'Too much, too young'

1991 - sitting on the settee in a state of shock it took me a while to realize that the letter was over a week old. Although Elaine had written it as she was waiting for her operation presumably whoever had taken it off her to post had, understandably with all that was going on, forgotten to post it for a while.

So the operation was over.

Reading the letter in more detail she said that after the operation she was going to stay with Paul's mum in North London as the hospital said she'd need constant supervision for a couple of weeks. She put the phone number in the letter.

Nervously I rang it. Elaine was there. I spoke to her. I was so relieved to hear her voice.

She said she was ok, the operation had gone well. I said I'd catch the train down to London and come and see her straight away. I rang work - they were understanding.

I was so happy that my friend, my oldest friend, was not dead.