Thoughts.

My Hero

It was a helicopter crash that resulted in him passing away a few weeks back. A part of the tail broke off, to be more exact. He was trying to save a baby, our eternal hero. It was after midnight. He was the best of the pilots. No one would have guessed. No one would have dared to suggest. He knew how to fly. It was something he could speak about in his sleep. He was that good.

But my mother's brother wasn't my hero for that reason. No. Not really. To me, flying was something he did in his free time even though it occupied half of his life. You see, he never talked about it much. Only when I asked. Most of the time he asked me questions. He listened to me when no one would. I was his Achilles Heel. When his sons asked him to allow us to go play ball, he'd turn them down for lunch. Then my cousins would make me ask. He would never turn me down.

"Just come back in an hour."

I used to tell him stories of all sorts and he would always listen. That's perhaps the hardest thing one can do. Simply listen. Ask questions. Be genuinely interested. And a child knows the genuine better than anyone else. He was so good to me; I was his little princess even though that title was ridiculous. Everyone knew I was the tomboy in the family with my love of sports and careless walk, sharp tongue and passionate gestures. I hated dresses and anything with lace. High heels were always just a big no. My sister would fit the description of a princess much better. She was much more elegant.

And the funny thing was that he would never forget my birthday. Oh. Not him. He lived a country away unlike the rest of my family who lived right beside me, in the same city; the family I saw every other weekend, you know. Large in number, small in heart. Just those family members of every day. They weren't my heroes. That was always him.

It was the love of the sky, the love of flying, the love of people, the love of good that kept him striving. He was exhausted, but that never made him stop for a beneficial inhale.

That was my uncle; always believing in us to do good and pushing us to do so.

And he deserves all best prayers possible.