One day in 2002, while driving home, I reflected on my desire to make new friends. Despite being in my early 40s, I wasn’t sure how to connect with others anymore. I had been divorced for two years from a very restrictive marriage in which I felt invisible, as my ex-husband controlled every aspect of my life. Enduring domestic violence was incredibly challenging, but thankfully, I managed to escape its grip and come out of it alive.

While I was reflecting on how to seek new friendships, I was driving on my way home and listening to the radio and I heard a spokesperson discussing a newly launched social networking site. It felt like the universe was listening in on my thoughts and understood what I was seeking. Talk about timing! The site was specifically designed to help singles in Canberra connect. I took a mental note of the online link they provided on the radio and looked it up as soon as I got home. Once there, I joined their chat room, and Marlene was the first person to greet me.

Right after the introduction, she extended an open invitation to her place, where she was hosting a social gathering. “Bring a plate,” she said, “or if not, just bring yourself.” I was in!

The moment I met Marlene, we became instant friends. She introduced me to many lovely people after that. It was a fun group, but eventually, as can be the nature of these things, I drifted away and lost contact with most of them, but maintained some contact with Marlene, until a couple of years later, Marlene and I had a falling out over a referral she gave me for a man to install a railing around my patio.

She spoke very highly of him, as she’d used his services through a real estate agency she worked for, she contracted his employment for small petty jobs and he gave her a shining reference, which I’ve no doubt she deserved, but he turned out to be a complete waste of my time and an unreliable contractor. After having agreed for him to do the job, I waited almost eight weeks for him to start the job, I became extremely frustrated with his lack of communication and his failure to meet the promised timeline. He wouldn’t take my calls, and my emails to him got half-hearted responses with a promise to get my job done soon, but he never got around to it. What he should’ve said was that he could no longer do the job, rather than stuff me around as he did. So, one day, I ended up venting my frustrations to Marlene in a text message, as it was about the referral she gave me, expressing how her referral turned out to be worthless to me. I trusted her to keep our conversation private, but instead, without thinking it through, she forwarded my text directly to him. In hindsight, I should not have sent her that text, but unfortunately, in the heat of the moment, that’s what I did. I wanted her to know that the contractor she claimed would do the job wasn’t any good.

The day after, he then showed up at my house, pointing out the message I had sent her. I was embarrassed and mortified. Why did she do that? I thought we were friends. Unfortunately, I had already paid him a deposit for the railing with a further payment promised upon completion. He didn’t offer to refund me the money and I didn’t say anything to him about it. I just hopped he would do the job regardless of the text message about his unprofessionalism.

After confronting me with the message, a couple of days later he went and bought the railing, came over and dumped it all in my backyard, and then drove away. That was it. Unbelievable!

I was then left to find someone else to do the job. Luckily, I found someone else who did an excellent job of it. However, my relationship with Marlene ended the day that this man showed up at my house to show me the message Marlene had sent him.

Over the years, I hadn’t thought about Marlene at all. I moved out of Canberra in late 2020, and it wasn’t until this Saturday night, February 22, 2025, that I had a dream about her. In the dream, I found myself in a white, featureless space, and suddenly, there was Marlene. We were both completely surprised to see each other and we instantly hugged. In that brief moment, she recounted everything that had happened since we last saw each other. I don’t remember the details of what she said, but as we hugged, the issue that had transpired long ago between us was instantly forgiven.

When I woke up on Sunday morning, my first thought was to hope that Marlene was okay. However, as I replayed the dream, I started to feel that maybe, she may have passed. I had no reason to think this, but it was a thought that crossed my mind. I didn’t want to believe this thought, so I continued to recall the details of my dream until Monday night, I could no longer stand the uncertainty—I needed to find out what was going on with Marlene after all these years.

I went online and searched for her name, and immediately, I came across a headline from a newspaper announcing her passing. I couldn’t believe it. What? She had died? When? How? Further investigation led me to her obituary. It turns out she died 5 days after I moved out of Canberra in late 2020. I learned she died of cancer. She was 56 years old.

I don’t know why I found myself in a dream where I was in a white, featureless space. I don’t know why 5 years after her death her passing was revealed to me.

Life is full of wonder and mystery. In my opinion, I am convinced that life continues after our physical death. After having that dream, I do not doubt that multiple realms exist alongside us and that life is eternal in various forms.

Amazing.

RIP Marlene 🪷