Life after death.

As a child, I used to enjoy reading stories from different cultures around the world and especially the ones to do with mythological creatures and heroes. Greek mythology in particular, has always held special fascination. The amazing travels of Jason and the Argonauts, Zeus in Mount Olympus, Hades and the Titans, etc., etc. I never for once thought that any of these tales had any bearings on real life a story as we know it.

What I am about to tell here, is based on my own personal experience when my mother passed away back in June, 1992. At the time I was employed as a head of Visual Arts with the University of Papua New Guinea and since it was the mid year June holidays I decided to go to my village to visit my mother and my two tribes. I brought two of my lecturer colleagues along, Ms Molly from the United States who was the Head of Music and Dr. Dennis who is now a music professor.

When we arrived in my village, the first person we met was my mother returning home from working in her taro garden. She was so pleased to see us and wanted us to stay with her. But I pointed out that I have two guests and it would be better if we stayed at the family guest house. My mother also asked if she could come back with us when the go back to town... instead of saying we can discuss this later, I stupidly said to her that she would have to wait while I get rid of other younger lecturers whom I shared my house with. My friend Ms Molly interrupted by saying she had an extra bedroom in her house and would be glad to have my mother staying with her. My mother replied saying that since her son didn’t want her to live with him, she would gladly go live with her new found friend Ms Molly. They both linked arms... in my traditional culture, when someone links arms with another person, that creates a strong bond which I didn’t know at the time.

Anyway, my mother wasn’t happy with me for not staying with her in the village so she went off with other village women to welcome a new coastal vessel that was bought by a politician as present for the village community. The women went and waited out in the rain the whole day but the boat never arrived. My mother went home with a bad infection affected by the cold rain. She caught pneumonia and within hours she just faded and died in my arms as I failed to revive her.

I got two of my young nephews to take my two guests on trips around the village while I spent the time with my two tribes in mourning and we buried my dear mother within three days. What took place in the three months after that, really blew my mind.

I did not realised at the time but, my mother’s soul stayed on with me and refused to leave when four other souls came to take her away. She made a pact with my friend Ms Molly before she died and she was now using me as the boatman while waiting for something to happen. But for three months, it really freaked me out the fact that I had all these souls hanging around just outside of my pheriferal vision.

One Sunday morning in September, I woke up very early and felt very empty, then I realised all the souls were no longer with me. In a way, I was relieved but felt upset at the same time because I got used to talking with these souls in a one way communication and did not say a proper goodbye. I decided to let things be and waited to see what would happen. Monday, Tuesday and nothing happened. Then Ms Molly came up to my house after classes on the Wednesday and said for me to sit down and she told me she was pregnant. I laughed and said, “Who is the lucky guy... er no, let me rephrase that. When Did you find out you are pregnant?”. She said she found out on Sunday and decided to wait three days, just to be sure. Well, so that explains everything why my mother’s soul refused to leave.

I then told Ms Molly that I don’t want to know who the father of the child was but this child is important to me. Without a second thought I went on my knee and asked her to marry me. She was so shocked as she didn’t expect this... I explained that my mother thought we would end up getting married and why she used me as the “boatman”. Ms Molly said she already committed herself to someone else and that has resulted in her getting pregnant.

Cutting long story short, Ms Molly cut short her teaching contract and went home to the US to have the baby. I took off to Africa to start a new relationship and teaching in other countries. However, I kept a close contact with Ms Molly and every year I would pay a visit to see her and her son. Everything that this young man did in his childhood years really confirmed and convinced me that my mother’s soul now lives in him. I didn’t talk to him about the past as I didn’t want to give him a gender complexity. He is almost turning 30 years old now and can reason things out.

To my mind, I believe we are all responsible for our lives with decisions and promises we make in real life and that applies even in death. Last year, I went for a quadruple bypass heart operation and for over a week I remained in a comma. My soul met up with so many of the loved ones who have passed on. But I didn’t meet up with my mother. If I did, I would not be sitting here writing this story. I will always miss my Mum...