lucy is back in town.

you remember me telling you about lucy – she used to live in our building. it was with her and her family charles, mo and i travelled to phuket with on the saga of:

will she have a seizure or won’t she?

https://tesspeak.typepad.com/my_weblog/2005/02/_my_brain_and_b.html#comments

lucy was also the friend who endeared herself to me forever when the triplets came home from the hospital and i was getting used to reflux and vomit and thousands of feeding and feeding charts and trying to decide at what point do you attempt a re-feed or just let them be, for one month she had sebastian come over to her flat for dinner and a bath.

can you imagine? she brushed it off. encouraged me to come and see him sometime during the meal, but insisted he go to theirs for dinner and a bath, every night. and a play. until bedtime, basically.

when doug and carolyn and penny had come to visit, she wasn’t in town, and she had offered them her flat, so they could be more comfortable instead of crammed into our playroom.

that was lucy, and i love her for it.

and one day, about a year later, she informed me as we were walking down the driveway that they were moving to perth.

you’re always kind of devastated when someone you love moves. it’s a piece of your routine, and your sounding board, and of course when your a transplant, or an expat, it’s your family. such an important resource. and most of all, lucy was my friend.

we stayed in touch over email, although i am not good with email. and then, one day she sent an email and insisted that i call her back. she was indeed pregnant, and darling juliette came into their world nine months later. she’s gorgeous.

and then, in january, lucy called and then in a series of emails, said she wanted to come and visit.

she was coming back to see us! she has so many friends in this building and we all let out a collective cheer, none so loud as editha, lucy’s helper who is now working with another lovely family, the firths. she booked her ticket and we waited six long months…

and here she is. the day she walked in, i started calling friends, and they came downstairs, the kettle went on, and we all started catching up. the next morning, after the school run, it started again, in a different flat this time.

talking, smiling, sharing. joy. challenges. ambitions. food. tea.

sometimes i look at her, and i smile. i am so glad you came. i tell her.

so am i. she answers me.

i know she isn’t yearning to come back to hong kong. life is too short and she is too happy in australia. this makes me happy. you don’t want to think of someone you love unhappy in their life, even if it means they won’t be a daily part of yours.

but i am so grateful to have had this time with her. any time.

she came back.

and i hope to go to her, soon. when the time is right.