Dear Rose....is it Four years?

Dear Rose, is it Four years already? Close.

Your mom came by today. She looks young and is still as classy as always. She gave me quite an earful about cutting off my hair, not taking this young master to meet her and keeping away. I could not explain that some things are too difficult. How dare i talk about difficult when she has seen and known the kind of pain she has? I held my tongue, held my tears and listened to wisdom.

We stood outside for a while. She caught me up...shortly after you left for the higher heavens, her brother - your Uncle did too. In 2017, her sister, your aunt, did too. Why am i telling you? You're probably chilling together staring at us down here and wondering how it is that human beings continue to idolise what they do. It was difficult for her. She couldn't quite say which was a harder period but by the time our chat ended, i figured it was your time that was hardest, the other times were just shocking, like when a thief creeps up on you, grabs your phone through the taxi window. You stay with the shock of it...but it's quick. Yours....oh yours was something else.

She was wearing a Caribbean coloured kind of shirt and white linen pants, painted toe nails peeping through her sandals. She had a scarf on.
We spoke about you.
We spoke about the heavy storm from the other day, the one that painted cars with trees and brought down billboards. She schooled me on why some trees came down and others stood firm...Still a teacher, always will be, you cannot take that away.

We spoke about children
We spoke about men - i understood one more thing...okay two more things about you.
We spoke about the dream house. It's ready, she is moving in this Saturday. She shows excitement the way you did. Nothing.

We spoke about you
We spoke about work
We spoke about schools

We spoke about you
I saw a few grey hairs. The ones that just hang around and remind you that you have children who could be forty but you're defying age.
We spoke about independence
We spoke about dependence
We spoke about depression
We spoke about TV

We spoke about you
We always came back to you.
She is coming to see you this week, on Wednesday I think, with Rhoda.
They've been planning it a while but she's coming.
Didn't want to do it on her own because you know...it's your dads side and she needed the company. Faithful Rhoda will be there.

She said at five, she will be ready...oh maybe ten...but she promised, at five, if she is still here, she will be ready to talk about how it was always easier with the people around because now, she cannot sleep before midnight. You're still right there occupying the quiet minutes.