My father told me this story soon after I started college.
I had started getting really interested in ghost stories
and asked him if he had any personal stories that he could
relate to me. He said that he had one about my Grandma.
When I was in early grade school, my mom's mother lived
with us. Her room was in the middle of the house, right
across from the main bathroom, and directly before the
other two bedrooms in the house. Everyone in the family
passed her room often because of its location. Since she
was in a constantly tired state due to her age and other
health problems, she would often pass the time just sitting
up on the side of her bed, facing the doorway sometimes
noticing us when we looked in on her, and sometimes just
staring off into space.
Eventually, her health declined and after a few rather
uncomfortable and extended visits to the hospital, she
decided to return home to the Philippines. My mother and
sister were set to come along with Grandma since they had
not been back to the Philippines since my sister was born.
They all flew out on the plane together about a week after
Grandma's decision. My father, who was in the navy at the
time, could not obtain leave from work to travel with them
so soon and instead could only obtain vacation two weeks
later. At the agreement of both parents, my brother and I
would stay with my dad and travel with him to the
Philippines later partly to keep us boys out of trouble,
partly to keep dad company, and partly because we'd drive
my mom nuts.
Two nights after my grandmother had left, I remember
playing with my brother in the living room. My father came
to the living room and he just kind of stared at us for a
few minutes with a surprised look on his face. His face
shortly changed to a sad and worried look. After a few
moments, the phone rang. I remember him picking up the
phone and my dad immediately saying, 'I know. I know.
Don't worry. She's resting now in peace.' My brother and
I knew something was wrong and later found out that Grandma
had passed away shortly after arriving in the Philippines.
My brother and I were quite young at the time, so we didn't
really understand what that meant but by the look on my
dad's face we were sad too.
About two weeks later my dad, brother, and I all flew up
together to meet up with my mom and sister and we went
through a wake and funeral for my grandmother. We returned
home several weeks later except, of course, my
grandmother. After our return, my mom asked my dad how he
knew... How did my dad know the night that she called that
it was my mom on the phone and that she called about
grandma's passing? She had not even spoken a word and
already dad had told her, "I know. I know. Don't worry."
All my mom did was sob uncontrollably too choked up with
tears to say anything intelligibly. Dad told her that he
knew because of something really strange that happened that
night.
When mom had called, he felt that for some reason he should
stop doing his packing and cleaning of their bedroom and to
go see his boys in the living room. As he walked down the
hallway to the living room, he passed by my Grandma's
room. Her room was pitch black, except for my grandmother
sitting up on the side of her bed like she usually did. He
said to her, "Hi Mom" and then headed to the living room
without a second thought. It was when he got to the living
room, the realization hit him that he shouldn't have seen
Grandma in bed, having 2 nights ago just put her on the
plane. He knew it was Grandma saying goodbye to him and
her grandsons and also to let dad know that mom was about
to call.
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