TRAGIC JUNE

June was a tragic month for me- then and now. On June 7, 2000, I lost my brother to a rookie policeman who shot him from behind. The case is still ongoing. Then on JUne 2 this year, I lost a very close friend- Inspector Virgilio Acabal. He was my vice chairman in one of the organizations that I handle. He was more than a friend. Buboy was like a family to me. I dedicated some of my write ups for him. That morning was fateful for him. He was with his wife in their garage when an assassin came in and pumped six bullets in him. Four hit him on the head and two penetrated his chest. I visited Buboy at the hospital where he fought for life. He died two days after the attack, albeit, with the approval of the wife. It was a very sad ending for my friend. We raised P100,000 as bounty for the capture of the suspect. How I wished I could kill the gunman myself. Buboy's case was quite complicated. At least a member of the family was a suspect... I don't want to preempt the outcome of the investigation so I'd skip on that issue. And so you think the grief ended there? No!
On July 18, I was informed of the death- TRAGIC DEATH- of my newphew's step dad. Remember my slain brother? His wife remarried. Then sadly she became a widow- AGAIN. My heart broke the day I heard the news. I thought of my nephew whom I love so much as my own kid. What happens to him now? I have children of my own yet my nephews and nieces are fond of calling me DADDY. So I'm practically DAD to all of my and my siblings' kids.
All these awful deaths...Bad luck? Guess not. That's life. And life, no matter how fun it is, has its cruelties. In fact, and I know anyone would agree, LIVING IS THE ONLY ASSURANCE THAT WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! PERIOD. It's just a matter of who goes first, or last. Nonetheless, life is a journey, as I kept saying. And until there's a road to travel in life. Until we can keep rolling. UNtil the Divine STOPLIGHT flashed its red light, WE SHOULD, MUST AND TRY TO ENJOY THE RIDE.