Death is quite funny. Funny weird not hilarious! It can creep up on you when you least expect it to, or make it so it’s obvious that it’s coming soon when someone has been sick for a while. But the funniest thing about it I have found is how we live after someone close to you has moved on to their next life.
It’s perplexing how life just goes on despite your pain. You can’t leave the house without making sure you’re dressed to the tee as always. People you walk past in the street have smiles on their faces and there is nothing you can do to whack them off their faces. The birds still chirp, there is still mad traffic. The people at government offices still come to work without their brains and ask you all manner of stupid questions and create complications you never thought possible. The sun still comes up. The radio still plays your favourite song and your reaction to it remains the same: whoop that’s my jam!…
Word spreads like wildfire and before you know it all your ‘friends’ call you, send you emails and send you text messages. Even people you haven’t spoken to in years. Apparently it is the African spirit to be there for each other when one person is in turmoil. They call it ‘harambee’. It doesn’t matter that you are in the least bit bothered to answer you phone when it rings or to check your emails. They just come in the numbers trying to be helpful, and not listening when you say your fine.
You only realize later after all the drama has subsided a bit that yes life goes on, even your own. You will still be expected to go to school and attend class and worse still use your brain long enough to do exams. If you have a job, you still have to go back to work. Your bills are still due and have to be paid before you find yourself with no utilities or interest debts on your loans.
You also realize that had you been left alone to your own devices without the myriad of phone calls and house calls you would have probably lost your mind. That’s why people don’t listen. That’s why they call and visit and help out as much as they possibly can. You can only appreciate the lack of breathing space because at that point you were too busy not to wallow in your pain. But you also realize that they, your friends and family have their own lives to get back to.
They leave and you suddenly notice the big gap. You’re no longer busy fielding calls and emails, receiving guests at your house; you’re alone in your pain. Suddenly you start seeing all the things that belonged to the deceased lying everywhere around the house. Painful remainders that he/she is never coming back.
Death is quite funny. Funny weird!! You can never get used to how things become after a loved one passes on to their next life.
You might also like:
Wacu Mureithi is a part time law student, full-time mother and all-time dreamer. Her work can be found on seriouslypoetic.blogspot.com.