series finale
Missed moments: The wife denied her husband’s deathbed farewell
I had to deal with Romy’s unusual behavior brought by his physical condition aggravated by his desire to see his children ASAP. I tried to convince him to stay but he refused, contending that he already said yes to the kids and as a man of honor, he had to keep his word. His nanny on the other hand was saying one thing to me and another thing to the children, a scheme she carefully used to realize her dream of going abroad at my expense.
That double-face bastard! She even told me that if she was confronted by the kids about their father, she would simply say “hindi n’yo kilala ang Tatay n’yo! Hindi siya tunay na mabait!” But of course it is better said than done. On May 12, 2021, my husband finally left home with his nanny. I was scared and sad we might not see each other anymore considering his health condition.
I had to vent all my frustrations in writing what I considered a “Grand Conspiracy” – something that did not sit well with the kids especially to Ruth who took it as an affront to their family. She said in a post that I was lying “to gain sympathy which is the lowest kind”. I retorted that God knows who was telling the truth and who was peddling lies.
After this exchange, there was complete silence for months. Later, Romy called via zoom and asked for forgiveness for all the faults and indiscretions he might have done to me knowingly and unknowingly. I thought he finally realized the pain and the sleepless nights I went through when he left home for petty reasons.
Even Ronel asked me to forgive his father and narrated to me he had suffered enough for being blind and for being on and off in the ICU for his lingering COPD (Chronic Oppressive Pulmonary Disease). Without vocalizing, I knew deep in my heart that I had already forgiven him.
In January of 2023, Mayor Vic B. Amante and Romy’s bosom friend Boyet Marcelo visited him in Dubai. Pictures were taken and sent to me by the kids. They were in tears as they sung ‘Happy Birthday’ and hugged each other like brothers.
Pareng Boyet narrated to me when he came home that his friend Palasig was weak and from his own personal assessment, he may not last long enough to come back home. According to Boyet, Palasig appeared to have suffered from a stroke because of the manner in which he talked and moved his arms.
Days later, Ronel informed me that his father was again admitted to the ICU and on February 20, 2023, he finally gave his last breath to join his Creator.
I was invited to come to Dubai for the scheduled cremation on February 25 but it’s not practical anymore considering the intricacies of securing travel documents, plane tickets and everything.
Had I been invited when he was still in the ICU, I could at least have held his hands and kissed him for the last time.
On the day of his cremation, all of us at home including our closest friends witnessed the entire trip from the hospital to the crematorium. Thanks to modern technology. While he was being cremated, Pastor Rico Albano was doing a prayer ritual for the dead here at home with Fiscal Ante Gonzales and wife Joy, Irene Albajera, Cristy Villamor and some of my relatives praying with us.
That ends the saga of a great writer and a poet.
Melinda Bagsic Evangelista
I was born to write and I believe that’s my calling. I love writing because it brings me to the realm exclusively of mine. It is also my opinion that “immortality” can be achieved not by searching for the Holy Grail and drinking from it but by living your life worth-writing or writing something worth-reading. Since I cannot promise you a life worth-writing, I keep myself busy writing something worth-reading. I am thankful to God for giving me the talent and skill to see life in different perspectives not seen by many and the courage to share it to my readers. This first ever Tutubi Digital News Magazine is a perfect avenue to bring you the many facets of life that you can ponder upon in this time of the pandemic. Enjoy reading all the articles.
