Papa's Farewell
On the 3rd of May 2012 at past 9 pm, Papa was reading his Bible and reviewing the lesson quarterly as those were his nightly routine. After reading the Bible, he knelt down beside his bed to pray before resting for the night. Just before he could utter a prayer, his breathing became difficult.
He called Mama and said, "Ma, I think I'm having an asthma attack. Please take me to the hospital".
Mama answered, "But you have no history of asthma, Pa!"
All of a sudden Mama heard a sore wheezing sound from his labored breathing, so immediately she called Ruel, husband of Ingrid Diola Peralta, Mama's niece who (lives) in the adjacent house, while Ernie changed Papa's clothes. Ruel looked for a taxi cab, and while waiting, Papa clung to his life and held onto the door to keep his balance as he was panting out of breath.
As soon as the taxi cab arrived outside the gate, Papa carried himself in staggered steps to the cab for a ride to a medical facility. The cab driver stepped on the gas steadily to quickly get to the hospital. As the hazard lights blinked in a regular rhythm, contradicting Papa's erratic heartbeats, the cab's wheels rolled swiftly in a desperate effort to chase Papa's life that was ebbing away. Papa was seated at the front seat. Silent. Mama and her companions sat behind him. Only the drone of the engine could be heard.
On the way to the hospital, his head slumped. Fluid leaked from his mouth. When he arrived at Miller Sanitarium and Hospital, the nurses were shocked as the door of the cab revealed his face.
They murmured, "Oh! This is Mr. Colegado, our divine service speaker last Sabbath!"
Jemwin, the eldest son, arrived at the hospital. He texted his friends. One by one, those who were able to come came to give comfort. Mama had been taken to another room where she dealt with her own pain.
The doctor tried to revive Papa for thirty minutes and for another half an hour upon my brother's special request, but his lifeless body refused to respond. He was pronounced DoA by the attending physician.
His breath had returned to his Maker before he could even reach the hospital. He succumbed to acute myocardial infarction.