In Memoriam of Nguyen Ngoc Phu
N g u y e n N g o c P h u
U V S A E x t e r n a l V i c e P r e s i d e n t
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http://www.thsv.org/special/ngocphu/default.aspx
About two weeks before Phu Heo passed away, I was in his room as we talked about life and worked on community stuff. I went through his shelves, as he showed off his impressive collection of pig paraphernalia and for some reason I noticed "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" book in his bookshelf. I asked him about it, and he told me that it's a good novel and that I should take and read it and so he lent it to me right away. We spent the last final days of his life talking on the phone often, and even spent the entire Sunday together on a road trip to San Diego before he passed away on Tuesday, June the 7th.
Every one of us remembers exactly where we were, what we were doing, when the news of Phu Heo’s death took us by surprise. Every Tuesday evening whenever I drive home from piano lesson, I always think of him, because I pass by the two spots where I had to pull my car over, when big Phu called me and broke the news to me. The first spot is right at my piano teacher’s house. As I was driving out of the block, Big Phu called me and told me that Phu Heo collapsed and that he is being rushed to the hospital and that it’s unclear as to whether he’s still alive or not. That’s the first time I had to pull over my car as I tried to calm down and grasp the reality of it. I told Big Phu that I’ll drive directly to the San Jose airport to fly down, but as I was driving on the 87 towards the airport, that’s when Big Phu called me the second time and told me that Phu Heo did indeed already passed away, and that’s the spot I spent the next two hours on the emergency lane crying until my friend had to come out and pick me up.
It has been a year, and every Tuesday, whenever I drive home from piano lessons, I pass by the same two spots, and memories of Phu Heo always come back. Memories and tears always come back at the oddest times. I missed him in Sydney, I missed him at Phu and Yen Khanh’s wedding and so wished he could have been there.
Phu Heo, may you learn many great things about your life as you meet the five people in heaven and until our paths will cross again, I’ll keep this book in my bookshelf.