i thought you could make her laugh
sunday it was impossible to avoid talking about death and dying. i did my best to make julie smile and succeeded, but as i have always found it's much better NOT to feel weird or bad about just discussing death.
at one point she was talking to her mom on the phone, and said, "it's your friends who are supposed to be dying, not mine." julie realized very soon after she said it that it sounded awful, and she was sorry. but it's true. death is something that's supposed to happen to old people. her friend was only 27.
i took her to the bookstore and she spent $100 on paperbacks, that made her feel pretty damn good i'd say. she called another girl from the lab to see if she wanted to get out and have dinner with us. just to maybe take her mind off it. but the girl didn't end up calling back. i explained to julie that probably seeing her that day would not be a distraction, in fact it would probably make her think about it more.
"i just thought you could make her laugh, make her feel better", she said. i appreciated that.
later i asked her if i had been the one who died saturday, would she want to see any of my friends? would she even pick up if they called? certainly some of you would instinctively want to come out to the house and be with her.
"i wouldn't want to see anybody", she said, which i know cannot possibly be true. i would want her to let you in, i would want her to take your calls. and as much as she can sometimes be down on herself by saying you're all MY friends, i think some of you are hers too. i know it for a fact.
if for no other reason, because you know in the event of my untimely demise, she will be the one that decides who gets what.
;-)
at one point she was talking to her mom on the phone, and said, "it's your friends who are supposed to be dying, not mine." julie realized very soon after she said it that it sounded awful, and she was sorry. but it's true. death is something that's supposed to happen to old people. her friend was only 27.
i took her to the bookstore and she spent $100 on paperbacks, that made her feel pretty damn good i'd say. she called another girl from the lab to see if she wanted to get out and have dinner with us. just to maybe take her mind off it. but the girl didn't end up calling back. i explained to julie that probably seeing her that day would not be a distraction, in fact it would probably make her think about it more.
"i just thought you could make her laugh, make her feel better", she said. i appreciated that.
later i asked her if i had been the one who died saturday, would she want to see any of my friends? would she even pick up if they called? certainly some of you would instinctively want to come out to the house and be with her.
"i wouldn't want to see anybody", she said, which i know cannot possibly be true. i would want her to let you in, i would want her to take your calls. and as much as she can sometimes be down on herself by saying you're all MY friends, i think some of you are hers too. i know it for a fact.
if for no other reason, because you know in the event of my untimely demise, she will be the one that decides who gets what.
;-)