Friday the 13th.

Today was just like any other Friday the 13th that is if you are superstitious. I woke up this morning not even realizing that today was that day.
I showered, checked emails, ate breakfast, you know the usual morning routine. I arrived at work and told my Chinese colleagues the meaning of Friday the 13th for those that are superstitious. We had a good chuckle over it and we all went into our respective offices.
Suddenly I hear a loud wail, I ran into the main office and saw my colleague Rachel, bent over crying, she could not speak through her tears.
I knew immediately that she had heard the news that we all dread, someone had died. She could not get the words out and finally she said 爸爸走了 “baba zoule” father is gone.
Listening to her sobs transported me right back to the time 4 years ago, when I received that dreaded phone call, I knew that in that moment there were no words adequate enough to comfort her.

We held her and let her cry her heart out. None of us were without tears in our own eyes. We finally got her to talk a bit and when she told us that her father had called her last Saturday and she told him she would call him back and never did and now it was too late.

After she calmed down enough she was able to let us know that she needed to go home immediately, and this is the point where we once again saw how human beings rise to the occasion, one person got on the phone and made airline reservations. An envelope was passed around to help pay for the plane ticket and she was on her way.

I suggested that one of our colleagues accompany her on the trip home. She protested vehemently, she said that it would be a sign of weakness and she needed to show strength to her mother. This brave 23 year old girl/women pulled herself together to make, which had to be the hardest journey in her young life all on her own.

The other colleagues told me that generally speaking the way that Rachel behaved is the expected way. You cannot “fall apart” under any circumstances.
Rachel finally called from the airport and said she was very sorry for the way she behaved. I could not reassure her that breaking into tears upon hearing that your father just passed away is very normal in my world.

As the sun rises in other parts of the world and you are just waking up to Friday the 13th I wish you a day full of joy. If you are someplace where the sun is about to set and Friday the 13th has passed I hope it was a good one.