witnessing death

monday

11.15 a.m.
i was cleaning the fish tank, went back to the old house to get a drink
then he walked by the narrow corridor connecting my old house and new house, carrying a ladder in hand and asked me to pass by first as i was walking back to the new house where the fish tanks are located

11.20 a.m.
finished cleaning the fish tank
went up to my room to bathe and was planning to sleep

11.35 a.m.
done bathing, look through the dvd collections and pulled out "the holiday" to watch before i sleep
a habit that i've undertaken during the exams period
a movie before i sleep

11.40 a.m.
was about to lie on the bed then i received a frantic called from mum
"UNCLE FELL DOWN..FASTER COME DOWN..HURRY HURRY !!!"
"ok ok ok....."
in my head i thought and imagined he, sitting down on the floor with both leg stretched out, a hand holding a cigarette like he always do whenever he's at work and saying things like he's alright, tough as he was and that mum had just made a big deal out of another small matter

11.42 a.m.
i was down there
nobody in the living room
walked out all the way to the front of the old house
a lot of people gathering around
went out to the streets
and there,
the sight....
he, lying on the street
blood running out from his nose and mouth

the neighbor had all came out for help
some in confusion
some shouting words that appeared wordless in my ears

i was shocked

11.45 a.m.
without thinking twice
i asked the maid to open the main gate
i went in the car
drove out
and the neighbor helped me carry him to the car
dad sat beside me
and we sped to the hospital

12.00 p.m.
i went pass a red light and we arrived at the hospital
in the car dad had called an in-house doctor to be on the standby for our arrival
he was there behind
lying
the blood had dried off by now
the nurses came
i opened the door
they carry his helpless body onto the stretcher and wheeled him into the emergency room
i parked the car
ran in to the hospital
straight to the emergency room

12.05 p.m.
for the first time in my life, i saw dad panicked
but still he remained his cool
he gave calls to his wife, daughter and son
also to other cousins
there i was standing helplessly
looking
the sight
two doctors by him
he wasn't even properly wheeled into a "station"
he was just there
in the middle of the room
they gave him cpr
had the oxygen tank to help him breathe
then he chocked


12.10 p.m.
the fight went on

dad, still giving calls

i still there
in disbelieved on what i'm seeing
then the doctor turned around

"there's been some internal bleeding"

then
i saw the nurses sucking blood from inside his body
and others injecting him with i don't know what

"we're losing him"

and the doctor began pumping even harder


12.15 p.m.
"we've lost him"


i, have lost another uncle.
only this time,
he left us before my eyes.