Farewell

The Last Farewell. When I worked as an orderly at a clinic in New York, (now shut) that used to look after celebs of the music and theatre world, I met Marilyn for the very last time. Dressed in a fur coat - and nothing else, hair untidy on her breath the lingering smell of alcohol; behind her a gelatinous, howling mob of reporters that wouldn't let go of their wounded prey, they wanted to absorb every little detail of her immense suffering, I showed Marilyn to the lift, held my arm around her to shield her from the cameras; pressed the button, it seemed to take forever before its door opened, when it did and she entered, I whispered: "I will always love you." She turned, and as the door closed, smiled and she was beautiful again