At this time of year, with the red-and-pink assault of Valentine’s Day looming, it’s very easy to be cynical about love. As a corrective to that, may I suggest reading Barry Norman’s wonderful tribute to his wife, Diana, who died two weeks ago? The couple had been married for more than 50 years.
In the piece, published in today’s Daily Mail, Norman writes of finding Diana with “her glasses perched on her nose, a novel by Patrick O’Brian (one of her favourite authors) in her hand . . . She was resting peacefully against the pillows.” She had died in her sleep.
As the death was so sudden, the police and paramedics arrived, followed by family members and the undertaker.
Once his representatives arrived, the whole situation began to resemble the stateroom scene in the Marx Brothers movie A Night At The Opera — more and more people pouring in and the family (me, my daughters and grandsons Bertie, Harry and Charlie) being totally outnumbered by complete strangers.
Thus passed the worst morning of my life. The only word to describe what we, the family, were feeling was desolation. I always thought we’d had a pact, Diana and I, that I would die first, but I should have known she’d have the last word. She usually did, sometimes because I let her, often because she insisted on it.
Norman then pays tribute to Diana, whom he married within months of their meeting. “She was beautiful, witty, highly intelligent, quirky, stubborn and always immense fun to be with. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother and she was also — this is not just my opinion — one of the most gifted historical novelists around.”
But perhaps the most moving part is his description of their marriage — and all its ups and downs.
People who have been married for more than 50 years, like Diana and I were, are given to making remarks like: “We never had a cross word.” To which I can only ask: “What kind of a marriage was that?” The only person I could imagine living with for any length of time without a cross word would be someone for whom I felt total indifference. Diana and I had many a cross word because we disagreed frequently and I loved her to death and beyond.
It’s a beautiful piece of writing, from someone who — from my very limited personal dealings with him — seems to be a thoroughly decent person.
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