The 24th of June

Today is the 24th of June. Last year, and for the past 6 years prior to that, I would've recorded some ridiculous voice recording on my cellphone and smsed it to Kerry for her birthday. This year, I can't do that and so instead of being despondent and sad, I am going to think of the happy and fun times that Kerry and I shared and celebrate that this marvellous person lived and touched everyone's lives so deeply.

Kerry and I met in 2004 when I went to work at a freight company where she was the airfreight imports and exports controller.
Kerry was very friendly from the word go and we used to spend hours talking about things from religion to men to music to dogs to our families and it was really great.
As we got to know each other better, I discovered that she too had a very mischievous side and soon we were playing pranks on other people together or on each other.
She used to hide behind the door when she heard me walking down the passage and give me a huge fright 3 or 4 times a day! Eventually one day, I decided that it was payback time and so when I arrived early one morning, before she did, I went into her office, pulled her chair out from under her desk and crawled under her desk and waited.
Eventually she arrived at work and came into her office and sat down. I just sat under her desk and waited. After about 5 minutes, I grabbed her feet and she gasped out in fright! We giggled about it the whole day. :)

There were some staff members from another company in the same building who used to frequently go into the ladies bathrooms and go into the stalls and sleep. They would fall so fast asleep that we'd hear them snoring. This was problematic as it meant that nobody else could use the bathrooms.
Kerry would sneak into the bathroom and bang on the doors and yell "WAKE UP!" and sometimes throw a handful of water over the door and then run like anything to hide away so that they didn't know who had disturbed their afternoon nap. :)

We both loved Phantom of the Opera and we'd frequently listen to the music together and sing along. It was always Christine's "Think of me" that appealed to me so much and so we would joke with each other when one of us would go on leave and send an email to the other saying "Think of me, think of me fondly when you say goodbye!"

Towards the last few months of my working at that company and living in Johannesburg, I joined Kerry's choir where we practised every Sunday afternoon. It was a great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was so nice to see Kerry as she was surrounded by the people she was close to and to see that she was not a different person around other people. Who Kerry was, was who Kerry was with everyone, she showed no bias.

The day I left the company, Kerry and I stood sobbing and hugging in the parking lot. Although Cape Town was only a 2 hour flight, it felt so wrong leaving behind someone that I'd come to value and appreciate and depend on for advice and moral support and a mischief companion for so long.

We kept in contact via phone and sms and email and when I came up to Johannesburg, I always made a point of going to see Kerry at work or wherever. She was one of those friends who was worth making the effort for.

And so on this day, the 24th of June, it is not a sad day, it is a happy day when I can think of her, think of her fondly even if we've said goodbye.