Maddy Tan

A REQUIEM FOR DAVID

We departed from Penang on Wednesday [12/10] about 18:30 hrs and arrived at KL about 22:45 hrs. A dear friend, Tee came to pick us up at Puduraya, KL's major bus depot. We proceeded directly to David's wake held at St. Ignatius church just off the LDP. I haven't been to KL for the last 4 years and the circumstances that braught me there was needless to say, solemn. We arrived at the church about 23:00. We parked the car and Tee showed us the wake. I walked slowly, preparing myself for the sight. As it was late, most visitors had already left and I was secretly relieved with that, as I was not prepared to socialise at a moment like this. We gave our donations and spoke to David's parents for a wee bit. They thank us for coming from such a long way. We nodded. There really was nothing much to say but we all had a silent understanding, that David's gone and we were all very sad.

A little after, we went to where David was located. There were loads of flowers from his friends. The minute I stepped inside the parlour, I came face to face with his passport size picture, printed in a large A4 size. That was when it hit me real hard and I could not help but tears started rolling down slowly and it became rapidly. I had thought I was prepared for this, but nothing hits you hard like this when you witness it with your very own eyes. Pam consoled me. I got my grip and went to see David. He look a mere shadow of himself, dressed in his favourite black t-shirt. The parlour was cooling as the air-conditioning was still on. We sat by the chair and had a quiet chat. Tee left us to our own to say what we wanted to say to David. I went after Pam. I was immensely relieved for the privacy, a quiet time to have our last say. Then we went out of the parlour. It was about midnight and we left.

The very next day, we got to St. Ignatius church about 10ish. It started to rain while we were on our way to the church. Dark clouds were all over and it was as though, somone up there understood what kind of day this was. The service was already in full blown when we got there. We quietly sat down. I looked around and noticed that loads of David's friends were there and the seats were almost full. It clearly shows that David was loved by many ... by his families, his relatives, friends, colleagues and associates. The hymn sang at the church was slow and melancholic. The service was soon over and it was time to pay our very last respect to David. Seeing his body again ... as everyone else did, it was clear that David will be greatly missed. After the service, it was time to transport David's coffin to the crematorium. By then, the sky had cleared and sunshine were once again shining through the clouds, rendering it to dispersed.

Thus, ends David's life on this earth but I do know that he won't be forgotten in my life and many others. It is not everyday that you get to make a friend such as David.