I know I have friends who think I shouldn’t still be wearing jewellery given to me by a man who everyone knows isn’t coming back. But, despite the fact that I’ve reluctantly accepted that I’ll never see him again – just about – something still stops me from taking off the necklace permanently. It’s not just that it seems to complement every item in my wardrobe, or that I fell in love with its delicate, blossom-shaped pendant the second I saw it. It’s because whatever misery I went through when Roberto had gone, it was given to me during times I still consider to be the best of my life. It’s a reminder that once, albeit in the distant past, he and I had something undeniably, uniquely good. As we arrive at the business–class lounge, these thoughts evaporate. For those who have not experienced the unbridled joy of this oasis – and that included me until three and a half seconds ago – allow me to let you into a secret: if ever there was proof that life’s not fair, this is it.
