“He’s gone Edwin, there’s nothing we can do about it. But, he has also left much behind. I see in you his intelligence, his determination and industry. He lives in you Edwin and always will.” The old man draped a heavy arm around the young man.
“You did not cry at his funeral eh, bottled it in, unhealthy. That’s why your eyes turn red whenever you recall your father. You’ve to grieve for him, it’ll relieve you…and release him.”
“Release him?” Edwin turned his watery eyes to his grandfather.
“Yes Edwin, grieve for him and let him go. People believe…I believe that otherwise the departed one remains earth bound.”
“But the priest said –”
“The priest is probably right but I speak from what my granddad once told me, oh so very long ago.” His grandfather sighed as he recounted.
There was a high-pitched screech and they both looked up. It was a hawk, riding on the warm air currents.
“Let it out Edwin, you’ll feel better eh.” The old man shook Edwin gently. “Let it out. I’ll never tell. You have my word, not even to your mother.”
Edwin stared ahead, felt his grandfather’s hand stroke his back. He turned and buried his face in the old man’s shoulder. His grandfather held tight as Edwin’s body shuddered.
The hawk glided in lazy wide circles over them. After several slow circuits, it screeched again and flapped away. The two men watched until the bird disappeared into a speck and was gone.
(An excerpt from my novel
Beck And Call,
A Business Thriller Set In Singapore)
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