Grandma Say's Goodbye

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.