Uncle Hassan’s Last Minutes
Uncle Hassan is about to die. He has spent the last two months in the hospital, dragging himself from bed to armchair, from armchair to bed. Now he is bedridden. It all started with an infection of the urinary tract, which couldn’t be treated. The tract became infected, and the infection went to the lungs. Uncle Hassan has problems breathing and he suffers from high fever. He hardly eats and survives only with intravenous drops in each arm. Aunt Pooneh is anxiously waiting. The doctor came by yesterday and shook his head, which spoke volumes of his prognosis. Aunt Pooneh had bombarded him with questions. He said it wouldn’t be long now, just a question of days, because the immune system is exhausted.
His two children have come as fast as they could. Sara comes from the seaside where she lives. She usually comes once or twice a year, for the New Year and for summer vacations. She has crossed the desert and the mountains, just to come to his bedside. Tired from the trip and heavy emotions, she has dark circles under her eyes. The death of a loved one is a serious and solemn moment in life, it takes you by the heart; it brings up the real questions: What comes next? Is this really the end? Will we ever meet again? Her father breathes faster; she feels dizzy. Uncle Hassan is half conscious. He notices the presence of his beloved family by his side, but the drugs they have given him has blurred his mind, which is already numbed by fever, anemia, and exhaustion. Aunt Pooneh is deep in prayer. Her eyes closed, she concentrates and prays in a mechanical way as if trying to divert her mind from this sad reality, to give her courage. Aunt Pooneh believes in God.
She believes in the way of our grandmothers, with an unshakable faith handed down through centuries of religious education, as most people in her birth city of Shiraz. In this ancient city, modernity and ancestral traditions live side-by-side in complete harmony. The mausoleum of a great religious person, “Shah Cheragh,” is in the center of the city. There are other graves in the suburbs, where great mystics, such as S’adi, Hafez, and Khadjoo, are buried. The people of Shiraz, although very modern, are mostly believers. They believe in life after death, when body and soul part. OurAunt Pooneh has no doubt Hassan will rise at the end of time, to be together in paradise with the blessed, the prophets and all the saints .who continually sing the hymn in praise of His glory.” This is what she has learned in her childhood. But the end of time is so far! Deep in her heart, she is woried: she is afraid of death, of separation, of solitude. Hassan is disturbed and tries to catch his breath. His exhausted heart gives way. The oscillogram becomes flat on the monitor; a shrill alarm sounds. The surveillance nurse rushes in, but all she can do is notice that there is nothing more to do. Aunt Pooneh weeps at the foot of the bed. She holds her daughter Sara in her arms. This is the end of fifty years of married life in this depressing and anonymous hospital room. There are now a number of problems to solve: what to wear, planning of the funeral. calling friends and family, the frightening act of going to the cemetery, and coming back to an empty house where each detail will be a reminder of their happy years together. Aunt Pooneh is drained. she suddenly feels verv weak.
By:Dr. Seyed Mostafa Azmayesh