A week passes and so does he on February 8, 2020. Waves of emotions crash within me. He expires in a foreign country. I was just getting to know him, his genuine self. Where does my family stand with regards to legalities. No matter how he is buried, I made the stubborn decision to make sure he was buried at home in Guam. It was a rough ride. You begin to hear and question family loyalties. You become frustrated with the people who are so-called helping you bury your father. To add to this the COVID-19 pandemic was building steam near me. Will I be able to fly him or even myself home? Will my family members be able to fly to Guam and attend the funeral? They all reside in different parts of the United States.
Despite the considerations, a month later from the time of his death, my family and I held the funeral. We celebrated his new life on March 10, 2020. It was small, with only people who were close to him. I made an effort to make sure that the post funeral arrangement didn't involve strangers. My family and I were lucky. I think we were among the last groups to be together and have a proper funeral before the Social Isolationism created by COVID-19.
Having said that, we'll see what lies ahead for the next coming days as we stay in, in an effort to suppress COVID-19's infections.
