Across the miles

While Florian was disappointed by the decision, he understood Jacqui’s position. “I was sad that my holiday and chance to meet Jacqui in person had been cancelled, but I understood how it must seem from this new man’s point of view. It wasn’t a terrible blow.”

A terrible blow did come a few weeks later however, when Jacqui’s new boyfriend told her he didn’t like her liaising with Florian at all. “I told him [the new boyfriend] that Flo and I were just friends, but I put myself in his shoes... I had to respect his feelings.” Nevertheless, saying goodbye to Florian was one of the hardest things Jacqui had ever had to do. “I remember saying the words and I felt so sad and guilty to be ending such a good friendship.” Hearing her say goodbye was also one of the hardest things Florian had ever experienced. “It was not a good day. Every phone call we’d had since the beginning was always full of laughing but now there was no laughing,” he says. The first month without their phone calls was the hardest for them both. “I missed her calls but I knew the message was clear,” says Florian.

Five years after saying goodbye to Florian, Jacqui married the boyfriend who had come between them. In the meantime, Florian also married. Although they occasionally thought about each other, Jacqui and Florian never made contact during those years. “When I broke up with my first girlfriend I thought about calling Jacqui and going for a visit to Australia, but I decided against it,” says Florian.

Ultimately though, fate stepped into Jacqui’s life. “I found out my husband was being dishonest with me,” she explains. “I left him fourteen months after we married.” A year later, in April 2003, Jacqui was feeling good about her life again and decided to catch up with some old workmates. As they chatted, a fond memory from seven years before popped into Jacqui’s mind. “I suddenly remembered that first phone call with Florian,” she says. “I had this overwhelming urge to call him.”

Words: Linda Peatling. Photography: Sam McAdams.

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