“YOU JUST CAN’T. It’s too much for you. I wouldn’t want to take it on and I’m half your age, Dad. Please think about it.” Joe slowly lifted his gaze and looked at his son with what he hoped was a face that gave nothing away.
“Okay. I’ll think about it but I’m not making any promises. I’ve lived in this house for nearly 50 years and I’m not like you youngsters who move every two years when you change your job!” Alan chuckled.
“Thanks Dad. It’s a long time since anyone called me a youngster. I’ll be looking at retirement myself soon. And when I do, I can tell you that I’ll be looking at taking things a bit easier, not trying to prove that I’m not getting older.”
“I am not trying to prove anything!” retorted Joe with more than a suggestion of annoyance in his voice. Joe mused over the conversation with his eldest child – approaching retirement or not, he was still Joe’s child and Joe began to wonder at what point in the relationship with your offspring do they decide that they know better than you. Was there really a point at which they silently (or not) became the more authoritative voice in any discussion between the two of you?
The Maples had been the only house that Joe and his wife Anna had ever owned. They bought it when they married and it was originally a three-bedroomed house with an unusually large garden.
This story is from the December 2020 edition of Let's Talk.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2020 edition of Let's Talk.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
STOP ME AND BUY ONE: Nigel's on the way with his 1981 Bedford
It’s something we all recall with delight. “Mum, it’s the ice cream man!” Let’s Talk’s motoring man David Clayton meets someone happy to be the owner of a Bedford ice cream van. Bring on the Strawberry Mivvis, choc ices and 99s ...
Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS
He was a man without sight but with such vision. Derek James remembers Thomas Tawell who died 200 years ago.
Maggie hits the bottle with some HOMEMADE SUCCESS
Maggie Gallop, a member of the Norfolk Federation of WIs, has been foraging away in the hedgerows and now has the perfect recipe for Christmas gifts for friends. Hic!
It's a dog's life ... celebrated in A WONDERFUL EXHIBITION
It is an unusual exhibition which offers so much. While throwing the spotlight on famous people, it is their companions who take centre stage. Derek James reports.
Garden guru Monty's celebration of the natural world
Gardening writer and broadcaster Monty Don shares his love of nature in his new book, My Garden World. Rachel Banham takes a look.
Ant and Dec amazed at a 30-YEAR CAREER packed with success
They are the cheeky northern friends who have been familiar and award-winning faces on our TV screens for three decades. Rachel Banham reports.
It's All Very Sad But There Is Plenty Of Help Available
It’s easy to say ‘It’s that time of the year again’ or to blame the weather for feeling depressed and miserable. But there is a recognised illness out there that may require treatment. Aptly, it is called SAD (seasonal affective disorder) as Terry Redhead explains.
THE GIFT
SHORT STORY
Our teachers were TOP of the class
They are people who tend to make a big impression on our lives and we never forget them. Derek James pays tribute to our teachers.
Drummer Bobby's ‘Hollies' days stretch over six decades
As the influential drummer for The Hollies, Bobby Elliott has musical anecdotes spanning six decades. Now, he has brought those memories together in his autobiography, It Ain’t Heavy, It’s My Story. Bobby speaks to Rachel Banham.