Letter From America: On His Blindness - A Lucan Tale
"It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I have been thus flattered by a little lump of love called Luke, who is my grandson,'' writes Ronnie Bray in this warm-hearted article.
It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I have been thus flattered by a little lump of love called Luke, who is my grandson. What started out simply enough, turned into full blown imitation in an episode that I will never forget that warms my heart when I visualise it. Gay and I had taken Joseph, Tom, and Luke to the Fun Factory near the ASDA supermarket in Telford, and were on our way across the car park to get into the motor and drive home via McDonald’s for a bag of chips each, when the comic episode occurred.
Luke, I have to confess, is my biggest fan. This started when he was a year old and it has persisted through thick and thin because we truly love each other with the profundity and simplicity of true love. Luke liked to play at being Granddad by sticking a cushion up his shirt, filling his pockets with Lego bricks, and dispensing them to his siblings with the announcement, "I’m a granddad!"
He enjoyed wearing my old brown hat, because I wore it all the time and it made him look like me. To help him reach a closer resemblance, I gave him an old pair of weak reading glasses that my eyes had left behind. This was the weekend that Gay and I took Jo’s three boys to the Fun Factory. When it was time to go home, Luke pulled my hat from my head, put it on, and slipped the glasses onto his nose. Then, beaming broadly he announced, "I’m a granddad!"
We walked out into the sunshine. I held Joseph and Tom by their hands, and Luke walked with Gay. We had gone but a few steps when Gay, deciding that Luke would be better served if he was not wearing glasses, took them from him and slipped them into her purse. Luke’s reaction was immediate, his face a picture as he screwed up his eyes, extended his arms, and wailed, "I can’t see! I can’t see!"
We fell about helpless with laughter at his Oscar-winning performance of a poor blind boy. We restored his sight by replacing his glasses, and the rest of the trip home, after a call into McDonald’s for burgers and chips, was uneventful.
For a little boy who could not be much more than four at the time, I have often thought that he displayed an excellent understanding of the problems of the visually challenged. His characterisation of an elderly man, complete with failing eyesight, was stunning, incisive, and deadly funny.
What a special little lad, Luke is, and how easy it is to love him fulsomely, just as he loves me. He is a bright star who will live in my heart forever. Whether we are near or far apart, his love fills and warms my heart, making it ache a little less, but long a little more, as I cherish and enjoy the memories of my consolation.
**
Ronnie's Yorkshire Folk Tales page:
http://yorkshiretales.com/
Ronnie's latest Yorkshire Tales CD - Volume Five OUT NOW!
http://yorkshiretales.com/main/page_cd_yt_0105.html
Listen to some of Ronnie Famous Yorkshire Tales Online at:
http://www.wix.com/jorvik/yorkshiretales
Read Some of Ronnie's Religious and Spiritual writings at:
http://www.scribd.com/Mormon-Quill
Historical Novel In Preparation:
"Luddite Spring: The Huddersfield Luddite Uprising of 1811 - 1812
Answers to Anti-Mormonism:
www.yorkshiretales.com/allaboutmormonism
