At the top of my road on my way to work this morning, I spotted Bill, he’s a lovely old guy who I told you about here https://lucidgypsy.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/a-contrast-of-elderly-men/  and here https://lucidgypsy.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/january-small-stone-twelve/

Once again I hadn’t seen him for a couple of weeks and I dashed up to him with a smile.

‘How are you, it’s lovely to see you?’ then up close I noticed his face, and knew he wasn’t well.

‘Not too good’ he said, ‘I’ve been coughing all night and sick with my stomach as well.’ He looked grey and didn’t have the energy to flirt with me, as he does with all the ladies. He was walking home from the local shop – about two hundred metres – with a loaf of bread and some milk, leaning heavily on his stick.

‘It looks like you should go home to bed today dear and take it easy, give yourself chance to recover.’

‘I can’t do that, I’m going to see my friend.’ He has a lady friend who lives about a mile away and it isn’t on a bus route so he walks it.

‘Maybe wait until tomorrow and just take care of yourself today, it’s a bit of a walk’ I said gently.

‘I’ve got to walk my legs will go otherwise, got to keep moving like Felix,’ his first smile.

‘Felix who?’

‘Felix the cat keeps on walking, so I’ve got to else I’ve had it, I’ll be stuck in my chair!’

‘You stubborn so and so! well just be careful’ I watched him walk on slowly.

I know that Bill’s daily trip to the shop stops him from being lonely, because he speaks to everyone. Apart from seeing his lady friend weekly, I don’t think he has anyone around. He is a very private person and doesn’t know that I know his name even, hopefully the shop keeper would notice if he didn’t show up.

The last time I saw him he was dispensing advice to some students whose car wouldn’t start and he was very perky and cheeky. I really want to see him bounce back quickly and keep on walking like Felix.

Felix keeps on walking, keeps on walking still.
With his hands behind him,
you will always find him.