"U2 have a song called One, which features the line One life with each other/ sisters, brothers. When my dad was quite sick, my sister would play that song on repeat in his hospital room. As soon as U2 started playing that song, I just started crying. As I sobbed silently to myself, a beautiful stranger next to me, dressed in a pink tutu, asked me if I was OK."
"I told her about my dad and she just drew me in, holding me tight and not letting go. Every time I would cry, she would hug me tighter, as we swayed to the music. This went on for over an hour. At the end of the set she gave me a very sisterly kiss on the forehead and wandered off into the distance. When you lose a parent at 19, it puts you far ahead of your peers, and not in a good way."
My father died when I was 19 after a short, sharp fight with cancer. Unsure how to proceed, I took a year off university and backpacked through Europe, eventually attending Glastonbury in 2011. U2, my father's favourite band, played and their song "One" triggered memories because my sister had played it repeatedly during his illness. I began crying and a stranger in a pink tutu embraced me, holding me tight and comforting me for over an hour. She kissed my forehead at the end of the set and then left. Her unexpected empathy brought the first moment of peace I had felt in a year. Losing a parent at 19 created emotional distance from peers and made most well-meaning responses feel inadequate.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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