Today was appropriately grey and cloudy, and at 11:30 a.m. the hearse carrying K-sensei pulled up to the school, and we all paid our last respects. The entire student body, and all the staff, went out to the soccer field and stood in silence as the black car slowly passed by. Following along was the car carrying her parents, husband, and son. How sad to see a young woman with a family like that be dead, and to think that only two weeks earlier everything was fine. Nobody knew that their lives would be forever changed the day when her car was hit from behind by another driver on her way home from work. Even after the accident happened, they had no idea of the danger that lied ahead. The accident didnt seem serious enough to warrant going to the hospital, so she just decided to go home and take it easy. A few days after, she had a very sore neck and finally decided to see the doctor. They told her to take a few days off of work, and rest. Thats what she did, but while she was resting at home, her condition was unknowingly getting worse. Finally, four days later she started to complain of feelings of nausea, and sleepyness. After falling into a deep sleep one afternoon, her family became worried and took her to the hospital. This time she lost consciousness, and never came out of it. She died yesterday, Tuesday, October 4.
I had never even met K-sensei before, so it might seem strange how shook up I was over what happened. I cant really explain it, but I am sure that alot of it has to do with the suddeness of it all. On Sunday night my friend Masayo (who worked with K-sensei) told me that a coworker had checked in to the hospital with a neck injury, and was out of consciousness. It feels bad to say, but at the time I just nodded off to her, and went back to watching the football game on TV, not really paying much attention to someone I didnt know. But the next day at school, when the special meeting of teachers was announced, it hit it me that what I was about to hear was some very bad news. I didnt want to hear it, the underdog had lost the battle, and there would be no second chance to come back and fight again.
I had originally thought that she was simply a Japanese living temporarily in Mexico. This was wrong. She had in fact been born here, and both of her parents as well are permanent Mexican residents. Then I found out about her 7 year old son; this was what hurts the most to think about– having to tell him that he will never see his mom again. How unfair it all is.
Masayo wrote a mass email today, telling us all about what had just happened, and the sadness she was feeling. It was full of poignant recollections of the past, and a sad retelling of her class today with the students K-sensei will no longer be teaching. After reading it, a few tear drops welled up in my eyes. I havent cried about anything in a long time; but today was different. I suppose it sounds strange to feel such emotions over someone you have never met, but thats how I feel. At the moment, everything else in my life is seeming fairly insignificant.
The Best of Both Worlds 
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