Lunch at Raffles.

I wept yesterday when a brochure came through the door from Cunard.

David and I travelled well. We have covered most of the world even though our stops were bite sized pieces compared to proper engagement with a city or country.

The glossy invitation was for him. Cunard sent him an invitation to cruise the Far East. This included a stop in Singapore for a visit to Raffles.

It was this that made me cry.

Our lunch at Raffles about five years ago was one of the happiest, most precious moments of my life.

Food just kept appearing as did wine.

In the corner of the room was a small black pianist playing every different sort of music it's possible to imagine. Some jazz, some Chopin, some Debussy.... even ragtime, all interspersed with hymns....when he got to "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam" our cup almost literally ran over...

We were enjoying lunch for around three hours and the pianist never repeated himself. It was sublime and at the end David pressed some notes into my hand.

"For the pianist " he said.

I went to give it to him and thanked him, especially for the hymns.

"I spotted you liked them" he said with an American accent. "I saw you were both believers. Is your husband a priest? "

"Erm, no. That would be me."

He beamed at me ...."I knew one of you was" He then invited us to his church on Sunday.

The whole occasion, the food, the drink and the music was one of the best moments of both our lives. The recollection was what made me weep six months to the day he died.

Memories to treasure for ever. Thank you God.

 

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