Member-only story
Old eyes
I wonder what thoughts they hide…
Those eyes followed me as I moved past,
To greet my beloved, waving and smiling,
And our baby boy, who couldn’t wait for me
To cross the distance, he toddled ahead.
With open arms and laughter.
I stopped in my tracks and glanced to the side:
The old nan’s unflinching stare bore into me.
Thwump!
My child caught me in a tight hug.
“Hallo, hallo, little man,” I said, lifting him.
Into that possessive but loving embrace
Saved for him and only him, by his father…
Rest my face in his candy-floss ginger locks.
Lost in a perfume of milk, sunshine, and mischief…
A moment I drown in an innocence I’d long forgotten.
My wife walked up to me and kissed my cheek.
“How’s your day been, my love?” She asked.
“Nothing unusual,” I smiled, glancing again.
The old lady kept staring.
Reading us without expression,
Without a word, no curiosity, no question…
