Eulogio

I spent last night wearing myself out in order to get a decent night's sleep: an hour and a half at the gym, two hours of badminton after that, and 10 laps in the swimming pool to cap the night. Dinner was a light meal of vegetables and braised pork.

I got to sleep soundly last night. No fits of restlessness, no dreams or nightmares.

At 0510 early this morning, I woke up for no reason. I just found myself with my eyes open staring at the ceiling of my pad. That's weird, knowing that I usually wake up at three in the morning and then snooze until around six-thirty.

I reached across to my bedside table to get my mobile phone. Checked the time. Yup, it was 0510 in the morning.

I saw the LCD display on my phone switch from 0510 to 0511. I've been staring at it for a minute.

And then a text message comes in. "1 message received".

My mom. "Your lolo already passed away."

My "Lolo Daddy" (everybody, including his business associates, calls him "Dad" because he used to control a lot of the properties and businesses in our area -- the palengke, botica, horse-betting stations, the largest grocery in the neighborhood, a hardware store, a bakery and several buildings and houses for rent) is not my favorite grandparent. He's a known womanizer.

But he was a doting grandfather to me.

He got me my first bank account.
He'd give me fifty pesos for every medal I take home at the end of the school year. 20 years ago, fifty pesos was a lot of money for a 9-year old.
He shouldered almost all of my Boy Scout camping trips, including an international jamboree.
He taught me the basics of tennis at the CCP tennis grounds every Sunday.
He pinches my ear if he finds out I haven't gone to confession in a month.
He offered me to learn his business, which I politely declined.
He bought me video games which I didn't really like.
He'd make me peanut butter sandwiches whenever I was around, even if I stopped liking to eat peanut butter sandwiches right after college.

And then he had a stroke. And then three more over the years. At first, he needed only a cane. Then a wheelchair. The last stroke rendered him bedridden, requiring the care of a nurse 24-hours-a-day and a weekly visit from a local priest to give him Penance, Holy Communion and Unction.

The Angel of Death has come to our ancestral house to finally claim my lone surviving grandparent.

At the age of 92, Lolo Daddy "Eulogio" slept peacefully for the last time.