Jai Lost Her Mom

There's this kid I became friends with about a year ago. Her family moved to the house near ours in the middle of the Enhanced Community Quarantine and we were glad to have a new neighbor.

Her name is Jaira Maine and we simply call her Jai. I already wrote an article about her eight months ago on my old account (https://read.cash/@esciisc/friendship-cd72e66d), that's when she cried after my brother made fun of her. We thought she will no longer come to our house because usually, that's how kids are.

But the next day, we were surprised when she came early in the morning and with a piece of paper she doodled on. She drew us and old us we're still her friends. I appreciated it and I was really touched that time so I wrote the article.

After almost a year, she became so close to our family. So became really sad after hearing the news that her mom passed away.

My heart aches for her knowing that she's too young to lose a mom, someone to take care of her. She's just five years old and now she only have her sister to care for her.

A couple of months ago, her mom almost had a heart attack after being pranked by one of her brother's friends. Fortunately, my mom is entertaining a guest that time and they are outside. While talking to her guest, my mom suddenly heard a loud crash coming from Jai's house, it is near us and it is just a small house so noises can be easily heard. Knowing about what happened in the afternoon, my mom left guest and run towards Jai's house and there she saw Jai's mom lying on the floor. Together with my brother, they rushed her to the hospital, good thing that they arrived on time because if not, she'd be dead that day.

We pitied jai that day because she's even laughing with my younger sister, not knowing what's happening to her mom. She's was very happy that night because she slept over to our house for the first time.

Months has passed and since then, her mom's condition deteriorated. Their real father is working far from them, and there's this man her mom is living with to take care of them.

Before, she used to refuse every time I tell her to eat at home. But a month ago, it was obvious that she is no longer being well taken care of. So when I ask her to eat with us, she would. She lost weight too. Her older siblings are still young and still plays a lot instead of taking care of her.

Then these past weeks, my siblings and I are always sleeping at the nipa hut near their house because it's cool out there. Every night I could hear her mom puking and vomiting. One time, I couldn't sleep well because I kept hearing her vomit the whole night. I told my mom about it the next day and she said that it looks like Jai's mom will no longer last long because her health has deteriorated badly. And we were talking most of the time how pitiful Jai would be if that happens, it may be wrong to say it but my cousin was inn that same situation before she passed away too, so we know what's going to happen.

The next day, their entire family left their house. Jai told us that they will temporarily stay at her grandma's house because her mom can no longer take care of them. We jokingly told her that we'll surely miss her if she won't come back as soon as possible.

Two weeks has passed and they still haven't returned. One day, after a week of being away from home due to work, I was told that Jai's mom has passed away. I was still shocked when I heard the news because we were still hoping that she'll get better. I pitied my friend Jai. I know that she's still too young to not have a mom.

Yesterday Jai's grandmothers came here to get their belongings, when we heard that there were people at the neighboring house, my sisters and I suddenly woke up. Although still sleepy, we excitedly ran out of the house to see if they were with Jai. Unfortunately she couldn't come with them.

I asked one of them how she's doing and she told me that the child does not speak much these days and sometimes she just sits at a corner dazed. When someone she knows come's by, she would not talk and once the person leaves, she starts to cry. My eyes almost swelled up with tears and my heart ached for my young friend.