There's been a death.

Death twitches my ear. Live, he says, I am coming - Virgil.

Grandpa died yesterday.

I was chatting with the Brother online when he suddenly messaged me saying, "Ko (brother), Uncle Jasper just called to tell us that Grandpa, Dad's dad, just passed away."

My reaction? Nonchalant, at best.

I remarked, "Oh. My grandfather just passed away."

Granny Goose, my colleague, was startled. "Do you need to go back home for the funeral?"

"Nah. Its okay."

But what is, though?

I don't know.

I guess I was not very fond of him.

My memories of him are few and rare. Maybe its a pity that I was not that close to that side of the family when I was younger. But Grandpa was always someone that I greeted and then left alone. It was more of a "Hi" and "Bye" affair.

I remembered that he had a small office attached to his bedroom which had a huge iron safe. And he would turn on the air conditioning in a room that is about only a quarter of the size of my bedroom and it would be FREEZING in there. He would sit and count stacks of money in his office (in his heyday, he was the richest man in his village, a veritable millionaire) and all my uncles and aunties would sit in that room and talk about...adult stuff, I guess.

He was a sickly man, that's for sure. My brother's deathly allergy to egg white (albumin, in particular) was thanks to my grandpa. He was always clearing his throat and spitting out of the big window in the dining room into the drain below. He would always need massages and numerous medications.

And when I went to university, I never met him again. I think, even when I went home, I never met him either.

He had grown frail, so I heard. He was always frail but age caught up to him. He was getting sicker and sicker, and last I heard, about 2 weeks ago, he'd landed in ICU again with pneumonia and whatnot. The nurse looking after him basically told his sons and daughters that were gathered there that he was just passing time. Waiting for death to claim him.

When he passed away, it was more of a breath of relief for me. I was quite neutral towards him, neither hate nor love for the man, but I was glad that he did not have to suffer anymore. And as a Christian, he would have found his peace and happiness ever after with his Creator. Better than what he had on Earth, anyway.

So Grandpa, its a pity we were never closer. But you've done well while you were on Earth. Its time to go home.