I went to school with Claire, and she was the nicest person there. She was friends with everyone, no matter what their clique or cool-factor. She was funny, self-deprecating, sweet, super-intelligent and lovely. We were good friends - and I always wished that she wasn't quite SO popular so that I could have more time with her to myself. Funny - I don't think she'd remember it this way at all, though if she could see the number of people from school who will be at the funeral, perhaps she might.
We were both accepted to Cambridge, and I was so excited that we were going to the same place for university. Then when she got her exam results and found that she'd missed one of her 3 A's by a whisker, they wouldn't take her. So she ended up in London instead, and, as is the way of these things, we started to lose touch, especially as she was a med student and so busy and tired all the time.
Recently though, thanks to Facebook, I felt connected to her again. It is so weird to see that she was doing stuff on Facebook even a few days ago, and now she is gone. Both her partner and her friend have kindly shared pictures of her on FB, and it's so good to see how happy she looks in them.
I still can't quite believe it. I always thought that when she had more time, we'd rekindle our friendship properly. I can't quite comprehend what it means to just *stop* in the middle of everything. I can't believe I've lost her, and yet I know my loss is minimal compared to the devastation her partner and family are going through right now.
There's a part of me that still expects the world to be just, or fair, or to somehow make sense, but on Thursday, that part got a lot smaller.
So please let this be a reminder not to let important people slip away, or to think that there will always be another day to call or email. And next time you have a drink, raise your glass and toast Claire Epstein - a truly beautiful person who will be very greatly missed indeed.
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