To Mr. September

A letter to dear ol' September:

Hey Mr. September, we meet again. And as usual, I applaud you for your unwaivering punctuality. Always in time, not a minute even a millisecond late. I bet your colleagues Ms. October, Ms. November and Mr. December would be as punctual as you. It's your trademark anyway.

Your coming signaled that another year has passed again. So how was your 11 months leave? I hope you had a good time.

Well, Mr. September I have a confession to make. Do you remember your last visits? For example, last year and all the years preceding that. I always welcome you with arms wide open and a mixed feeling of excitement, joy and a lot more. When you come, you always bring with you the scent of the inevitable long-awaited Christmas. You may not carry Christmas itself with you but you have with you the idea that Christmas is near and approaching. And that idea brings so many fond things. Like the sense of giddiness the scent of the BER-months most often bring to most people. The excitement one feels when they hear Christmas carols being sung. If not all, at least more than half the world's population feels utter happiness every time you arrive Mr. September.

And I was one of those many people too. BUT NOT ANYMORE. For some reasons, the moment I realized that you've already arrived and Christmas is approaching, I can't help but feel a nostalgic longing. A longing for someone who will not be spending this Christmas with us. Wont be spending the Christmas with us ever again.

Before, whenever you and you're colleagues visit us, I wanted to speed up the time of your stay so that Mr. December could come and bring us Christmas, but now, I wanted to delay Uncle August's departure. I mean no offense Mr. September but with you, so many memories are coming back. They're not unwanted memories. They are good happy memories, but what makes me sad is, all of those will just be memories. I can't make more of them because the person whom I want to make those memories with, is gone. He is already in a faraway land.

Mr. September, I know that you always watch over all of us that is why I know that you know that I always spend my Christmas with my grandfather and i know that you know, I cannot spend it with him again this year. And because of that, I don't know how I will be spending this Christmas without him. Christmas without 'tatang' (my gradnfather) would not be Christmas at all. NOT AT ALL.

I know that it is Papa Jesus' birthday on Christmas, but being Papa Jesus I think he'll understand my feelings. The reason why I dread the coming of Christmas so much.

I have a favor to ask of you Mr. September, could you please make your days longer. Ms. October and Ms. November's too. I have nothing against Mr. December, I just want to forestall his arrival as much as I can. I know it is very selfish of me to request for something impossible. It's just that, 'Christmas' which used to bring me so many happy memories brings me nothing now but a painful one.

Please Mr. September and Papa Jesus. If you cannot grant my favor at least give me strength. The strength to be able to get through Christmas. And please, please give my 'lolo' the most wonderful Christmas, more wonderful than the one he had with us. Because I know that he'll miss us as much as we'll miss him. And we don't want him to be lonely.


Sincerely,
Vetzky