With her prominent laugh lines surrounding her rich brown eyes and generous mouth, she is better known as the grandmother of the sixth floor of Methodist Hospital and with that title came her concern for just about everyone. 2
At the moment, Mrs. Hope was concerned about the nineteen-year-old girl sitting wearily on a straight-backed chair next to the bed. 3
Her Mudd jeans hung baggily on her thin and small frame, and the burgundy red V-neck shirt made her tanned skin paler. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. The constant tapping of her right foot belied her restlessness. Her shaking hands held her grandmother’s limp hands as tightly as she could while her other hand twirled a negligent curl. 4
Gladys lightly touched Elsa’s shoulders, thinking that this girl should start taking care of herself as she felt the whole section of the collarbone. 5
“She’s all skin and bones,” she grumbled. 6
The television’s bright face cast dancing shadows on the wall, yet it didn’t produce the sportscaster’s sarcasm as he mentioned the upcoming Kobe Bryant trial. 7
The ominous silence of the room was interrupted by Elsa’s soft-spoken voice, “Please don’t leave me, Nanay. Hindi ko ya gusto ikaw ma alis[1].” 8
Earlier in the evening, Elsa introduced herself to the night nurses, where they immediately took the girl under their wings. She came in with a wide smile proudly showing off her $3,000 teeth and a buoyant voice, but her tone changed when she saw her grandmother lying inert on the bed. 9
Agripina had always been an active person. She walked, ran, and did everything else in between when she had the time to do it. She loved life and lived it to the fullest when she had the chance to take time for herself in her busy schedule. 10
Born as the fifth girl and seventh in order in a family of eight children, Agripina thrived on competition and getting what she wanted. Whether she used her lungs to cry in order to get what she wanted or argue with her parents that the decision that she made was the best one for her. She went after the gold and passed the Indiana Bar Exam, proving anyone who didn’t believe in her wrong as well as making her parents proud of her for honoring the family name of Alba. 11
Elsa wondered how a strong, formidable woman like Nanay ended up like this, bedridden and vulnerable to the disease that she had been fighting for the last five years. She remembered, when she was ten years old, what Nanay said to her, “I will always be here, anak[2]. I will be here no matter what.” 12
Two years later, Agripina found out she had breast cancer as well as ovarian cancer. It was that year when everything changed for Elsa. The days of her childhood faded from that turning point. 13
Laughing days grew shorter as her endless tears reappeared every night while she slept. Her smiling brown eyes were replaced with deep somber ones. Little Elsa grew up. She was no longer a kid. She had to take care of her Nanay. It was her responsibility because Nanay took care of her when she was sick. She remembered many memories while sobbing silently as the tears went down her face. 14
When Gladys first met Elsa, she thought, “This girl is Agripina’s grand-daughter, who she is worried about the most.” 15
The two had gotten close while Agripina was going in and out of the hospital. 16
Two nights ago, she had been readmitted because she had fluids back in her lung that was preventing her breathing properly on her own. Two months before, the doctors found out that, along with everything else that she had, she also now had lung cancer. Agripina had never once touched a cigarette in her sixty-six years of living on God’s earth. 17
She always criticized people, whether they were family or not, who smoked and told them stories that would either make her victim quit cold turkey or go on the patch post right then and there. Agripina told Gladys that Elsa will be taking her position as the lawyer in the family within the next few years. “It’s important to carry on with tradition, Gladys, and I know she can do it,” she said. 18
Gladys patted her hand, and said, “She can do anything, Lulu[3].”19
“I’m very proud of her,” Agripina whispered, her Filipino accent heavy on the words, “She will be a United States Supreme Court Judge someday.”20
Gladys lightly tapped Elsa’s shoulders again, and said, “Child, there’s a bed just over there. There’s no use of you slumping against the metal part of this hospital bed.”21
Elsa sleepily opened her tired, bloodshot eyes and tiredly smiled to her. “It’s ok, Gladys,” she softly said, “I want to be right next to her.”22
“I promise you she won’t go anywhere until she’s ready to, child,” Gladys replied as her Southern accent slowly appeared in her speech. Sleep is what this girl needs but she won’t do that if she can’t hold her Nanay’s[4] hand. 23
“I tell you what, let me put down this bar for you so you can at least lay your head down comfortably.” 24
Her gentle yet callused hands coaxed the metal bar to slip to its hideaway place under the bed.25
“Thanks.” 26
Elsa squeezed her aunt’s hand gently, trying to reassure her aunt that she was there. She gave her a kiss on the cheek, and said, “Minamahal kita, Nanay.[5]” 27
Elsa laid her head on the bed and went into a restless sleep.28
Agripina’s eyes fluttered open to see her granddaughter’s head asleep beside their linked hands. With difficulty, she moved her other hand to touch Elsa’s face, and while doing so, she said, “Nene, mahal kita.[6] Hindi ako gusto maahlis[7]… maramim gid ako planos sa imo[8]….” 29
It came away wet, and not even realizing it, she herself was crying. Tears never came easy for Agripina, and now she shed them ashamedly. 30
“Don’t worry, nene[9],” she whispered, “Everything will be ok. Hindi ka na ma tanghis tanghis, Elsa[10].”31
Tears flowed from Elsa’s sleeping eyes as she cried in her sleep. Agripina gently ran her hands through her grand-daughter’s hair. 32
“Ok ka na hija, ok ka na[11].”33
Gladys smiled sadly as she peeked in for the last time. She gently closed the door of room 6068 as tears fell from her brown eyes. She made the sign of the cross, said a prayer underneath her breath, and walked away silently.34
Agripina took a deep breath and fell back asleep. Her hand squeezed Elsa’s hand and held it. 35
The following day around noon, Agripina Baban Dellota peacefully died in her sleep.36
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[1] I don’t want you to leave.38
[2] child39
[3] nickname for Agripina.40
[4] Another word for aunt or mother figure.41
[5] I love you, Nanay.42
[6] I love you.43
[7] I don’t want to leave you…44
[8] so many plans for you, for your future.45
[9] child46
[10] Don’t cry anymore, Elsa.47
[11] You will be ok, you will be ok.48
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-Juliette
