Wonderful TonightĪs we all walked in, I heard the opening notes to Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight. Nothing would stop him from having this moment. He was the proud father in his wedding suit. The guests were ushered inside, and the car pulled up with Liz and her dad cosy in the back seat. We waited at the venue and I felt slightly nervous for her and her dad's arrival. She left to go to her dad's house, dressed in a white, tea length dress which the bridal shop had managed to alter for her in one visit. "Nothing would stop him from having this moment" She arrived back from the hairdresser with flowers in her hair – roses from her childhood garden and freesias because they were her grandmother's favourite flowers. I could see she was unsettled but she didn't let it get in the way. The day came and we got ready together, bridesmaids and bride staying at her mum's house. Neither Liz nor I had ever been particularly interested in weddings, so this was a dream for her: no time to over-plan anything or fixate on details. I was to be a bridesmaid, and those three weeks passed in a blur, arranging the dress, the flowers, the reception, the bridesmaids at record speed. (She said yes, of course.) "Roses from the childhood garden" the wedding was booked for three weeks later in a venue near to Kevin's home – because Jason wanted to make sure Liz could be walked down the aisle by her dad. He was proposing the next weekend and there was more.
In early Autumn I got a call out of the blue from Liz's boyfriend Jason with some top-secret news. so I've been better," which is the type of dark humour our families love. When my brother asked him how he was, Kevin said "Well, I'm dying. He got sicker and sicker but never lost his charm or his twinkly eyed jokes. But the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer came like a punch to the stomach. After all this was Kevin: he'd been ever constant, strong and reliable. So when Kevin first got sick, I wasn't worried. Goode as his cue to finish his pint and head home before the Friday night revelling got too wild. Kevin knew their set well and he used Johnny B. Liz's brother Jim was in a band, playing locally at pubs and bars, and we'd often all go together to see them. Our parents felt interchangeable at times – we stayed at each other's houses for sleepovers and even shared a holiday in France when we got rained out of our campsite. The world's kindest man, always a twinkle in the eye, and a little joke over a cup of tea. Probably not quite ready to face the music back at home. After getting into trouble one night, it was Liz's dad my brother rang rather than ours. We went to the same schools and even our brothers were best friends too. Liz is the youngest with three brothers, and I'm the youngest with two brothers. As legend would have it, her mum visited mine when I was first born, felt inspired and created me a best friend. Our families grew up together, sharing childcare during school pick-ups or holidays. Conveniently just up the hill, past the village hall and the church, lived Liz.