The Window…

This morning I got an email from my nephew telling me that my cousin, Yen, passed away last night. I felt my heart beat stopped for a few seconds…

She was my dearest cousin and I just didn’t get a chance to see her again until the last day of her life.

She had fought against cancer for the last two years. Although she finally lost the battle but I really admired her courage!

Yen and I grew up together. She was one of my closest and best friends that I have ever had. I still remember when we were little she always asked me to stay with her everytime she was not feeling well.

She often sneaked out from her house to come to my place to play dolls with me and my aunt (her mum) would be very upset to us because Yen was supposed to be at home studying.

One day she was crying asking me to stay over at her house but I couldn’t because she would not want to study if I was at her house. We would play all day and never give ourselves a chance to open the book.

Yen had been a fighter since she was young. She went to Australia 14 years ago to pursue what she had been dreaming of… She finally got what she dreamed of… She settled in Australia with her husband and had a very good life there.

Six years later she and her husband moved out to England to start their own business and I should say their business was very successful. I was very happy to hear that they were finally granted British citizenship and this was an extraordinary achievement for Indonesian couple.

I was inspired by her courage and she was one of my motivators to be who I am now…

I would never forget her voice on the phone saying, “Da, I miss you…”

She kept inviting me to visit her and her husband in England but I was the one who always delayed my visit due to my works and studies.

I promised her that one summer I would come to Bournemouth, unfortunately that “one summer” will never come now… I never thought that she would go so fast…

I’m sorry Yen, I never keep my promise to you… I’m so sorry…

Now that you had gone but one thing for sure that you will never be forgotten… You will always be missed!

May you rest in peace Yen… Till we meet again…

R.I.P. Purnamawati Hoenedi (8 Sept 1976 ~ 30 March 2010)

Photo courtesy of Agustinus Cahyono.