I posted some time ago about the two songs that mean the most to me when it comes to Maddie – two songs that touched me deeply in the times they were released, and related closely to how I felt about Maddie at the time.
They of course are John Farnham’s version of Touch of Paradise from 1986, and Richard Marx’s Right Here Waiting from 1989.
The special moment in time I am re-living tonight is a beautiful visual memory of what was probably on 15 or 20 seconds I shared with her, not long after she came back after I thought I had lost her forever, and locks in why Touch of Paradise is one my true Maddie songs.
We were in separate home-room groups in that second year, and while I was over the moon that she was still around, it was disappointing to not be in the same class. I just didn’t get to see her all day every day like I craved, and like I was used to.
It was nearing the end of the lunch break one day. I was heading to my locker to get my books ready for the next class, and it seemed like she had just finished doing the same thing.
The lockers for her class were around the corner of a building from where the lockers for my class were – and as I walked along towards my locker, Maddie rounded the corner and was walking straight towards me.
Her face lit up when she saw me, and I’m sure that mine did too. Her big beautiful smile – (to this day, still one of my favourite things about how she looks) – just beamed with energy.
There was a little bit of wind, and behind her were trees full of bright green leaves that were swaying in that breeze. It teased and tossed her long blonde hair as she walked.
I was spellbound.
Not a word was spoken as we passed by each other, but the energy was electric.
Whenever I hear Touch of Paradise it is exactly this moment I think about when it get to the line, “well the trees vibrate when our eyes meet.”
If I have a single favourite visual memory of Maddie from almost 40 years – this is it.
The song had been painful over the Christmas holidays, but now it was beautiful.
Just like Maddie.