Santos – Adeus Amigo!!

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Written by vl

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…what Good Men are made of…

Santos – The Amigo, the bestest Onkel Kumpel (Uncle~Friend) came to this Earth on 16-08-1935 and left in a bit of a rush on 25-04-2013. But he leaves behind enumerable sweet memories of discussions, wine sessions and above all – grilling the Fish. And an absolutely clean garden both in front and rear of the house!

With what words can one describe an absolutely lovely man - caring, giving and loving. He wouldn’t let go of a moment waste, even though at his 77, most would want to take it easy. He retired from work and being a Chef, long ago. But his untiring efforts are still visible in the clean garden, watered plants and amazing bunch of Roses and Tulips, that wouldn’t blossom in an otherwise house garden ignored by most others – yeah, while we were all busy with our chores, he made sure the house looked welcoming even for the outsider.

I got to know him, as I came to this house where I live. He lived diagonally below – 1 amongst the 4 portions of this great International House! A man of Portuguese origin, who dedicated his life to the beautiful Frau Ochs, his partner. When she was unwell, or sick, he would nurse her. After her paralytic attack, if she was able to walk – it was due to his love and care. He cooked, washed, cleaned. And even went to drop his grandchildren to the school.

His favorite nostalgia trip with me was always about Goa, Daman & Diu. Perhaps, if luck would have it, he may have even wanted to visit. For sure, he had never let go of a documentary covering that part of India. And would rave and rant to me, every time I got back from India – asking me, if I was there? And if they still spoke Portuguese there?

Last winter, when I went to India, he came to see me off at the train station. Not only did he offer to drive me there, but at his age, even came around to move one of the heavier bags all the way down to the platform. And wished me all luck for the trip. This was his affection – I wasn’t related, I wasn’t from his village. But he liked me…

There are many conversations of his, that resonate in my head… and it’s too bad, that he suffered a stroke and his journey to the hospital on Monday (22-Apr), turned out to be his last. I accompanied his Ambulance and tried to figure out from the Doctor, what went wrong. And learnt some hard lessons of life.

His leaving us in a rush taught me – life’s very unpredictable. Love those you can, share much you can, and be happy! When he clinched my hand during my visit to the hospital on Tuesday, it felt like he would come back. The doctor said he was stable. And while I stood beside him, I said “we want you back and that too to grill fish for us!” But perhaps, his role had ended here. He slipped in to a coma on Tuesday night. The CT showed he had swelling and that it was a path of no return. Medical Science also has its dead ends. Making me wonder, there must be something superior taking over our systems?

(Photos of garden & fish)

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