I’m taking a break from my birthday countdown to acknowledge someone very, very close to my heart.<\/p>\n
It’s been four years already, but it doesn’t feel like it @ all. The only evidence I have that it’s been that long is that I have grown older, and so has his son.<\/p>\n
Four years ago (January 11th 2003), he passed away. We didn’t see it coming; it just happened. It was three days before my birthday and I was home with Funmi and her sister, Seun. Funmi came by to give me my birthday gift (a brown Kenneth Cole purse); she gave it to me three days early…I don’t remember why.<\/p>\n
She left and the evening was pretty much the same until my Grandma called me and couldn’t control her emotions on the phone. She was crying non stop. She said he passed out. How could he have just passed out? I thought my Grandma was just being overly dramatic and making things bigger than they were, but I panicked. I told her to calm down, but I was panicking inside. My mom was @ work; I called her and told her he had passed out, so she got off work immediately and came to pick me up at home.<\/p>\n
We got there and my Grandma was still wailing. She was sitting on the sofa and crying. My aunt’s friend was there with her one year old son, and tryna calm Mama down. I was already crying even though I didn’t want to believe anything was actually wrong. Mama said he had been rushed to the hospital by the Emergency crew. Was it that serious?<\/p>\n
Mom rushed off to the hospital. I kept crying and trying to console my Grandma. I told her not to worry; he was probably too stressed out. He probably didn’t eat enough. He probably overworked himself. It was probably just fatigue. Whatever it was, it was going to be okay.<\/p>\n
I carried Toby and tried to cheer him up. He was born on my birthday – Jan 14th. We were both supposed to be celebrating our birthday in three days time, and now, his father had passed out. Toby didn’t even know what was going on. He didn’t know Daddy had been rushed to the hospital. I called my mom countless times and kept asking, “How is Uncle?”. Every time I asked, she said, “I’ll call you back”. We waited in suspense. The suspense was more agonizing than the thought of him passing out.<\/p>\n
Finally, they came back. My aunt came in and had no emotion on her face. She looked like she wasn’t even on earth with us. I watched as everyone walked into the house and I kept asking about Uncle but no1 was talking. My aunt sat on the sofa with her hands on her head. My Grandma was still wailing…but now even more. Finally, mom fell on the steps and said, “George has killed us.”<\/p>\n
He was dead. It was just that fast. He died of a heart attack. It happened while he was sleeping. But how could he have a heart attack? He was only 42. We didn’t even know he had a heart problem. He hadn’t seen his only child turn one. His wife (my aunt – mom’s baby sister) was still in her thirties) There were so many things that were wrong. It just wasn’t his time. Toby (his son) still didn’t know what was going on. It had to be a mistake. But it wasn’t.<\/p>\n
There is sooooooo much more to write. His death was only the tip of the iceberg but I can’t write all that right now. I’m getting too emotional. The wetness on my laptop would stand to testify this truth. Life is so unfair.<\/p>\n
Toby turns five on Sunday. He asks about his father all the time. We tell him he’s in Heaven, but he doesn’t know what that means yet. He wants to know when he will come back. Uncle George, though not related to me by blood treated me like his own child. How come the good ones are always the first to go?<\/p>\n
Help me pray that his soul rests in peace. Thanks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"