to my ah gong:

i'm scared he'll die.

i'm not particularly close to him but i love his presence. the way he confusedly waves at me when i wave at him even though i'm standing 3 feet away. i don't know what he says to me because he speaks hokkien but it's usually, "come eat the orange/apple/starfruit/pineapple, it's sweet." i regret those times i tell him i don't want to because i'm full. i should've eaten them all.

he loves my brother not only because he's the pride and joy of the family, but also because when he asks my brother for a diagnosis, my brother says it's okay to drink cognac everyday within reasonable limits.

according to my brother, after his diagnosis, even though he's only a first-year med student, he could tell that ah gong was in serious condition. his ankles were already swollen with water. that was less than 2 months ago. now his heart is swollen with water.

ah gong, i'm sorry for all the times i roll my eyes whenever you call me "PUI BOOOOOOON". i'm sorry for all the times i give you mild heart attacks by poking my head over your window and hollering, "AH GONG! WA DAU KIAH LIAU!"

please don't leave us. i want to say "ah gong jiak peng!" at dinnertime. i want to hear you call me "PUI BOOOOOOOON" again and call my brother "AH-KAAAAANG".

and tell us to eat your fruit.