That Day!

Artwork by Jane Gillings

The picnic bench has been in the park at Greenvale Road, Green Point, for as long as I can remember.

However, on the 23rd of October in 2020, its significance changed forever. My darling husband, Derrick, took his last breath at the bench while suffering pains in his chest. He fell forward onto the ground. Two young men were waiting at the bus stop and the eldest tried to give Derrick CPR. Unfortunately, his kind and valiant actions were too late.

Just that morning, Derrick and I were standing on our front porch enjoying the lovely weather, when he said, ‘If you left the earth today it wouldn’t be a bad thing.” I just nodded my agreement. Now my life has changed forever!

Afterwards, some lovely person tied a small bunch of flowers to the picnic bench. What a wonderful gesture from a stranger. Life was very difficult in those first few weeks, but I did appreciate the actions of this empathic person. I took some photos, as did not want to forget this kindness.

On the following Friday, I sat at the bench with my mug of tea in the very early morning and chatted to Derrick until the sun rose. Before leaving, I wished him a Happy Birthday; he would have been 70. It, too, turned into another beautiful spring day. We were married 47 years.

The wooden bench has been replaced with a new one on a concrete footing. I still sit and talk to Derrick on my walks through the park.

Good things happen. A few weeks later, I was walking a friend’s dog through the park when I met an acquaintance. “How are you going?” she asked. I told her about the young man who did CPR on Derrick. A lad at the bus stop overheard me, rushed down and said, “that was my brother!” I was touched by how proud he was of his brother’s actions and asked him to pass on my thanks for his effort.