My sister resumed her life in the US in late March after having been away for almost 8 years. During those 8 years, she stayed with my parents and personally tended to their needs. With her gone, my parents palpably felt her absence. To somewhat assuage this, she eagerly set off on shopping and in mid-May, sent two balikbayan boxes via an ABS CBN forwarding company. My father was excited to see his new Florsheim shoes. Lambing niya sa ate ko.
The months passed and with the turn of ensuing events, nabaon sa limot ang mga kahon.
On September 13, my ate went back to the US again after having come home on August 4. After having buried our mother on August 30.
On September 13, the two balikbayan boxes arrived....after four months. Opening them was bittersweet. Almost a full box were things for our mom. Her favorite things. A tall pile of crossword puzzle books. Packs of Pilot G2 pens, the only ones she would use. Bottles of Clairol Loving Care Medium Brown. Egyptian cotton shirts. Tins of Campbells cream of mushroom. Her favored kind of bath mitts. Things part of her day-to-day. Packs upon packs of Boost. Varying multivitamin preparations and her CoQ10. Hordes of Cetirizine and cortisone creams / lotions (mom was a perpetual atopic).
They would have been a delight to see for her. But it was too late.
Now it is a sight to behold and feel our loss more greatly so.
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