowing down our cheeks almost the whole time. It got worse during the last rite of paying respect, almost everyone broke down. This is because in the coffin was Isaac, an eight-year old boy who died due to a long-suffering illness. He was also one of Jordan’s good friend and a distant relative.

Jordan and Isaac were always playing together after Sunday school. Usually they don’t return to our seat even though the mass was far from over. Can’t really blame them, they can’t play during class and if they return to their seat after class, they can’t play together anymore. So usually after class they will take a playtime detour and will return to their seat like 10-15 minutes later.

Isaac’s grandmother who always accompanied him to church, would also go to our usual seating place at the end of the mass to locate Isaac because chances are, he is with Jordan and playing with whatever toys they brought to church that day.

I can still remember Isaac showing off his Baku-gan toys to us. His chubby face glowing with pride as he showed how the ball-shaped object can expand into an alien.

Anyway, we didn’t bring Jordan to the mass yesterday as he was still in school. We are not sure how it will affect him if he sees his friend lying lifeless there. However we also thought of giving him a last chance to say goodbye. In the end, we took the safer route.

We told Jordan the tragic news the night before, right before bedtime. At first, he was okay, exclaiming that he didn’t know that a person as young as him can pass away. Then he asked why does this happen?

Now Jordan knows Isaac had been visiting the hospital almost every other week for jabs and medicines, and on one of those Sunday meetups he ever told us that the trips were never a good experience for him. So we told Jordan that God wanted the bitter medicine and painful jabs to end, and now he gets his reward by spending the rest of the time with Jesus.

Then we had our bedtime prayer together. I struggled with myself from crying as I said the prayer, then I heard Jordan sobbing. Before long, my wife was crying as well and by the end of the prayer, the 3 of us had tears on our cheeks. Jewel was just sitting there, didn’t had a clue what was going on.

During mass yesterday, I can see his mother crying all the time. Such pain.

When I walked up to receive Holy Communion and passed by the coffin, tears welled up in my eyes when I saw his chubby hands placed above his tummy. It was heart-breaking. Those hands, they are so small. They should be playing Baku-gan toys and not just lying cold motionless.

After giving the last respect to little Isaac, it was time to meet the families to say condolence. When we met with the grandmother, whom I called Kak Beatrice, she hugged me and cried “Jeff… I lost Isaac! I lost Isaac!”

I was speechless. I can’t say anything. I didn’t say anything. I just cried with her. No time to act macho or trying to hold it back. I cried. My wife who was after me, also hugged her and cried.

In the evening, Jordan was asking about the mass and how it went. When we described what Isaac was wearing and how all of his family members were crying for him, he cried in the car again. He asked, when can he meet Isaac again? Is it when he dies and go to heaven? I said, yes.

Indeed Jordan lost a good friend and wants to meet him in heaven one day.

Rest In Peace Isaac. Hopefully we will meet again, on a fine day in Heaven.

Posted under: Jordan