Nancy would have laughed

I mentioned the special relationship I had with Nancy Long. We knew each other well enough to say practically anything. A few weeks ago we were discussing Nancy's eligibility to retire in October (one quarter of a school year). Nancy, being the always loyal teacher, said she was contemplating sticking it out for the whole school year. She said she felt uneasy leaving her students in the middle of the school year. I looked at her and said, "Nancy, we've been friends a long time, and I feel like I can say this to you. If you don't retire the first day you can, you're a fool". I said it lovingly, but meant every word. She laughed because she knew how stressful teaching has become and she knew I only said what I said because I wanted her to start enjoying her retirement as soon as possible. No offense was taken. She just sloughed it off, shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know. We'll see." We left it at that.

I was sobbing when I first heard the news and Tami was doing her best to comfort me. Through my tears I told Tami that Nancy was supposed to retire in October and now she'll never get there. Then I said, "She didn't even get to enjoy her summer vacation". Then it hit me and I had to laugh when I said, "Heck, she didn't even get to enjoy a whole weekend". I know Nancy would have laughed at that too. She worked her tail off for 30 years after beating cancer and died months before retirement. That makes me very sad. Nancy is in heaven with her Lord and Savior and I rejoice in that. I miss my friend so much already.