I am on a group text with my remaining siblings who are still alive, as we are scattered around in different areas of the country, to get updates on what’s happening with my father.
My oldest sister has been out to my father’s place. She happens to be a nurse by profession. I’m not sure how long she’d been out there, but she started texting on Saturday. He had evidently told my sister earlier that day he was dying. He also had an episode where he was yelling at one of his aides that he was going to call the police because he felt he had been kidnapped. He did not have dementia or anything like that. He had congestive heart failure.
As I write this, I wonder if my father was waiting for my oldest sister to arrive before he died. I say this after a conversation with my other sister, after my father died. She immediately called me to let me know my father had died. I had already gotten the text from my oldest sister about his death.
One thing I learned after a conversation with my older sister, was she mentioned to me that, we all know that my father’s favorite kid was my sister. As she was saying this, I was thinking, “I had no idea about this!” Perhaps he was waiting for her to arrive to pass on. After all, I’d had firsthand experience on this.
I had a dear friend who was dying from emphysema. She entered hospice but ended up lasting 2 years. Anyway, at one point she was actively dying, and it seemed like she waiting for someone to arrive. Little did I know it ended up being me. I had spent time with my dear friend, knowing she was dying. Once I had left, she died a short time later.
Perhaps my father was waiting for my oldest sister to come so he could die. After talking to my other sister, she told me that my father had died. She then proceeded to tell me that everyone knew my oldest sister was my father’s favorite. As my sister was telling me this, I was thinking I had no idea my oldest sister was my father’s favorite.
How did I not know that?