THE MOMENTS WE NEVER SEE COMING

The Last Time I Didn’t Know It Was the Last Time

Your space to get creative.

Source: Pixabay

Yesterday, I woke up early in the morning and heard something I never thought I would hear. Whenever I wake up, the first thing I do is look for my mom’s face because she hasn’t been feeling well recently.

When I woke up, I went into her room, but she wasn’t there. Just then, her phone started ringing. It was my father’s call, as he was out of town. I picked up the phone and found my mom out in the lawn. I handed the phone to her so she could speak with him.

And who knew that the call would bring news that would make us lose the ground beneath our feet for several minutes.

The News We Never Expected

As my mother was talking to my father on the phone, I could see the shock on her face. I asked her, “Mma, what happened?”

After she hung up, she looked at me and said, “Rohan, your cousin sister is no more.”

The moment I heard those words, I didn’t know how to react. I went numb.

I quietly walked away without even realizing where I was going. After a few minutes, when I finally gathered myself, I asked my mom what had happened.

She told me that yesterday morning, while brushing her teeth in the washroom, my cousin suddenly collapsed. She had also been suffering from jaundice a few days earlier. According to the doctors, it was a heart attack.

I sat there thinking about the last time we had properly met and spent time together before she moved to Canada. Although we weren’t extremely close, there were still unfinished conversations and moments that never happened. Those memories started flooding back, and I almost broke down.

The most heartbreaking part is that we couldn’t even see her one last time because everything happened in Canada. My aunt and uncle were already there, so the last rites will also take place there.

The Two Times We Almost Met

Now that she isn’t here anymore, I keep remembering the moments that come rushing back to my heart again and again.

The saddest memories are the times we almost met whenever she visited our hometown from Canada. She came back only twice, and both times we genuinely tried to meet — but life had other plans.

The first time she came, I was in Chandigarh for my course. She stayed only for a few days and returned to Canada before I even knew she had gone back.

The second time was just about a month ago. When I heard she was visiting again, I went to her home because I didn’t want to miss another opportunity. But when I got there, the house was locked because they weren’t home.

It felt like life simply didn’t want us to meet.

And now that she’s gone, those moments make me question the Almighty:

“Why? Why didn’t you let us meet one last time?”

Pieces of Her That Remain

As I pray that she is in a better place now, I find myself remembering our childhood together. Some memories still make me laugh, even through the tears.

I remember how all of us cousins would play together every evening after school. We would skip tuition by telling our parents we were going there, while secretly meeting at each other’s houses instead. We would even argue with our parents just to get permission for sleepovers.

One memory, in particular, was always our favorite. And every time we met, we laughed about it.

One night, all of us cousins gathered at one cousin’s house for a sleepover. We were playing around when my cousin brought milkshakes for everyone. Being the mischievous kids we were, we started throwing the milkshakes at each other while screaming and laughing.

Our noise woke up our Dadaji at around 3 a.m.

He stormed out and threw all of us outside the house. Everyone escaped except one of my cousins, who kept running around the house while Dadaji chased him, shouting, “You’re the eldest one, yet you still don’t know how to behave!”

The rest of us stood outside, laughing uncontrollably as we watched the chase unfold inside our cousin’s home.

It’s still one of the funniest memories I carry with me.

We Never Know It’s the Last Time

Who knew that all those moments would become memories so soon?

Over the past few years, I’ve gone through enough difficult experiences that I’ve almost become numb to sad news. But hearing about my cousin’s passing yesterday shook me in a way I wasn’t prepared for.

What hurts me the most is remembering the last real moment we shared. It wasn’t a happy memory — it was a fight we had several years ago, just before she moved to Canada.

Knowing that was our final interaction breaks my heart even more.

She was only 35. I never imagined she would leave us so soon.

I always thought there would be another chance to meet her. But life simply never allowed it.

And now, perhaps I’ll only meet her again in the world beyond this one.

This experience has reminded me of something I think we all forget: we never know when we’re sharing our last conversation, our last laugh, or our last goodbye with someone.

So be kind. Be patient. Be humble with your loved ones and even with strangers.

And if this story reminded you of someone, don’t wait.

Call them today.

Because we never know when it’s the last time.

Tagging the Hosts: Rishita Sharma, Sriram Yaladandi

Written for — “**Pen with Paper” writing challenge — “[The Last Time I Didn’t Know It Was the Last Time](https://medium.com/pen-with-paper/the-last-time-i-didnt-know-it-was-the-last-time-a-writing-challenge-905c79a6a021)**”

Finally, I’d like to thank the hosts for creating this challenge. It came at the perfect time and helped me put into words everything I had been carrying since my cousin’s passing yesterday.