Death of a Friend
It's a little late for this entry. But yeah, it had to be done.
A friend of mine passed away recently. Now, she isn't a close friend of mine. I don't know her that well. However, she was a part of the group that made history in a certain school, which I will not name. This gave her credit enough to be recognized and recorded down deep in our hearts.
Most of us gotten the news late at night. The natural reaction was 'Are you fucking with me?'. It was later confirmed it was the truth. Nearly the whole class met up on that fateful Thursday afternoon. We went to Marsiling, where our friend resided in. During the short trip, Jeronme and myself went 'If this is someone's idea of a bad joke, that person will be the one lying in the coffin' or somewhere near this sentence. However, no matter how much we desired this to indeed be a joke, it didn't come through. As we saw the body lying on a mat in her home, reality starts to finally sink in. Our friend is dead.
Naturally, a few people broke down and started to weep. My friend's father was the first to do so, which is very understandable. All of us then proceeded to kneel down and laid flowers on her body to show respect. Us guys and Ms Yam went to a nearby coffee shop to discuss about that day's events. What wasn't certain before was ascertained by Ms Yam - How my friend committed suicide, and how another guy was spotted with her during that fateful hour.
I left after an hour for a family dinner.
Got a call from one of the gang when I got home at 9. We were supposed to meet up in the early afternoon to attend the official wake and cremation of the body. I agreed relunctantly, not wanting to experience that "fear" inside again.
We met up the following day, hours before the wake to purchase some "indian flower wreaths". Hours turned into minutes as we waited at that same coffee shop for the flowers. Kai Meng and the ladies went ahead to give the flowers to my friend's mother while Henry, Melvin, and myself went to relieve ourselves after a good drink.
The wake began almost as soon as the 3 of us got back to that block. My friend's body (in a coffin) was carried down the stairs by some able-bodied men and was laid down on 2 brown stilt-like things. Friends were allowed to take one final look at her before she was carried off into a funeral car, where her body would be carried to the Cremaetorium for cremation. The group of us, together with my friend's nursing partners boarded a bus. We were driven to the Cremaetorium.
Upon reaching there, we waited a few for the funeral car carrying the body to arrive, which didn't take too long. The group then proceeded into the 'Servicing Room 3', where my friend's family member performed indian rites - which, according to my own deduction - to send my friend's soul peacefully. As a custom (?), all unrelated people, which is everyone, excluding her family, have to turn around to face the back while more rites were performed.
After the rites, we were taken to the viewing room, where her body was to be cremated. Screams and cries were heard as the coffin was seen being pushed into the furnace. The sliding doors closed after the coffin had been "settled" into the furnace, which, I presume is to prevent anymore sadness amongst friends and family.
The day ended as we took that same bus back to Marsiling, where we went back to Woodlands to have our dinner before going our respective ways. I left first, again.
....
R.I.P. Deepa. You were a friend, and a part of this class forever. May you rest easy in the afterlife.
To all my 4/2 mates, treasure our final class photos taken together. That picture can never be replicated again.
A friend of mine passed away recently. Now, she isn't a close friend of mine. I don't know her that well. However, she was a part of the group that made history in a certain school, which I will not name. This gave her credit enough to be recognized and recorded down deep in our hearts.
Most of us gotten the news late at night. The natural reaction was 'Are you fucking with me?'. It was later confirmed it was the truth. Nearly the whole class met up on that fateful Thursday afternoon. We went to Marsiling, where our friend resided in. During the short trip, Jeronme and myself went 'If this is someone's idea of a bad joke, that person will be the one lying in the coffin' or somewhere near this sentence. However, no matter how much we desired this to indeed be a joke, it didn't come through. As we saw the body lying on a mat in her home, reality starts to finally sink in. Our friend is dead.
Naturally, a few people broke down and started to weep. My friend's father was the first to do so, which is very understandable. All of us then proceeded to kneel down and laid flowers on her body to show respect. Us guys and Ms Yam went to a nearby coffee shop to discuss about that day's events. What wasn't certain before was ascertained by Ms Yam - How my friend committed suicide, and how another guy was spotted with her during that fateful hour.
I left after an hour for a family dinner.
Got a call from one of the gang when I got home at 9. We were supposed to meet up in the early afternoon to attend the official wake and cremation of the body. I agreed relunctantly, not wanting to experience that "fear" inside again.
We met up the following day, hours before the wake to purchase some "indian flower wreaths". Hours turned into minutes as we waited at that same coffee shop for the flowers. Kai Meng and the ladies went ahead to give the flowers to my friend's mother while Henry, Melvin, and myself went to relieve ourselves after a good drink.
The wake began almost as soon as the 3 of us got back to that block. My friend's body (in a coffin) was carried down the stairs by some able-bodied men and was laid down on 2 brown stilt-like things. Friends were allowed to take one final look at her before she was carried off into a funeral car, where her body would be carried to the Cremaetorium for cremation. The group of us, together with my friend's nursing partners boarded a bus. We were driven to the Cremaetorium.
Upon reaching there, we waited a few for the funeral car carrying the body to arrive, which didn't take too long. The group then proceeded into the 'Servicing Room 3', where my friend's family member performed indian rites - which, according to my own deduction - to send my friend's soul peacefully. As a custom (?), all unrelated people, which is everyone, excluding her family, have to turn around to face the back while more rites were performed.
After the rites, we were taken to the viewing room, where her body was to be cremated. Screams and cries were heard as the coffin was seen being pushed into the furnace. The sliding doors closed after the coffin had been "settled" into the furnace, which, I presume is to prevent anymore sadness amongst friends and family.
The day ended as we took that same bus back to Marsiling, where we went back to Woodlands to have our dinner before going our respective ways. I left first, again.
....
R.I.P. Deepa. You were a friend, and a part of this class forever. May you rest easy in the afterlife.
To all my 4/2 mates, treasure our final class photos taken together. That picture can never be replicated again.
posted by Flavian | 1:38 AM
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