On Losing a Friend

I can't believe it's been a year since my Team Leader GP passed away. I still remember the night when I got the sms that turned our world at work around. I was half asleep in the middle of the night when my mother in law woke me up, holding my cellphone in her hand. As usual, she was playing games on the cell when the sms was sent, and she accidentally opened it. I still remember what she said like it was yesterday, "Hey, you got a text message. It's from Tye." Lazily, I asked what it was about, reluctant to get out of bed. "Read it for yourself." Noticing the expression on her face, I stood up, took the phone from her hand, and read the few words that meant so much. "GP passed away..." I sent an sms back to my officemate Tye, "Hahaha, nice try. Go get some sleep." Then the phone rang. A sobbing voice was barely audible. "It's true. I wouldn't joke about something as serious as this." Tears streamed down my face and I began to sob as well.

My teammates and I went to the wake, attended the funeral, and went back to work the following Monday. Everything seemed surreal. As if everything was just a bad dream which everyone was dying to wake up from. We pretended to be alright even though we weren't, but everyone knew we were all just putting up faces. Whenever I remember him, there's a certain loneliness I still can't shake off even up to now. Our Team Leader was more than a mentor, he was a friend, a great friend at that. He had high hopes for our team, pushed us to do better everyday, and never forgot to show us how to have fun at work. Some of us are guilty for letting his hopes down, some are happy that his dreams for us have been fulfilled. But one thing's for certain, GP is, and will always be, someone who will be terribly missed not just by my officemates, but his family as well.


For some people, work keeps friends together, but for us, it was the other way around.

GP is at the rightmost side, wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and a tie.