Sue and I had only known each other for less than a year, but she was one of the most beautiful people I've had the privelege of knowing.
I knew Sue from the CELTA course last year. Sue was always positive and full of life. She always had a smile and a hug for everyone. She always had a witty word of humour tucked under her sleeve, and was always so giving and readily available to anyone who needed a little extra boost. She loved people, she loved the little things in life, and more than anything, she always made sure she had a little love for herself too, and would spoil herself and indulge in happy things once in a while.
Sue and I lived about 5 minutes away from each other. We took the train together after school and she would drop me home from the train station. If one of us had driven to school we would car-pool home. I loved those times because she was one of the very few people I could talk to about anything under the sun. One day we had this crazy idea to drive to school and beat peak hour traffic by leaving home early. We ended up being stuck in traffic for almost two hours! We were late for class, of course, but it didn't matter, because we had had the most wonderful conversation in the car.
After the course ended, Sue went on a much-anticipated holiday to England and came back refreshed and ready to look for a new job and to start a new phase in life.
A few weeks ago, I saw her at Toowong Village, but she was too far away for me to call out to and I didnt bother running after her. I had been meaning to pop over her place to say Hi but I kept procrastinating. Saying that I never had time would be a lie, because I never really made time to.
If you're wondering why this is all written in the past tense, it is because Sue passed away last night from cancer.
It hit me this morning and it hit me hard. For once, my procrastination has resulted in something I am always going to regret, and I just hate myself so much at the moment. I've taken the morning off work because I do not want to take any of my personal emo-ness into work, and especially not into the classroom.
My deepest condolences go out to her family during this difficult time. If this woman whom I have only known for only a short period of time has already touched me so deeply, I cannot imagine what they must be going through.
Rest in peace, dear Sue... you will be fondly remembered .
