Percy Love/Happy Birthday, Papa

Today would have been my Pap's 95th birthday - it's the 10th one without him. My Mam, earlier today, said she misses him every day, and that she never thought she'd get old enough to have to be without him for ten years.
I was trying desperately to come up with something meaningful and profound, but found it difficult because even when you have known someone all your life, there comes a point when you, your life, has been lived so much some memories start to fade. For a minute I couldn't remember his voice - which really upset me.

But then I realised that, if I had been able to talk to him today, he would have told me tales of the sparrows and blue tits in their back yard, and I would have told him about the silly, silly squirrel who couldn't figure out how to get inside the Giant Squirrel Head. I would have laughed so hard while telling him how poor Mrs. Percy ended up looking like a love-struck fool chasing the Head as it swung back and forth, and then holding it tenderly and nibbling on his Giant White Tooth whenever she caught it (before sticking her head up the Head to grab a peanut)

So, by writing it down here I'm pretending to tell him. And I can hear him laughing, and I can hear his voice and he is happy because I am happy.

Mis je, Pap.