Three Weeks Ago
Dear God,
I was happy at the thought of getting my home back after weeks of dwelling in dust and rammed paint spatted curtains jammed under doors refusing to budge.
I talked to my consultant, yeh …, move on!
Delighted to find my long lost Shania Twain album and see Annie dance with her paint roller, I twirled disgruntled Daisy dancing in my arms. As Shania shouted, ‘Man, I feel like a woman’, the excitement grew at the thought of meeting my dear friend May at Everyman for the 5pm showing of Nomadland. In truth it did not matter what the movie was. At last, a night out, post lockdown!
Actually, we can’t manage the nights now, but the early evening was a joy in spite of the incessant rain.
We hugged, legally, and she held me tight in the entrance. We didn’t stop the natter; ‘How’s your mum? How’s the croquet? Did you enjoy Filey? …’ Just loads about me and May soaked up everything.
With three super waiters asking for orders, we restrained ourselves to one. ‘We’ll bring your food to your comfy sofa’, said Andrew whose eyes danced above his dark muffle.
Chatter, natter - loads to catch up on, we irritated the bloke in seat 12, but couldn’t stop until the trailer came on - that new movie with Colin Firth who plays a man in the stages of dementia. ‘Oh, that looks good’, I lean over and say. “Shall we book for this?’
In the dim light shining from the cinema screen I saw May’s tears. ‘Oh Jo, that’s a bit near’, she said. ‘I had a CT scan and my brain is in the early stages of vascular’, and said something else in the gloom which I took to mean dementia.
We cried and as she put out her hand across my knee I took it and squeezed. In that moment of deepest sorrow the grasp told her I loved her, always.
Dear God,
You give such a day of song and dance, a fleeting moment of freedom and flight but we never get far before falling. Please be kind to May and help me understand this gift of life!
———
Three Weeks Later
Daisy is now spirit dancing in Another’s arms, forever held in my heart. May has her dance restored after the grateful revelation of a wrongful diagnosis.
We inhabit such bizarre days where uncertainty waves, feeds our deepest fears and robs us.
Dear God,
Thank you for being kind to May, for accepting dear Daisy into your certain kingdom where she finds true freedom and flight and help me understand your gift of life and that better world which awaits.
Amen.