This post is dedicated to Diane, a neighbour of mine who died a few years ago after a struggle with breast cancer, I used to pop in and keep her company, cook some of her meals and do a bit of washing. On occasions I even took her to the doctors and one weekend spent several hours with her at hospital. One line I left out of the story was this message ” I didn’t die of the cancer, it was my heart that gave up” she said.
I’m glad she beat the cancer it’s a cruel disease.
Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, thank-you for coming this evening….” The man on stage began his introductions. I’d been having a one sided conversation for days with an ex-neighbour, about coming to this show.
“A lady came to see me earlier, whilst I was in my dressing room, I don’t usually allow this, but she was very pleasant, she asked if I’d enjoyed my recent holiday. She recalled her last holiday where she had sadly fallen ill. We chatted for a while before I ushered her away, saying that I needed to prepare for the show. I felt she never left, she hovered close by.
I’d like to introduce you to this lady now, her name is Diane. She’s come this evening to see a friend, not a relative but a neighbour. Is there anyone in the audience called Rose? No sorry Rosie who would know this lady?”
Goosebumps ran up and down my neck and I felt myself pushed from behind. Strange when I sat on the back row. I slowly raised my hand and a camera on the stage swung to me. I saw myself pictured on the stage screen. A microphone was passed.
“Do you know a Lady called Diane?”
“Yes!” I stammered. My friend stood next to me in support, the attention was making me tremble.
“Your neighbour?”
“Yes” I confirmed
Back and forth went questions.
“Max Bygraves, she loved Max Bygraves”
“I don’t know, possibly” I couldn’t remember, Diane had only been my neighbour for 5 years and Max was a little in the past.
“Toothbrushes! A pink and a blue one, in fact you and your friend, just look at you, you’re wearing blue and your friend is in pink” This made the audience laugh and the tension eased, I remember choosing to wear the blue jumper earlier, a coincidence?
My friend said she had been buying toothbrushes in the shop where Diane used to work earlier that day and arguing with her husband over the pink and blue ones. I didn’t understand a connection with toothbrushes. I shook my head.
“It’s ok, it will come to you later perhaps, let’s thank this lady for being a part of the show” The audience applauded and we sat down, I was a bit shocked.
I had such strong feeling from the show that it kept playing over and over in my mind. I needed to phone a friend, but broaching this subject with an Irish Catholic on a Sunday wasn’t ideal, I left it until Monday.
The phone call went like this…
“Hi Margaret…. I saw a show with a spiritual medium on Saturday and I think Diane came through.”
“I’ll just top up my Gin love and then you can carry on….” she said.
“Right then, I’m sitting down now, do you know, Diane and I always wanted to go to one of those shows, she was a real believer. What happened?”
I told her about Diane’s spirit approaching the medium in his dressing room. She hooted with laughter, “That would be her alright, always one to be at the front of any queue we were in. “Coming through, it’s my birthday!” She’d announce, that women had more birthdays than anyone else!”
“Diane mention Max Bygraves and toothbrushes, does that mean anything to you?”
“Ha ha ha! Oh my life! It was her. She loved Max Bygraves! When our kids were young and later when we’d had a few Gins we’d sing that song by him;
“You’re a pink toothbrush, I’m a blue toothbrush, have we met somewhere before?”
We talked some more, I was left with a glowing feeling of happiness. Putting the experience down on paper doesn’t do it justice. YOU JUST HAD TO BE THERE!
Rosie Amber 