Abu

On Tuesday I got my period. No lucky Christmas baby.

But far more importantly, Tuesday the zunzun and I flew to meet Mami in Miami, where we said our final goodbyes to A’s mom, beloved Abu to the zunzun, before she passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family and friends.

She never knew quite what to call me — she couldn’t bring herself to call me her daughter in law — but she counted me as family and she loved the zunzun with all her soul, and so it doesn’t matter what she said to strangers. The zunzun, noting the quantity of photos of himself in her house, told me last night: “Abu loves me!” So: message received. She had wanted to live long enough to see him start kindergarten, but the universe had other plans.

Tomorrow is the funeral service. We miss her, but everyone — including A –is holding up well.