I first met Sara when she came to live with her relations in Evenley. Sara was in her early 30s then.
I helped her aunt tidy the spare room for her, and she soon settled down there. She didn’t have much, but she soon found a good job with the M.O.D.
A year later she was allocated a lovely council flat in Brackley. We became good friends and I was delighted when the council gave me the flat next door.
We spent many happy hours playing scrabble and she often baked scones and made homemade lemonade.
We’d go shopping at the weekends, and one weekend we went to Chipping Norton to visit Ronnie Barker’s antique shop. When we got there the shop was empty and Ronnie Barker was stood behind the counter like he did in “Open All Hours”. He was just the same as he was on the television, natural and charming. I bought a tablecloth and Sara bought a vase. It was a lovely memorable day.
We also had a holiday in Sidmouth where I met Sara’s mam and stepdad. We didn’t want to go home at the end of the week.
Eventually I met a boyfriend and moved in with him. Sara and I were still good friends. Two years later Sara told me she was moving to a bungalow near the town centre as she had got MS.
She got worse and had to leave her job.
I used to pop in regularly to see her and although she was bedridden she never got down.
Whenever I had had a problem she was always there to console me and give me good advice. I knew I could depend on her to say the right words.
I went away for a weekend and when I got back I found she wasn’t at her bungalow. Sadly she had a few months in hospital and died unexpectedly.
I will always miss her.