Perspective

Last night I was annoyed because I somehow managed to forget Desperate Housewives ... season seven started here last week and I guess I'm still not in the habit of watching it again. I hardly think I've missed a single episode before now, and I don't know why I forgot it yesterday. I wasn't even watching anything else that might have distracted me ... I was just sitting in my chair reading. The really annoying thing was that I remembered it literally three minutes after it was over. Growl. And then, after remembering that I'd forgotten :-) I looked through the TV schedule for the rest of the week, and then I got even more annoyed - previously they've used to do reruns of each week's episode on Saturday nights, so if you missed it you could catch it again during the weekend, but apparently they're not doing that for this season. So ... that was my Tuesday night, I was really annoyed with myself and this happening kind of ruined my night.

Now for the perspective.

My mother called me at work today - I mean on my work phone, which she hardly ever does. She was so upset, she was crying on the phone, which she also hardly ever does. She had some very sad news for me ... news that I don't think I've managed to quite take in yet. I can't really believe that it can really be true. My friend Eva died in her sleep yesterday. She wasn't feeling quite well during the day, when she was at work, so she went to bed when she got home, to get some rest. When her father came home - she lived on the ground floor of her parents' house - he had been worrying about her, so he went to check on her. I guess he was expecting to find that maybe she had been throwing up or she had a fever, or something like that ... but she had died. I feel so bad for him - he's a good person - he must have been just so devastated. They all must be. She was 29 years old.

Nobody knows yet why this happened ... but as a child she had some serious medical issues that I won't go into here, but they were serious and had long term aftereffects; I think it must be something to do with that. She can't have been feeling too bad yesterday, since she did go in to work ... she was a nurse, that's not a job where you can sit around relaxing in comfy chairs. So whatever bug she had can't have been too bad. It's a complete shock. It must be so dreadful for her family, having had no idea this might happen, and now not knowing what did happen. Of course they will find out ... she will be autopsied - another dreadful thought, but I know it must be done - and then we'll have some answers. That will bring some peace of mind, hopefully, but it won't change the fact that she's gone.

I knew her from when she was seven and I was twelve, or going on twelve. That's when her family moved into the house across the street from us. She has an older sister who is my age, we went to school together, she was my friend to start with. But we drifted apart, she moved away, and when we grew up, and the disparity in our ages no longer mattered much, Eva and I became friends. She was such a completely good person. There wasn't a malicious bone in her body. Life really isn't fair.

I feel so bad for her family, I don't have words ... Her parents must just be completely beside themselves. This is the worst thing that can happen to any parent. I don't think you can ever get over it. And her whole future that they had thought they would be a part of. In a strange way, the person I almost feel saddest for is her sister's little son. Because he's going to be missing out on what might well have been the funnest aunt ever. :-) He's so little still that he won't even remember her. I know that of course they will tell him all kinds of things about her. But he won't have any memories. He'll just know that one of his moms used to have a sister once. My heart just breaks for that little guy. For all of them.

Goodbye, Eva. I'll never forget you. I'll never forget the way you beat us all the first time you ever played Bohnanza. I'll never forget how you always said you had no idea what to get me for Christmas, but you always came up with something fun anyway. I'll never forget those fantastic one liners that would just pop out of you. I'll never forget your funny giggly laugh.

Thank you for being my friend. I'll never forget you.