My Lola Loling

I visited my Lola Loling yesterday. It was an overdue visit. She has been in Manila at my aunt's place for several months now. I feel guilty for not being able to visit her sooner.

She is my only living grandparent today. Both my maternal grandparents and my paternal grandfather have passed away already. Lola Loling is 88 years old. She is relatively healthy for her age. She is still strong in body but she she seemed to have a short term memory. She easily forgets things which as a result makes her prone to repeating herself most of the time. But I didn't mind if she asked me the same questions all over again. I patiently answered her again and again, hoping my answers would stick to her mind. Sometimes, she remembered a few minutes longer than the previous one then she would forget again and the cycle went on.

My Lola told me that my Uncle Bebot is sick and that my Tita Ruth and my Dad visited him in London. It's true that my Aunt and Dad went to London but they went there to have my Uncle Bebot cremated. It breaks my heart that my Lola doesn't know that Uncle Bebot has passed away but I guess it's for the best. I don't think my Lola will find it easy to accept the sad news so I didn't tell her about the real events. I just listened to the version she knows and kept quiet.

My Lola gave me a tight, warm embrace before I left. I almost cried because she kept repeating how much she loves me and glad that I never forgot about her. I assured her that I will never forget about her because I love her very much. I promised to visit her again before Christmas and to bring Yohan next time.