Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th. My female owner gave notice to this date with just a passing thought. My female owner is not superstitious by nature. She treated this day as any other – just another working day separating her from the impending weekend. In case you are not aware of which Friday the 13th I’m talking about, it’s the most recent one in April. Alas, this day was not to be the same. For one, I suffered another prolapse in the morning. She was irritated. So was I. Anyway, she engaged the SOP – confided me to the Sick Bay. I was angry. I struggled but how can I overpower a 50+kg human right? So I did the next best thing – I threw a tantrum but my female owner was heartless enough to ignore me and went to work. I never saw her till the next day (Saturday) in the afternoon. What happened was that at 2315 on Friday the 13th, she was called to attend to a case whereby 2 of her colleagues were missing at sea (yeah, just as the well-known unlucky day was almost over). The call of duty kept her working all through the night, till 1500hr on Saturday. That means that she was awake for more than 30 hours! Anyway, her colleagues were found dead in the vessel. This sudden loss of life for 2 healthy men was shocking for her. The fragility of life. The many people she has taken for granted, thinking that they will live for many decades to come. The impact of a life on many others. The meaning of life. The purpose of living, only to die anytime, anywhere. If the same were to happen to her – to lose a husband after a few years of marriage – would it be better to have not married at all? To become a widow of an infant child, would it be better not to experience the joy of motherhood? This day became more poignant for her as her favourite terrapin, my eldest brother, Nana, died on Friday the 13th too. He plunged to his death and she never saw his body. His death was a rude shock for her. I was only a young and small terrapin then, but Dodo used to tell me stories about him and maybe one day, I will tell you too. Her conclusion to these events? Better to live than never live before. Appreciate life, seize the moment, don’t procrastinate in building relationships.