Yesterday morning I woke up, caught up on the news, read a few pages of a book and shortly after 930 I cried big fat, silent tears. I don't know what prompted them and I don't know where they came from. They were the kind of warm tears that roll down your cheek, big fat tears.
At 1003 I sent a text to Regis and at 1006 he phoned. I knew what he was going to say but when he said it I was nonetheless shocked. Half an hour previously Clare had died. When my big fat warm tears were rolling down my cheeks and I used my sleeve to wipe my nose my best friend drew her last breath and died. Gone. Goosebumps.
I pulled myself together and braced myself to tell my girls that our darling, very poorly friend had died. There were tears, hugs and then a little voice said "do you remember when she used peanut butter to get the chewing gum out of my hair?".
Yes I do remember that and a lot lot more!
When Laree took one bite out of most of the fruit in the bowl and then put it back, when the texts would fly when Wales were playing France, when you had an inset day and the girs didn't (hahahaha) and we went to the spa, when Andy's sister died and you held me so tight, when I casually said I can't pick the girls up as I am dealing with a ground floor of rain, when you first saw me in my Police uniform and laughed, when we drove back to Les Pommiers on a really hot day and Andy had got the only key, and he was in another car - about 30 minutes behind us.
What about when the girls were all scoffing squirty cream and we polished it off, remember the day we decided to go to Royan Zoo and it was so busy we went for a picnic, only to be joined by every flying insect, or what about when we asked a cafe for some water and they asked if we were eating and you said no we just want water - your language was fruity when they said no they can't serve us just water, when we got rained on whilst camping and ended up camping out in Talence.
I still laugh when Emma did a cart wheel and lost her iPod on the Dunes de Pyla/Pila/PillAR (even if Emma wasn't laughing and you weren't either). Remember the drama when Laree walked into the cupboard at the barn in the middle of the night and couldn't get out so you responded to her screams by dashing in whilst adjusting your bedhat, or when she pulled your hair to see if it was a wig - when it wasn't.
We've had some brilliant times, daft times, dark times, sad times but above all we've had great fun.
All of those things I remember and more.
Goodbye my friend, thank you for being everything a friend should be xx