One of the things I try to avoid is regrets but still, I’ve had so many and the goal now is not having new ones moving forward.

My greatest regret has to do with my greatest loss: the death of my favorite aunt.

I was about 12 and she was very sick and had been hospitalised. I couldn’t summon the courage to visit her at the hospital, using every possible trick to avoid visiting.

When I finally pushed myself to visit, I burst into tears and ran out of the hospital immediately. She got discharged a couple of days later but I left home the following day to stay with an uncle.

And just a few days later, another uncle came visiting, “your aunt wants to see you,” he said.

I got back home and saw people everywhere. What happened but no one would talk. Where’s ‘aunty mi.’

I was told she went out of out, then who sent for me.

Apparently, her demise did.

If I had known back then that she would be leaving soon, I would have stayed a couple more days. Just to be with her till the very end. Till today, I still feel I robbed myself.

In spite of being just 12 back then, I knew everything about her, literally everything.

She was just few years younger than my mum, and in spite of having someone my age as a child, I still call her ‘aunty mi.’ People would asked that I call her mum but she never complain.

She was the 5, and I, the 6.

I know my mum would be okay sharing the ‘first love’ title with her. Mum knew she loved me. There are people that I won’t mind turning back the hand of time for, she’s one of those people.