There are some people who come into your life and change it forever. There is the one friend who teaches you what being a real friend means, the first relationship that teaches you what it takes to make a relationship work, and that one person who teaches you how to always have fun, no matter what. The last of these was my grandpa; he could have fun and laugh no matter what the situation was, and that was something he shared with me.
Life can change in a matter of seconds. My life changed at 11 o’clock on a Wednesday night. I had been sleeping when I heard my brother’s voice: “Surya, wake up! Wake up!” I leisurely got up, unaware of the gravity of the situation. Throwing off the bed covers, I was greeted with a sudden chill. In the corner of my eye, I could see a still picture of pitch darkness outside my window. I knew something was wrong if my brother was waking me up this early. I came down from my bedroom to see my mom, dad, and brother all in a state of panic. My dad was erratically walking around, speaking swiftly to someone on the phone in our native language. Instantly, I knew it was a call from India.

I translated every word I could catch in the jumbled speech my dad was sputtering out. His face was distorting every second with a new emotion coming over his face. After putting together bits and pieces of his words, I realized who and what my dad was discussing. The man who took care of me as a child, the man who brought me up and taught me to put a smile on my face, the man who held me in his hands and put me to sleep was now on a hospital bed battling for his life. My grandpa was dying.

There is a quote that goes “Always be ready for everything in life, because life is too short and we don't have time to practice for everything before it happens.” Before I knew it, my family was on a flight to India. Every time I am on a plane, I want to reach my destination as soon as possible. But this time, it was different. I wanted to stay on that plane forever. I did not want to experience what was at the end. The stars shone above as I looked out my window. I could hear my dad in the seat behind me trying to get my grandpa transferred to one of the best hospitals in India. My grandpa had diabetes and was a chronic heart patient, but none of this played a factor in what had happened.

  According to my grandpa’s maid, it had been a typical day. My grandpa, a lawyer, had just come back from court and asked for a cold glass of water. As the maid went to get the water from the fridge, my grandpa yelled out from the living room. She found him holding his hand and she immediately tried tending to him. He repeated that he could not move his hand, like the feeling when your foot falls asleep. What did not occur to him was that his body was slowly being paralyzed. Every part of him was turning numb. Even with this happening, he had the strength to get into the car for the driver to take him to the hospital. One of the things he used to tell my dad constantly was, “die in a valiant fight and fight through it yourself.” My grandpa fought valiantly even as the paralysis took over his body.

Dazed and lost in my thoughts on the airplane, I heard a lady’s voice. I winced as the sunlight from the window entered my eyes. She beckoned me and asked if I wanted anything to eat or drink.  I looked up at the clock, realizing we only had three hours left in the flight. I looked back at the lady and just gave a faint smile and shook my head. My stomach felt like a twisted rope trying to untangle itself, but every time it tried, the knots just got tighter. I winced at the pain. I looked back to see my family sound asleep. I looked at my brother, whose face was dried up from all the tears. My mom was holding him tight as he cried himself to sleep.  I looked at my dad finally resting after talking on the phone all night long, making calls to doctors, friends, and all of our family in India. I looked back and cursed under my breath. I never had a great life but my mom always said God does things for the best. As I looked up into the sky above, I wondered how His plan made sense at all.

As I walked through the airport doors, the smell of chutney stands and incense sticks crawled up my nose. I could see the thin layer of dust in the air that always is in India due to the pollution. My dad called someone and I saw my uncle come in a big car. We all got in and were completely silent. I could hear the rock and gravel on the road being crushed by the tires. I sat there trying to find the hospital as all the images passed by outside my window. Slowly, we came to a stop. My heart was racing as we stepped out. I could see many of my relatives including my aunt waiting for us at the hospital. Every step I climbed, my heart felt heavier. Finally, we came to the large white door. They would not let me and my brother in as no children are allowed. But after many minutes of pleading, we were given permission. The minute I walked in, the smell of pure alcohol and sickness filled my nose. I looked around and saw my grandpa on a bed. He was motionless. Even though he could hear and see us, he could not do anything about it as he was in a comatose state. I never saw my dad cry, but he immediately broke down. I always used to say that I would never cry if my grandpa or grandma died, but the tears poured from my eyes as well. I stood there transfixed, in shock. I wondered if this was the same man who fought through so many obstacles in his life to get to the position he had dreamed. I wondered if this was the man who worked day and night as a single father to take care of his children and successfully send them all to America. I wondered if this was the man who always turned my frown upside down and lit up the room with his beaming smile.

Everything throughout the rest of that week was a blur. Doctors were working day and night to help my grandpa. They diagnosed him, saying that he had a brain hemorrhage. The place where the blood clot occurred made it nearly impossible to remove. Each day, the news was getting worse. At times, there were moments of hope, but they would quickly disappear.

One morning, I woke up to the sounds of the roosters yelling. I could hear the bells and whistles of the autos and cars outside. It had been six days since we arrived. My whole family was at the hospital, while I and my brother were at our house. As I stepped outside, my dogs came running to me. Even they could see that an integral part of the house was missing. You could see the despair in their eyes. As my brother and I were playing with the dogs, I could see my grandpa’s butler talking on the phone. His face turned extremely stern. He quickly turned and walked toward us. He explained to me that the phone call was from my uncle and that he wanted us at the hospital immediately. At his words, hope started to enter my body again as I thought something positive had occurred. I quickly gathered my brother and we got in the car.

I saw my aunt at the entrance of the hospital. As I came closer, I could see the spots where her tears had dried. My hope still resonated, however; I could see my brother was just as hopeful as I was. I rapidly climbed the steps of the hospital. As I reached the 4th floor, I saw my uncle wiping his eyes. Everything from my heart disappeared. I knew what had happened. My brother was confused. I saw my dad as he beckoned for me and my brother to come inside. He whispered something in my brother’s ear. My brother started crying. I walked inside. I tried to look away but I could not as I saw a lifeless man in front of me. Everything seemed still. I did not know it, but I was crying while clutching my brother. What happened there could not be described. The emotion in the room was unexplainable. Time seemed to be at a stand-still. However, it also seemed to pass by in a flash. It felt like everything just collapsed underneath us and that we were buried under tons of priceless memories.

Days, months, and years have passed since I last saw my grandpa. It was the last time I ever went to India. For me and my brother, there is no reason to go back. I lost both of my grandpas. You never really realize how important someone is in your life until he or she goes away. You never realize how a person’s passing affects each day of your life. One week can turn your life around. Moments of joy and happiness can easily turn to moments of darkness and despair. I see my grandpa in my life every day. I smile when I see a bottle of Johnny Walker, one of his favorite drinks. I smile when I see people walking their dogs, as he did every day at 5 o’clock sharp. I smile when I wake up in the morning as I feel his presence near me.  Every time I see a grandpa holding his grandchild’s hand, or a baby laughing in the arms of his grandpa, I smile. I smile, knowing that my grandpa is looking down on me from up above. It is hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember. But I also know that I have an angel in heaven who watches over me.