she never wanted to die alone.
the last thing she’d said that morning was asking my mama to hold her. i can’t imagine the fear. she knew it was coming. but she’s always been a fighter. her body was trained to fight. polio as a child, continued affects for the rest of her life. giving birth to six, only raising five. being married for 28 years, feeling alone 28 more. she wasn’t going anywhere without a fight.
i had taken a deep breath. getting ready to settle in for the night. the labored breaths. it was the final stage. we didn’t know when. we just knew it was soon. it wasn’t going to be easy for me or mama. but we knew we needed to be there.
we heard it. the deep cough and final push for air. i ran for the hospice nurse. she came in. i stood next to mama holding her hand. you could feel it.
she was gone.
mama cried.
i called.
family came.
it was her time.
and she wasn’t alone.
