Dying Young - Unpredictabilities of Life

An sms came in yesterday at midnight. Xiuping, my secondary school classmate smsed me.

A friend has passed away suddenly. Reason: Breathing difficulties. He is only 30 years old. Leaving behind his 2-year-old daughter, his wife and a little one in his wife's tummy who will never have the chance to call him daddy.

I may not know him very well but it's still very sad to hear that someone you know has left the world so suddenly.

We knew each other by face for more than a decade. He was the left-marker of his secondary school SGT NCC. Tall and suave, he caught the eyes of many teenage girls then. I was the left-marker for my school. Our paths crossed again about 4 years ago at Clarke Quay. He came up to say hi and asked if I was from Cedar. We exchanged contacts and promised to keep in touch. We never really did, except for a few occasional emails.

The last time I met William was about 2 years ago at a friend's wedding. He was with his newly wedded wife then and both looked happy and in marital bliss. We chatted for a short while, he introduced his wife to me and then went back to our own circle of friends. That was the last I saw of him.


I've just seen his photograph in The Straits Times obituary page. His cheery disposition is vivid in the papers.

Life is so unpredictable. You never know what the destiny has for you next. I feel sorry for his wife and his children and hope time will heal their hearts.

Rest in peace, William
May your family find strength to overcome this challenging period.