I meant 'old' here literally as he is or was a senior citizen. Mr. Lee was from Taiwan and settled in the Philippines decades ago as he worked with the precursor of what is now the Universal Robina Corp. I met him many years ago after we moved to our home in upper Antipolo. We actually first crossed paths when I started walking around our village. As I learned and practiced in Japan when I resided there, I greeted him a good morning. He responded and we had a short chat about the weather and our village. That was the start of a regular meeting during most weekend mornings.
Post-pandemic, we continued to meet and even more frequently as I took up walking almost every morning as I became more health conscious. One time, he was walking in front of our home when I came out and he casually mentioned his appreciation of our garden. He offered to give me some plants from his garden in his home just across the chapel. I accepted and one morning I found myself in his garden where he dug up some of the plants. He explained these were the same ones he was tending at the chapel and were plants that grew in temples in Taiwan and Japan. Those plants are now growing in front of our home.
I missed seeing him the past weeks but thought that maybe he was going out for his walks earlier (he prefers walking just before sunrise) than me. Last year, he continued to do his early morning walks despite a seriou shoulder injury, and months ago I greeted him as he opted to tend to his plants instead of walking as he recovered from an illness. Only yesterday did I learn that he passed away, not recently but weeks ago. I learned this from our driver, Lary, who in turn got the news from another neighbor.
Farewell and rest in peace Mr. Lee. I will miss our morning encounters and conversations. Rest assured that I will take care of the plants you entrusted to me and that they are thriving on our garden.
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