In remembrance of lemon tea days

Today is the first anniversary of the death of W. He has been on my mind these last couple of weeks for I remember his last weeks quite clearly. The slow deterioration from eating to not eating, drinking to not drinking, sliding in and out of consciousness to an eventual coma, and to slipping away on one final breath. 

Dying is a grim business, a slow wait filled with discomfort and pain, fear and anxiety, mostly lying alone in bed with one’s depressed thoughts for company. For W, he also found himself dying in a strange land with no family around, although he had a few good friends and clients who became friends. 

W moved to Singapore from Japan to work in the 1980s. He did well in the initial years until the Asian financial crisis and an ensuing series of unfortunate incidents through the years that led to him not even having a place to stay mere months after the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked economic havoc worldwide. Just when things couldn’t get worse, he discovered he had terminal cancer. Two months after his diagnosis, he died. 

What I marvel most in reviewing those days is how he accepted the Lord and asked to be baptized just three days before he died. W had experienced the love of Christ through many Christians in the last 10 months of his life and he was not able to fathom the reason for it. Yet he still baulked at baptism mainly because he desired his place of rest to be in his hometown. together with all his deceased family members. He thought that becoming Christian would prevent that from happening. He was finally convinced that fateful Sunday morning to take the plunge.

I thank God for His impeccable timing, as always, and for allowing me the opportunity to get to know W. Although he was prone to making mistakes in his latter working days, I will always remember him for his graciousness, humility and integrity. Despite straitened circumstances he was never tempted to increase the amount of commission to benefit himself. He believed in delivering the best service to his customers and he strove to do that with honesty and gentle sincerity. Thank you W-san for all that you were. I miss our conversations about pearls, music and food. You are fondly remembered and missed, especially today. Mata ne.