"Grandpa went up to heaven."
Lele's mom said.
"Lele will never see Grandpa again."
The child still asked foolishly, "Why?"
"Grandpa went to heaven?"
"How did Grandpa get to heaven?"
"Did Grandpa take a plane?"
The child felt a little envious.
He had never been on a plane.
"You silly boy."
Lele's mom poked him on the forehead with her finger.
"Grandpa passed away."
"Do you know what that means?"
"It means..."
Lele's mom furrowed her brow.
Then she said softly, "He died."
"Grandpa died."
"He's gone to sleep forever."
"He'll never wake up again."
The child's eyes widened.
Never again...
Wake up...
The child seemed to understand what his mom meant, though perhaps not completely.
But his eyes reddened of their own accord.
His nose stung.
The child felt at a loss.
But Lele's parents didn't give him much time to process his feelings.
"We're leaving for our hometown today."
"Pack whatever you want to bring."
"We'll be gone for several days."
Several days...
The child suddenly remembered something.
"Can we come back the day after tomorrow?"
"Of course not."
Lele's mom looked at him. "Do you have something to do the day after tomorrow?"
"A school activity?"
"No."
The child shook his head.
"I have to see the doctor."
Lele's parents were both a little surprised.
They hadn't been paying attention to the matter, so they'd nearly forgotten about the child's doctor's appointment.
"You're not better yet?"
Lele's mom found that hard to believe.
"You still have to see the doctor?"
The child pressed his lips together.
He didn't know how to answer his mom's question.
"Could that doctor be ripping us off?"
Lele's mom looked at Lele's dad.
"This is taking way too long..."
"The