Condolences

I still remember a spring day in February '07 I visited my close friend's home with a group of friends. We gathered in front of his house, then his aunt came out. She gave each of us a pocket of lucky money, as it was during the Tet holiday in Vietnam.

2 in the morning, September 20th, 2010, when I was talking to my friend on Yahoo Messenger, he said his family is having a problem. A few minutes later, he said his family was robbed, his mom and aunt were stabbed, and they were taken to hospital.

A few minutes later, my friend said someone announced that his aunt is dead. He couldn't believe it. Neither could I. My sister gave me a link to a Vietnamese electronic newspaper. The paper said his aunt is dead, and his mom and sister were taken to the hospital.

My friend, my dear friend, who is studying abroad at a community college in CA, USA, is blaming himself for not being home. I repeat again and again it's not his fault, not at all. Bad luck happens without any advanced notification. It surely is not his fault. But how can I relieve him of this guilty feeling?

I am praying for his mom and sister to get over the surgeries. I am praying for them to be alive. My friend has lost his dearest aunt - his second mom. Please don't make him suffer any more.

My friend said he may come back to Vietnam once and for all. He will not come back here - as his father is old and having high blood pressure, he's the only man in his family, the only one that physically can protect his family. My poor friend...

I know what my friend is going through. I know, because I lost my oldest sister 8 years, 4 months and 16 days ago. I can feel his pain. As much as I wish nobody in this world had to go through the loss of their beloved ones, that is something impossible to come true. According to my sister's answer to my question "why do people have to die unexpectedly and so young?", "because of other people's negligence and cruelty." I wish people would stop hurting others, stop killing others, as we are all human, we can feel the pain, we can bleed, and we all will be heartbroken when our dearest people die.

My friend is a strong-minded man. He is strong, as he cleared his voice and said "I won't cry any more. I will wait for my mom and sister to gain conscious and talk to me." My friend is so strong, I am proud of him. I am so proud of you, Lu. I don't know how you can get through this when I am crying. I wish there is something better I can do for you than listening and consoling you on the phone.

Cô ơi, con biết cô thương Lu lắm, nên chắc cô sẽ luôn ở bên Lu và tiếp sức mạnh cho bạn. Xin cô hãy cho Lu đủ sự mạnh mẽ để vượt qua nỗi đau này. Lu thương cô lắm, con nhớ lúc trước Lu từng tự hào khoe với con cô thương Lu nhất nhà, cô lo lắng cho Lu nhiều lắm. Con cầu cho linh hồn cô được siêu thoát và yên nghỉ.

Please pray for miss Hong, my friend's aunt, to rest in peace. And please, please, please pray for his mom and sister to be alive.