My dad's birthday

Today would have been my dad (Bobby's) 70th birthday. And I would not have been in Sri Lanka, I'd have been at home with my family making a big fuss of him. He'd have been loving every minute but telling everyone it was actually his 60th. He had a real thing about ageing. Remind you of anyone? Yes I have inherited my dad's fear of growing old I think. Not that I am. And not that he was. He and my mum bumped into someone many years ago and as my mum chatted away to her he did the same, pretending to remember who it was! When my mum told him later that it was someone who had been a very close friend he was horrified at how much the woman had aged. My mum gently pointed out to him that he too had a few lines and creases on his face and he was genuinely surprised to hear that. He also wasn't prepared to accept it. Like I said, remind you of anyone?

I didn't help because I used to tell him that I'd tried to visualise him as an old man and I just couldn't do it. I couldn't see it. Perhaps it was a prophecy because he was only 58 when he died. Wrinkles or not I think he'd have preferred to have had a bit longer. Anyway like I said he'd have been 70 today and I really hope if there is some afterlife that he's having a brilliant party - sadly for us but luckily enough for him, I think he's got enough folk up there now to make it go with a swing.