YesBut is this It? - Part 2

Continued from yesterday.

For YesBut’s Image on 19th July 2007, Brian in Oxford 's suggested the caption -

"Not fags. We've bags. Get used to it!"

The photo suggested the following story to me, (continued from yesterday):

Being a Wednesday it was his duty to look after his grandchildren while his wife and daughter went “out for the day”. It was sunny so he thought he’d take them out to the park to feed the ducks.

While Darren fed the ducks he spoke to Lucy. He really liked the conversations he had with her, she was the only person who listened to him - well it wasn’t a conversation, being only fourteen months old she didn’t have much to say. And he only assumed she listened because she smiled.

“Look, look at Darren feeding the ducks. Darren there’s a good boy, don’t go too close the water. There, now where was I? I was telling you about the time I was an important manager in the works where your daddy works. Yes, they didn’t want me to retire. I’m sorry now that I did. Apart for taking you and Darren for walks, the last three years have been the most boring in my life, and I can’t see things improving, in fact its probably going to be a lot worst. Already I notice I can’t walk as far as I used to.”

“Don’t sound so gloomy”. He jumped because he hadn’t noticed the man come and sit by him on the bench.

“You startled me”.
“Sorry. You sounded down.”
“That’s life”.
“Surely not that bad”.
“No, but, well? Do you ever think what its all about?”
“All about?”
“Yes, the meaning of life”.

The stranger laughed. “I just get on with it”.
“But, there must be some reason, otherwise what’s the point?”
“Has there got to be a point”.
“Surely, yes. Otherwise I might as well walk into the lake now and drown myself”.

The stranger laughed again. “And the point of your life so far?”
“I suppose, these two young ones. ”
“That sounds good enough for me.”
“But don’t you feel you want to do something, to be remembered?”

The stranger turned to look at him. “Remembered? Whose remembered?”
“Famous people”.
“Look just think about it. Who are these so called famous people? Let me tell you about my China test”.
“China test?”
“Yes, its simple, just imagine showing a photo of someone you think is famous to a person living in the middle of China. What do you think are the chances of them recognising them?”
“Put that way, not very high”.
“So much for famous people”.

The stranger got up to move away, “be happy, it’s the only life you’ll have”.

“Come on kids, lets go home for lunch”.

As he walked home pushing the pram he thought, ”I’ve got some decisions to take”.

To be continued tomorrow - Bookmark this page