My Friend Fran

I could create a piece using the title of James Blunt’s son “You’re So Beautiful” to answer the 48-hour WdC challenge. Instead, I am emotional about the music video presented as the media for this challenge.


Twenty-seven years ago, a close friend called me to tell me she wanted to kill herself because she had gotten into serious trouble at our workplace. I had known her for approximately fifteen years before she died sitting in her running vehicle in her garage.


When she first transferred to our center in the Southwest from New York City, people made fun of her New York accent. She buzz-cut her hair herself while often dying it bright red or purple. She wore clothes that in places were worn. She joined our management group and we hit it off. During that first year I knew her, she spoke to me about her outlook on relationships. She was never married and childless.


Toward the end, I was summoned to the Director of Operations office. I was told that rumors were going around that I was romantically involved with this friend. The way she dressed and wore her hair was stereotypically the appearance of a lesbian. We both smoked cigarettes spending our breaks and lunches together outside the building sitting in a designated smoking area called the butt hut.


I was advised to think about appearances. It was their opinion that I needed to discontinue being with this person at work or at the very least not be together on breaks. I was gobsmacked! The timeframe was when diversity awareness rolled out on a national scale. We had diversity groups that our company sponsored including an LBGTQ+ group. My friend did not like labels and did not join a group. We were united in the belief that knowledge is power. The information sharing had positive results.


The music video posted has triggered my memories of that traumatic Saturday morning. I left a note on the activity suggesting a trigger warning would have been appropriate.

568 words 48-Hour Challenge: Media Prompt