AN OLD FRIEND...FAREWELL TO YOU

I have known this person for about 5 years already. I consider him a friend. He is 63 years old and happily married to Aunt Lin, his wife. They live a simple life, yet are happy together. They are very sweet and a loving couple. I admired Uncle Nel as a husband to his wife, a friend to all, and a grandfather at the same time.

We had happy and interesting conversations. When I had enough time, I dropped by beside their house and talked with Uncle Nel and his wife, listening to our conversation. Our usual topic is my teaching career. He used to ask questions about how I teach my students. How would I impose discipline in my class? The common question he would ask was, “Have you ever encountered a student who is smarter than you?” I laughed when he asked me about it. I said, “ Not yet or none so far.” Then he did laugh too. Well, there is a lot to mention about our conversations. These are a few of them...

He is very proud to say that he is good at stenography. He said he had a lot of style in his skill. He used to work in the government before. He once aspired to be a teacher, but he did not pursue it because of this reason: Mathematics is difficult. Unfortunately, he did not finish his studies/course. He really admires people who are good at solving problems in Mathematics. I am happy to hear it. He even told me about his classmate who was very good at Mathematics during their time.

He also advised my husband and me not to lose hope about having a child. He is indeed a person who sees life positively. He said, “Sooner you will have a child with fervent prayer. You are still young, and it is God’s will.”

It amazed me how Uncle Nel sat on his favorite chair, smiling at people who passed by their house.

 We missed the voice that used to call us with a smile on his face, saying this... “ping, per (my husband's)” and we replied, “ kol ”…

We will never hear it again. Uncle Nel, you are my friend, our friend. You will remain alive in our thoughts, and surely I will tell a story about you to my children in the near future. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas with me. It serves as an inspiration to us as a young married couple. You inspired us in your own little way. Farewell to you. God embraces you in His bosom.