A farewell to a Pope - prologue

By March 31 we were glued to our TV because we heard Pope John Paul II is not feeling well at all. CNN at the beginning could only say that he is having infections and later on the news has gotten worse like he starting to have complications and I knew he was on his last days. I just prayed that if he is suffering so much, it is better to end it the soonest. He does not deserve suffering because he is such a good man.

Finally on April 2 at 9:37, he left this world and we were just sad. He was a great leader of the church, being firm on things that he needs to be firm about but keeping that softness towards people and reaching out to them. This is one of the reasons why he is well-loved.

On Monday, April 4, Jaz sent an e-mail "Rome: I want to go. Who likes to join me?" I did not take interest coz I know its going to be difficult for me and my family. But for the heck of it, I asked Paul and surprisingly, he thought it would be a good idea. But as it is, its going to be really expensive for us and we don't even have a place to stay. Then he said "Why don't you go? I know you would want to. I could stay here." And then I really considered the possibilities. But time was not on my side because the plane tickets are getting more expensive by the minute. I thought about it the whole day and during that time, the others are also deliberating and see if its feasible. The people coming went up to 3 then to 4 then to 9 so I got excited but at the end of the day it was down to 3. It was mainly a question of working days, school, transportation and lodging. Transportation was a huge question because a car can be also rented so that it would be cheaper for everyone but then its going to be an 18 hours drive and only one person driving the whole way. Finally on conference call with the 2 girls, Jaz and Nowy, we decided to take the plane but it meant leaving Ays behind (really sorry friend!) coz it was too expensive for him and the problems brought about by renting a car. By 6 pm we were booked and in limbo we slowly thought about other things such as accomodation. Jaz mentioned tent stations built around Rome and I could already imagine myself living in one for the next 5 days. Like in World Youth Day 1995!!

The next day, April 5, Tuesday, Jaz did not have encouraging news about lodging. Nowy called her cousin who is a nun and who sometimes stay at the Vatican but she also did not get any good news. I tried calling an aunt's friend in Geneva so that she can call an aunt who is also a nun visiting the Vatican and still no good news to share. I was contemplating on this dilemma when I see someone approaching my office. It was Oscar, a consultant to the office but he used to be one of the bosses. He is a very gentle and kind person and I'm really fond of him. Incidentally, he currently lives in Rome with his wife. When he came in my office, I told him we were going to Rome to see the Pope and I asked him if he can recommend any place for us. "You will find nothing in Rome! Everything is booked! You stay at our place!" I was so shocked and relieved and so tupsy-turvy I could only mutter "Really? Can we?" with this disbelieving eyes. He immediately called his wife, Maria Antonia, and we spoke on the phone about our arrival details. I still could not believe it and I could only say to him "Oscar! You're heaven sent!" And with a big smile on my face, I sent an e-mail to the girls saying! "Accomodations - we have one!"

Finally I was only able to pack in the morning of Wednesday, 6 April, to concentrate coz my head is really somewhere else. I made sure that I had everything I need and not to bring too much. The girls went to town to do last minute shopping (you know like digicam, etc.) but when we picked them up around 12, they were ready. After checking in the airport, we slowly let the thing we have done sink in and sort of breathlessly share our stories. In the screen I saw information about the line we are going to face shortly. They estimate that a person would be in line for 8 hours before seeing the Pope in the Basilica. Huh! 8 hours, that's nothing! But I didn't know what I was thinking about. This would follow on the next batch of stories as the "Tatlong Maria" went to Rome.