MY FRIEND ANNE 

I can always remember the first time I met Anne. I was in a bar with my girlfriend one Friday night many years ago, must have been about 23 years ago, just guessing as it could have been longer. We were all having a good time and my girlfriend, Diane, (whom is still my best friend), introduced me to Anne. Well, immediately Anne said to me “you have a sister Linda and she got me fired”, I can laugh about it now but I sure didn’t then. Anne definitely wasn’t on my good side with that remark. Of course I told her she was wrong and my sister would not do that.

 As the night wore on and we were all having fun, but I didn’t like this girl, my friend Diane told me she had to go and left me with Anne. I was not happy about it but what do you do, I couldn’t be mean and desert her. Anne had to much to drink and maybe I did too, cant remember but when closing time came and I was leaving with my ride, she plopped in the car with me. Then when I got to my place I had no choice but to take her in and put her in my spare room. Little did I know, this girl that I was not impressed with would become a big part of my life. She stuck like glue to me, think she must have realized that I am always there for my friends and she needed a good friend at that time.

 The next morning my friend Diane called and was laughing at how she left me there with Anne. I didn’t know until that time that Anne used to get on some peoples nerves and they were always trying to get away from her. I think it was only because Anne really valued friends and she was a very good one. I am so glad that I met her that night, although at the time I wondered. We had many great times through the years.

 When I told Diane on the phone that Anne was at my place she was in shock as when she left Anne and I were arguing about my sister. Strange but I always believed my sister was the cause of Anne and my friendship and years later after Anne and I had a terrible rift my sister was the cause of us getting back to our friendship.  

After that night, Anne would phone me, we would have dinner together and just kind of hung around. Actually there were times she got on my nerves but then maybe I got on hers too.  

Anne was single, never been married, and madly in love with a fellow that was really only using her. It was sad as she really loved him. I think she used to get too clingy to the guys, but in later years she didn’t like clingy herself.  

Shortly after we met, Anne had an opportunity to get a good job about an hour from here, she would have to give up her apartment and get a room there. Of course she wanted to come home on the weekends so I told her she could use my spare room on the weekends. This she did. She would show up on a Friday night and head back early Monday morning.

 These were the days when we were all young and free and loved to party. There was a country bar we used to go to drink and dance and in that order. Those were the days for sure. On Friday nights I always went to the bar and Anne would come in at some point. I have to laugh when I think of this one Friday night. Anne and I got many laughs over this one. She wasn’t really good at doing things when she was drinking and I had always told her she couldn’t cook then. I was so afraid she would start a fire. This one Friday night she left the bar before me and she was ready to go to sleep as I think she had been drinking before she arrived in town. I always had a pot of grease in the refrigerator for making fries. I guess poor Anne went in the refrigerator and tried to get something out and she spilled the pot of grease all through the refrigerator and the floor. It was everywhere, she had walked in it, the whole caboodle. I came home and went to get something from the fridge and I didn’t turn on the light, I slipped and ended up on my rump on the floor. Of course, I let out a holler and out came Anne half asleep. I said “what the heck did you do”?  She didn’t know what she had done, but she immediately said she was cleaning it up. I just left her and went to bed. When I got up in the morning she had that kitchen spotless, she was so afraid I was going to put her out but I had to laugh because it was funny. At least she didn’t cook!! This was one of many stories with Anne, and each was a hoot.

 We had so much fun through the years.

 Shortly after this she got word at her work that she was being transferred to the Toronto area which was about 5 hours from here. It was a big break for her and she just didn’t know what to do as she knew no one in Toronto. So I arranged with one of my brothers (stepbrother but he is a brother) and his wife that Anne stay with them until she found a place. I was forgetting how much Anne would make herself at home and wouldn’t be eager to move. They used to call me and tell that they couldn’t get her to move. I tried in my own way to urge her but nothing worked. Finally one of my other brothers helped her get a place and Anne’s sister moved up there at the same time. Years later I heard stories from my brothers girls that they would come home and Anne would be there sunbathing after she moved out. She really loved them but they didn’t want her there. 

Anne at one point got married and we had a big wedding here in  her hometown. Strange someone forgot the music at the church, it was the only wedding I watched the bride walk down the aisle without music. Must have been an omen because the marriage only lasted a short time.

Eventually I moved back to the Toronto area and Anne was in her glory and we spent a lot of time together. Anne didn’t drive in those day and I used to take her places when she needed to go. I was working in Sales and on call and one day Anne asked if I could take her someplace on a certain date. I told her as long as I didn’t have any sales calls. Well the night before I got called and had to go out of town the next morning. I called Anne and told her and she got so mad at me and started yelling at me, calling me names and slammed the phone in my ear. I didn’t appreciate it and I called her back and told her that I didn’t want to see her anymore, I had always been there for her and didn’t appreciate the things she said. It really hurt me and did for years whenever I would think of Anne.

She moved back home shortly after that and when I would come home I would hear about things she was doing but we never seen each other. I did miss her a lot but I held onto the anger as she had hurt me terribly.  Eventually I moved back home too and about two years after I was home my sister ran into Anne at the hospital. She was a nurse then, which was great, Anne said something to my sister about saying hi to me if she seen me. Well, Linda told her that I was living here again and proceeded to give Anne my phone number. Linda told me after that Anne was so happy to get my number. When Linda got home she called me and told me what she had done. I had a fit and told her that I didn’t want to see Anne, she owed me an apology and until she did give it that was that. Poor Linda didn’t know what to do. Here she had been the reason for me meeting Anne and now she was bringing us back together. Little did I know at that time there was a reason.  

The next day I decided to call Anne myself and I did and we talked for hours just like nothing ever happened. We started to spend time together off and on, nothing like we used to be but we both had moved on and she was working long hours. One day a couple of years later, Anne called me and asked me if I could please come over as she needed me. I don’t know but I knew at the time that something terrible had happened. I got there and she told me she had lung cancer and it was bad. We cried so much that day and shortly after she started her treatments. We would talk when she could but she had a hard fight ahead of her. There were ups and downs and then it looked like Anne had beat it and she finally got back to work. But I was always on egg shells as I just knew this wasn’t the end of it.  

I remember the last time that we really were able to so something together was one summer day and we went to the park as it was a music festival. That day is very special to me as we had fun, sat on these chairs in the park, once we down on them we could hardly get back up. We walked a lot and laughed a lot and just enjoyed the music. After we went for a cool drink, and then home.

cont.

Anne's Obituary