Guest Post: Cleo Da Gama Rose

My Darling Helena,

 

I wanted to tell you some things that I never got a chance to tell you. I have met many people in my life and many have been my friends, some good friends and some great friends. However, very few, have made the impression that you made. You made a huge impact on my life and in this case, it is not the quantity of time that I spent with you or knew you, it is the quality of that time. 

Firstly, thank you for choosing to be my friend over a year ago - you enjoyed meeting me at a lunch at Zen Garden with mutual friends and we exchanged numbers - that happens to me a lot, but then you texted and asked if we could go for a movie and it was history after that. I can't hear the songs from "Love Aaj Kaal" without getting tears in my eyes now, in fact I have gone off indian songs and movies - maybe this is temporary, I don't know. How you loved that movie - we went a second time to the cinema, with your older Swedish friend. That is how you chose the theme for your housewarming - "BOLLYWOOD"... I remember how excited you were when we went to buy your sari...the white and red...you looked gorgeous! The housewarming went so well and you kept raving about my chicken curry, but I think you were just being nice! 

It was great to meet so many of your friends in Nairobi. We had so many memories together and we bacame fantastic friends very fast, am so glad for that, as the time was short. All the time I knew you, you were so sick...sometimes, Helena, I get so frustrated with the medical expertise in Kenya and think of the circles you had to go through...but, you handled it all with such poise. It's funny how we get so worked up about the small stuff and when you were given your final diagnosis, I was so amazed by how well you handled it...you did not stop smiling. Even when I spoke and chatted to you while you were in Belgium, you were positive. I think of this often and try not to get worked up by the mundane and even the big challenges that are inevitable for everyone.

 I remember so vividly when you told me that you had finally figured out that you wanted to be a teacher...well I did not really know it at the time...but I am on that journey now. I am doing my post-grad in education and teaching lots of amazing children privately. I think you would be so proud to see me now - not stressed, balanced, happy, and physically fit with my yoga practice and moving forward with each day, smiling.  So I never got to say thank you Helena...for the lessons you taught me by your grace, poise, laughter and just by being you. I think of you all the time and look forward to meeting you again one day- we will finish our conversations then...

 

With much love always,

Cleo

Cleo and Helena at her Bollywood housewarming party