Tonight is the last day for one of my best and longtime friends and colleagues at work.
We’ve spent more than 10 years together, gone through so much — from many staff dinners that are always held a few days before Christmas, where a different but always good and well-known singer performs. There’s always plenty of food and drink, and we celebrate together until the early morning hours.
This time, the dinner is being held at the end of the summer season rather than before the Christmas holidays like before, so I hope it will be just as fun as it was then.
I hope tonight will be even better because it’s also the last working day for another long-serving cleaner, who is retiring. But my dear colleague Danijela is pregnant, and after she gives birth, she won’t be returning to this job — she’ll be focusing on her husband and children, which I deeply respect.
We also went through the earthquake together five years ago, which happened at 3 in the morning and was 4.3 on the Richter scale. I supported her during that time, as she, like most people, is very afraid of earthquakes.
I was there for her when she slipped down three steps and broke her leg — I drove her to the emergency room.
She also went through some relationship issues when her husband cheated on her, but she forgave him.
I stood by her side and encouraged her through that too.
We’ve been through all of that together, and now we’ll be seeing each other much less. She lives 27 km away from me, and since I only work night shifts, it won’t be easy to meet up for coffee — especially now that she’s pregnant and then after she gives birth. That makes me a bit sad.
And as she told me, “You will always be a part of my life,” and I hope I will always be a part of hers too.
And that’s exactly how it is — she will forever remain in my heart as the dearest, most cheerful, and most optimistic person I’ve ever met.
Thank you for all the lovely night shifts during which you made me laugh and brought joy to my heart — sometimes even to the point of tears.
We took lots of photos during our night shifts when I used to look out for her — I’ll share some of those, and I’m truly glad that she will always be a part of my life and that I got the chance to meet her.
