The last time I felt my Grandmothers presence

The title may be a tad misleading. Though this is a notable story from after my grandma passed.

 My Grandmother Tita was a very opinionated and often grouchy woman. While she could be sweet as honey, she could also be rough as nails. My upbringing was rough, and I spent 6 years from 6-12 living with her. 

I'd left her own to live with my mother, a mistake I still regret. Around late 2022, maybe I was in the passenger seat of my mother's car. 

She got a call from my grandfather, and while I sat and listened, I could tell things were getting a bit emotional as my mother soon rushed to park the car in the lot of some bank and broke into tears. 

At that time, even without hearing anything from her hinting at what had happened, I already knew my Grandmother was dead. She had not said anything pointing to it directly on the phone. And to put on top of that, my grandmother was a young 53 when she passed, so it was very abrupt. 

As she sobbed into the phone, I sat still, facing my lap as my eyes welled with tears, thinking of all the possibilities that could be wrong with my grandmother, what could cause such trouble. And as my vision blurred with tears, I could picture and feel her arms around me one last time, as if saying goodbye. 

My grandmother hugged me as I silently sobbed into her shoulder one last time. She held me in her arms, and for a moment, I knew she was trying to tell me it would all be okay. I would continue without her, and she would always love me and watch over me.

My grandma Tita was a remarkable woman, with good and bad qualities, and she is dead now. I will always be thankful for her saying goodbye to me when she knew I needed it.