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It is only in hindsight that I see how the text below might be taken by my parents in particular, who are irreplaceable to me and who I’ve appreciated far too infrequently in my life. Still, I cannot allow my fears of in some way hurting them to force me to take this piece down. Perhaps that is more of the brave stupidity I’ve seen in my life; in all my dealings I’m sure there have been plenty of things which never occurred to me at the time. Has all of it been stupidity?
Diana Dudley.
I don’t know what to call her because ‘friend’ sounds so insufficient. My father commented to me the other day after reading something else I’d written about her that he didn’t realize how much Diana had become part of the family to me.
And she was.
She was the person who would always listen with her utmost to anything you had to say. She was the one who never judged you, belittled you, or held you in anything other than the warmest regards. The one who could give you a spirited discussion or argument on a moment’s notice. The one who you could count on in the middle of the rain in the middle of the night and the one you called first with any great news you had to share.
Right after you called your mother, to be truly honest about it.
She was that tough-as-nails mother/grandmother/best friend hybrid character you could only believe in the comics. The one who cherished you back when you cherished her.
