YesBut is this It? - Part 3

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):

After lunch the kids had a sleep, around 3:00 o’clock he decided to put Lucy in her pram and take her and her brother Darren down to the seafront.

It was quite pleasant for the time of year, the sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze coming off the sea. He sat on the seawall and watched the kids build a sandcastle.

“Come on Gramps help us.”

“You should”. That was the second time that day that he’d been startled by someone speaking to him. He turned around to see a well dressed, some would say prim lady, he guessed, in her late sixties.

“Yes I should”.
“The little girl already has her mothers ways”
“I’m sorry do I know you”.
“No, but I’ve seen you in town with Jane and the children”

He wondered how she knew his daughters name.

“I am Miss Roberts, I taught Jane in Form 2, at Lakeside Primary School”.
“Miss Roberts. Gosh I remember I’ve heard about you from my wife.”
“Yes, I see her in town, she’s looking well”.

“Mr Williams do you . . .”
“Please call me Glyn“.
“Yes, well, Glyn, I cannot help but notice the resemblance between the little boy with your father”.
“My Dad?”
“Yes, some days he would come to take Jane home from school”.

“Perhaps its because I was a teacher having no children of my own, I became fascinated by the influence parents, and even grandparents have on children. You know children are mimics they learn by example. They pickup their accent from the people around them, even small mannerisms. What are their names?”

“Darren and Lucy”.

“Look at the way Lucy holds her left hand behind her head when she’s thinking, Jane used to do the same thing. And from what I remember so did your mother”.

“Your right, yes Mam would stand like that”.

“This is the fourth generation of your family that I’ve known, and I have seen the influence of one on the other on the other. Children are our future isn’t a meaningless saying. They really are. Those two are your future. Not only will they have your DNA, but they will have some of your mannerisms, thoughts, prejudices and preferences. Gosh listen to me I sound more like a preacher than an ex-teacher”.

“No, it’s alright; you’ll never know how timely it was talking to you, thanks, thanks very much”.

“Well I must be off, nice meeting you Glyn, please pass my good wishes to Jane and your wife, goodbye”.

“Goodbye Miss Roberts. Come on kids lets finish the sandcastle then we’ll go for ice-cream”

That evening when Jane was putting Darren to bed, he turned to his mom. “You know Gramps is a secret agent.”
She laughed “Gramps a secret agent, why do you say that?”
“He can see the Invisible Man.”
“Don’t be silly”.
“Yes, yes he can, he can I saw him talk to him this morning and on the beach this afternoon, so there”.
“OK clever what did he look like?”
“I couldn’t see him, I only saw Gramps talking to him”.

Jane had been worried about her Father for sometime, he didn’t seem to be his old self.

She wondered if she should discuss her concern with her Mom, “Better not it will only worry here”.

Tucking the bedclothes around Darren she told him, “Perhaps its best if Gramps doesn’t take you for more walks, we don’t want a Secret Agent to get too tired”.