My Grandpa’s Funeral

By Pablo Edison

One day, I think it was on the 19th of December, 2000, I was at my house with my grandma watching TV. Then my mom called and said, "I want to speak to grandma.

"I said ok,’’ and gave my 'Amah' the phone.

My grandma asked, "How is he doing?’’ Then I watched her, standing there, quite. She looked very sad, but said nothing to me. I thought to myself that Abuelito, my grandpa, was very, very sick. I knew that he had cancer and had gone through chemotherapy.

My mom told my grandma that Abuelito was dead. My grandma didn't want to tell me at that moment, so she didn't say anything. She hung up the phone, and walked away. We walked into the living room and watched TV with my little brother.

After I watched Arthur, I called my dad. He said, "What do you want?"

I asked, "How is he doing?"

My dad said, "He’s dead."

My heart started to feel like it was breaking and I started to cry. I went outside and started kicking everything in the world around me. I was mad. He was my favorite grandpa and I felt like I didn't have enough time with him, and that he had lived too far away from me in Mexico.

Then my dad came and picked us up. We went to the hospital to see my Abuelito. I could not see him in the room, because I was sick and I might give other people in the hospital room my cold. I was very upset, and I started crying again. I told my mom that I wanted to go in anyway. But they wouldn't let me. So I had to stay in the waiting room.

A few days later, my uncle came in from Modesto on the Amtrak train. My aunt picked him and his family up at the train station. My uncle knew that his dad was dead.

The day came for Abuelito's burial. His coffin was made of silver sheet metal, cushions, and glass over the top of his body. I thought it was very nice.

I went to the church. My Grandpa's second family was there. Abuelito had been divorced from my grandma, and living with his second family. They were pushing his casket into the church. My father was surprised that he was not allowed to push the casket and carry his father-in-law into the church. But then he just let it go, and went in to prey for his father-in-law.

They buried my Abuelito in Rosarito, which is in Mexico. His grave was a cement tomb, and there were cement blocks over him. Friends and family were there. People there started to cry. Even my little brother started to cry. My dad told my little brother that Abuelito was asleep so that my brother wouldn't cry that much.

After Abuelito was buried, everybody started to talk to see how everybody was doing. When everybody had finished talking, we went to a restaurant to eat tacos. They were so good that I ate ten of them. When we were done we had to pay the check. Then we got in the car and passed the border to go home.

On the drive home I was still feeling sad, but I had good memories of my Abuelito. He will always be in my heart.