"She passed away."

It has happened. The only old lady I love is now gone.

I was a little shocked to hear the news. I thought she would live a few hours longer. Enough time for me to see her wrinkled face one last time, to feel the touch of her soft hands and to perhaps hear her last words...

But she disappeared fast. Faster than I thought.

This special lady meant so much to me. I remembered her as an adventurer. A weird and cute person. The kind of person I like.

Her hobby was collecting and trading metal cans, selling pots of flowers, eating cheap food.

She lived frugally. Eager to save every penny. Eager to exploit every opportunity for freebies.

I remembered how she managed to get a free can of coke by stubborn persuasion from the helpless restaurant steward.

I remembered how she sold pots of flowers at tenfold the cost to rich and 'generous' humans in China.

I remembered the legend about how she hunted down mynahs in the streets of Singapore and cooked them for lunch.

I love her because her spirit is like mine. Frugal. Rebellious. Stubborn.

And because she is pure. She is sincere. She grabbed my hands and hugged me with the pure innocence of a little child. Yet through her eyes I could also see the years of hardship and pain she endured in her long and arduous life journey.

Life comes and go. People will be gone eventually. With every sadness of a lost comes the rejuvenation of a new life. Our world needs to be harsh for it to develop and sustain.

But I still feel the pain. The pain of losing someone I love. The pain of losing someone who taught me what love is.

...

3 months ago.

We were waking slowly on the sidewalk.

She held my hand. We chatted peacefully, enjoying the beauty of the moment.

I had the feeling that this would probably be the last time she would hold my hand like this again.

This would probably be the last time I get to feel this special bliss.

I cried silently. I wanted this moment to forever be remembered. This special feeling of love.

I had a sudden thought what if she could be my girlfriend. What if we could walk like this forever.

Good memories. Sweet like a matcha cake.

I don't feel that sad now. The shock of the lost has faded.

After all, there are no regrets. We spent the sweetest moments together. I can indulge in them every now and then.

I feel happy for her. To have finally completed this journey of life. To finally be free from this world of clutter.

She rests. In eternal peace.