Life After Death? A Close Friend Riding The Blue

In my childhood, I had a close friend who was 3 years older than me.

He was my neighbour and we spent a lot of time together playing.

Because I was the oldest sibling in my family, he was like an older brother.

He was a natural sportsman.

An all-round cricket player, athletic rugby player, and surfer.

He was a confident, good-looking guy who was popular at school.

He was good at everything.

He was someone I looked up to - someone I wanted to be like. I admired him strongly.

He was tough and would sometimes get into fights. Years later, I asked, "have you got into any fights recently?".

He laughed and said, "No, it's been a while since I did that".

One time, I vividly remember watching him draw cricket positions on a piece of paper. If there was a slight mistake, he would tear up the paper and start again. He had a perfectionist nature.

One morning when he was 16 years old, he died.

He had a heart attack and died from an enlarged heart.

He was fit and healthy; no one predicted this.

I was 13 years old.

I did not know what to do.

Depressed in a dazed illusion, I remember wandering around high school lost.

What happened? It was hard to believe he was not here.

Because of his young age and his popularity, many people missed him.

This is a reminder to myself that we don't know how long we are here for.

I am grateful I met you.