Remembering a good friend

It is September once again and it is during this month that I remember a good friend. His name was Jonathan Kitulagoda but we called him JK for short. Yes, you read it right, was. He was killed in afghanistan because of a suicide bomber. He was from England and he came over a few years back, and he was still in his early 20's. He was in a what he called territorial army.They were sent there not to fight but for peace keeping or something like that.

He was a student of Anton. He came over to visit us when we were still living in B. Aranas Ext. , and train escrima the Doce Pares way with John my stepdad. He was half English and half Sri Lankan. He was a handsome guy, tall , masculine and got a really nice ass...heheheheh which I used to pinch whenever he passes by.He was a really a nice guy, a bit conservative too. He loved my family like his own and vice versa. Since my Aunt Gigi lives beside us he was renting a room there, but he always ate and chatted with us at our house. I remember one time Mommy Gigi was wondering what the white specks on the floor of his room was when she to inspected it. She asked him and we discovered that he always puts on baby powder on himself. Heheheheheh so that was why he always looked fresh and smelled really good. My Aunt also liked him a lot becuase he was neat and tidy. He stayed with us for a month so we have really gotten to know him well. If we don't go out he also wouldn't because he said he partly came over to be with the family and not to just to roam around. See how good of a guy he is.

He also was a victim of our rainshower which in our dialect we call "taligsik". We told him never to go out without an umbrella or a hat whenever it is drizzling because he would get sick but he boasted that it always rained in England and he was used to it. We just laughed it off and insisted that the rain here is much different. He did get sick. At first he was trying to brave it out but then when he didn't notice we had leftovers from lunch for dinner and he liked it he said, that's when my mom told him to go with her to the doctor.He went as a good son would follow his mom. All went well then.

Another incident, our mosquitoes got to him. I didn't know a person could be allergic to mosquito sting but aparently he was , his ankle got so swollen it looked like an elephant foot. He would always put on a mentholated ointment we called Betit or was it spelled betet? I can't remember the exact spelling but that was what it was called.We all had our share of laughter and good memories.We were sad when he went back home but he already had a plan of coming back the following year but it was not meant to be. He died January of the following year after his visit. We were able to talk to him when he was in afghanistan because he called. He was even able to send us all Christmas gifts. It arrived after his death but when we looked at the postage stamp it was dated before he died. You can just see how thoughtful a person he was.

I don't know why or if you guys would believe me when I say something would always happen during Jan. and Sept. to make me remember him. I can even say that he came and made his presence known to me before we got the call that he died. Let me tell you the incident that lead me to that conclusion... John and I were cooking little colored puto (dessert made from flour,sugar,baking powder and cheese) for our little business. It was the night before we got the call of JK's death. I was busy taking out the putos from it's little containers, it was about midnight. I suddenly felt all the hairs on my head rise, it's kind a likethe feeling you have when you get goosebumps but its just the hairs on my head. And so I kept patting it down as if they were really all standing up. John finally noticed and asked me what was wrong. I told him that all the hairs on my head were standing up. He was puzzled, there was no breeze in the room infact it was so hot from all the cooking we were doing. I told him that I never felt anything like that before. Eventually the feeling stopped so I just thought nothing of it then the following night we got the news and that's when I knew that he was there with me that night. Unbelievable? You can say that again.Here's another incident and this happened on a september. I was washing the dishes (still at the old house) and near the sink is a door going towards the bathroom. My nephew and his nanny was on the other side of the room at the little sari-sari store I had, then my mom and melody and John were there somewhere. I was just washing the dishes when suddenly the bathroom door opened and I saw a dark man's handpushing the door, and so I waited for someone to come out. A few minutes passed by but no one came out so I peeked inside and nobody was there. So I went around and asked if somebody used the bathroom but they said nobody did then bells started to ring in my head it's september and that's when I remember JK's birthday . So you ask me why Jan and Sept? Jan was the month he died and Sept was his birthday.

I know it really seems unbelievable but these all happened to me. So I am writing this blog in dedication to a lost brother and friend. Love you JK. We will always remember you.