Happy for Skye

It was raining when we laid our daughter Skye Czarina to rest yesterday. We wore white and had white and pink balloons. My wife Aires and I spoke of our difficult journey but nothing could compare with what Skye herself felt all 163 days of her life.

But many people also asked how Skye's big brother, Kuya Heaven, our four-year old son, was coping.

Heaven nearly threw a big tantrum at Skye's funeral. He was fidgety and asked to be taken back to the car. At first, I thought he was feeling uneasy, seeing Skye for the last time. I thought it was a ruse to escape it all.

To avert a complete meltdown, I took him back to the car and made a deal --- a new toy for his good behavior. He relented a few minutes later. In those few minutes, I managed to ask our son if the reason he wants to stay in the car is because he does not want to say goodbye to Skye.

He said: "No. I want to stay in the car because it is dry here. Out there, it is wet and messy."

"But what about Skye? Aren't you feeling sad?"

And Heaven said: "Tatay, I'm happy for Skye."

True enough, for the rest of that gloomy morning, Heaven did not cry. He looked at Skye one last time and asked: "Why is Skye frozen?" People crowded around the hole and Heaven hollered: "Excuse me, I want to see Skye." When the hole was finally covered, Heaven gamely sang Skye a "Rock-a-by" lullaby.

It rained. It was wet. It was sad. But if Heaven could, in all innocence, say that he is happy for Skye, I should also feel the same.