#88 Golden Gate
Janne never visited the United States, a place very close to my heart. We planned to do a long trip a few times, but things got on the way. She did meet several of my American friends who visited either Norway or Estonia. She got along with all of them.
Every time we’d watch a movie, I had a habit of guessing the city. Janne would start asking me even before I tried. I have good friends in Montana, Seattle, California, Chicago, Texas, everywhere. I studied in Bozeman, close to Yellowstone, by far the most beautiful place where I have lived.
I have a good friend in Seattle whom I share an artistic sensibility with. A few days ago, she let me know of a program in my favorite American radio (KEXP). It’s about grief. The DJ lost his mother 19 years ago. Every November 13th, he dedicates a program to people who have lost someone.
I put on my KEXP t-shirt and started listening. I broke down with the first four songs as they were meaningful to us: “To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra (This is Us), “How it Ends” by DeVotchKa (Little Miss Sunshine), “Breathe Me” by Sia (Six Feet Under), “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You” by Colin Hay (Garden State). When we watched Little Miss Sunshine, Janne asked me how far it was from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach. I told her “about a day”, but then I checked (12 hours of continuous driving). She was wowed by the vastness of the US.
I sent a request to the radio. I didn’t write Janne’s name. She got upset when people would mispronounce or misspell her name (easy to do in English or Spanish). I requested “Kisses” which at this stage is an anthem for me. They played it. At 9:07 p.m., Estonian time, the DJ read my short message. She added, “oh, sending you huge huge hugs and love, that is so so difficult, I can’t even imagine”. Knowing that hundreds of thousands of people in the US heard about Janne made me happy.
One of the places I am familiar with is San Francisco. That city has a well-known bridge, the Golden Gate. I have never visited it. I promised myself that I would go there for the first time only if Janne was with me. She knew about it.
Janne just crossed that other bridge instead.
