This morning a man came into my shop to buy a plant for his wife. I asked him what her favourite plant was, and he said ‘she didnt really have a favourite one; I just like to plant a flower on our anniversary. She passed away 16 years ago, and it’s something I do every year’ I didnt know what to say to him: he looked so sad and I think he was very close to tears. I asked him if it gets any easier, over the years, when you lose someone close to you. He said ‘No: he thought it would, but it just seems to get harder’. We talked for over an hour, and I found out so much about him. In 1943, when he was 14 years old, he started working at the Coop and his first wage was a pound a 3 pennies. In 1947, when he was 18, he joined the army in the fight against Hitler: he was one of the lucky ones to come home without any injuries. He met his wife just after the war ended, in 1945. In 1965, after working for the coop for 20 years, they opened a grocers shop, in Lidget Green. They bought their first house together in 1972, and moved their business to a bigger shop, on Cooper Lane, Shelf, in 1991. Since his wife passed away he has tried to keep himself busy. He goes to the local library in the village; to get his weekly ‘fix’ of reading, and he uses the computers there to send emails and search the internet. He’s 85 years old, and he lives in the house he and his wife bought 18 months before she passed away. They were looking forward to a settled life together....plodding around in their garden, and enjoying their retirement together. His wife died of cancer, within 3 months of it being diagnosed. I learned and realised a lot today. I learned how lonely someone can be when they lose the love of their life. Its a loss you never get over. I learned, that listening to someone, means a lot to them, and helps them to get through their day. I also realised, that having a shop in a local village...is not just about being there: its about being a part of there.
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 21:32:30 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015