The image below is from Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels.com.
For the visually challenged writer, the photo is of an elderly man sitting at a desk typing on a laptop.
If someone had told him sixty years ago what he was about to do now, he would have laughed so hard it may have induced a heart attack.
Arthur was very much old school, pen, paper, slide rule or logs, and now here he was about to embark on the wonders of technology.
The lockdown had hit him hard. A widower for thirty years he was set in his ways, remembering his childhood days of pushbikes, roller skates or go-carts made from scraps of wood and pram wheels with a few nails and a long piece of string.
His grandchildren were all grown up with kids of their own, and the days of dandling babes on knees were long gone. Everything was so different, so automatic, so damn confusing, but you know what they say, if you can’t beat ’em, join em’.
So that’s what he did.
Eighteen months ago he’d enrolled in a computer course at the local community centre and Jemma had taken him under her wing, explaining slowly and simply the basics.
Gradually he had got more confident and now he was ready to see his family regardless of how many hundreds of miles they lived away.
The screen whirred into life, and the sing song dial tones of Skype echoed in the room.
A little bit of focus, and a familiar face came into view.
Arthur grinned at the image of himself in his twenties.
‘Hi Grandad! Look at you!’
‘Hi yourself Mac! How is everybody? It’s so great to see you!’
A chorus of Hi Dad and Grandad resonated in his small apartment.
With tears in his eyes he said it was almost like old times, just socially distant.
Written for https://fivedotoh.com/2020/05/18/fandangos-flash-fiction-challenge-66/
Love the opening line, I was hooked π
thank you. Glad you liked it.
Aww what a sweet story! β€οΈ
thanks
Truly a tear jerker π
Wish I had the confidence.
It a lovely story π
thank you
π
This is such a wonderful tale! I remember thinking I was too old and especially cognitively impaired to learn to use a smartphone at 31. Thankfully I wasn’t. I can only hope that, if I make it to this man’s old age, I’ll still be able to learn modern tech.
Thanks Astrid. I am hopeless with technology, yet most of my older friends (in theirs 79s and 80s) have taken to it like a duck to water.
Enjoyed that! A sign of the times.
Indeed it is Pam.
Oh that was LOVELY! (I’ve had to wipe a few tears away too). You have a flair. Great story! Bravo!
Thanks Melanie for your lovely comment.
Ohh that’s such a sweet tale. I’m glad that he got some face time with his loved ones. β₯οΈ Great story, Di.
thanks!
Lovely story that many of us are living at the moment. Some older generations were never trained with computers and don’t understand today’s technology to continue communicating in these difficult times which can be sad. What a sweet ending!
thanks Lisa. I wish I was good at modern technology, but my brain doesn’t seem to work that way and I’m old school.
You have a blog. Iβd say you are doing pretty darn good! Iβm a 54 year old graphic artist by trade and learning this blog stuff has been a huge learning curve for me. Keep inβ up with the young guns is hard work. π
Hubby started me on the blog and showed me the ropes. I learn by watching rather than reading and then when my confidence builds up I experiment a little.
I knew nothing when I started almost a year ago. Iβve learned from practice, trial and error. I also spent several hours on chat with several happiness engineers. π creating a website has always been like hitting a brick wall. Iβm getting better at it though. You are doing great! π
Thanks. I’m so pleased with how things have turned out with it, though I’m still learning!
Arenβt we all! You are not alone. π
An excellent piece and very heartwarming. Well done, Di! Totally enjoyed this!
Thank you!
I really enjoyed this story. It made me smile.
thank you