As I dumped shopping bags on the kitchen counter, the house was filled with the sound of squabbling. ‘Give it,’ my teenage daughter Alice* shouted at her siblings. It was February 2020 and my kids were tussling over the remote,
‘I’ll take that,’ I said, to which they groaned. Sinking onto the sofa, I put on an episode of Pointless. Within minutes, my brood had snuggled up next to me. ‘Good choice,’ Alice, then 12, said, smiling.
LOCKDOWN HELP
Despite the squabbles, we were a close family – something I reminded myself of the following month, when the country was in the grip of the COVID-19 lockdown. Not working, I was able to homeschool the children. Some people weren’t as lucky to have family around them, so I volunteered with an online support group helping people who were shielding.
A widower named Roy Lockett, then 70, got in touch. ‘He lives on his own,’ I told my husband, feeling sorry for him and frail man who wasn’t in the best of health. His wife had died years before.
‘I live alone now,’ he told me, as I stood two metres away on his path. His son Peter Austin, then 39, lived nearby but wasn’t always able to help.
After that first meeting, I did regular food shops for Roy, dropping the groceries outside his door. We’d chat from a safe distance and the world working on cruise ships. ‘And instructor,’ he said.
One day, I took Alice along. Like most teens, Alice liked staying listening to music and chatting to mates online. The school closures had wreaked havoc on her life, and I thought it’d do her good to come and help me help Roy, figuring she’d look up to him, like a grandfather, and enjoy his stories. The two of them got along really well, and I.
Bu hikaye WOMAN'S OWN dergisinin September 16, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye WOMAN'S OWN dergisinin September 16, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on the gender gap, cats and timed hugs
Check out CHICAGO
With a spectacular skyline, sandy beaches and great food, the Windy City is calling, says Zoe West
LET'S EMBRACE OUR CHRISTMAS TAT!
Becky Dickinson explains why she'll still be rocking around her tinsel-strewn tree this year
BURIED SECRETS
We look at the shocking cases of celebrities posthumously accused of being sexual predators-and how they got away with it
FESTIVE NO-BAKES
Pop on the Christmas tunes and whip up a batch of these easy sweet treats
PROTECT YOUR SMILE
Are you doing enough to look after your teeth and gums?
'TIS THE SEASON TO SHINE!
At last, Hayley McCrossan, 39, feels fit and healthy
FOR THE LOVE OF TOM
When Deborah Mitchell, 57, lost her son, she vowed to help other families facing the same heartbreak
THE NURSE WHO LEFT MY GRANDAD FOR DEAD belict
Rachael Fealey, 31, had one question for the woman who killed her beloved Grampa - how could you?
Coleen's MONEY WORRIES
What are the reasons behind her financial and marriage fears?