62

"HAZEL!"

An elderly lady turned from her letterbox, the mail in her hand tied with a large ribbon instead of a nasty old rubber band. Ton doesn't like those and ensured the ribbon stock was vast, the boxes of them almost filling a back room at the post office. His biddies deserved nice things ya know.

"Tonny love. No Hawk?" she asked, looking around then seeing the coupe with her. "Oh darling, who have you brought me?"

"This is Evan and guess what! She's Hazel!"

Hazel smiled lovingly at the girl … of course she was a girl to her. Hazel was ninety if she was a day, everyone female was a girl to her … and stepped forward "Hello love. A good name that. My grandmother was a Hazel too. If I had ever had a daughter I would have wanted it for her middle name I think. I didn't' get blessed with a girl, had two handsome men, the youngest named his first daughter after me. Sweet, named for her grandmother, like I was. Look at you, so pretty in that dress. Look, Babs will love fussing on that hair, so pretty. So long, my hair is too fine for length now. Come on over here sweetie, your husband is shy?"

Hazel shot forward and whispered "Evan. He doesn't really like women as his mother used to be mean to him for being a mongrel."

The old woman's arms tightened for a moment as she knew the poor girl had said the wrong word, it was similar but one used by her generation who were so stupid back then, then she sighed "Well. Not everyone is cut out for raising the important people of the world. Look how wrong it all went for Hitler's mother."

Hazel stared at her as Evan started to laugh with glee, that one he had never heard before, he turned to Ton "Hitler!"

"Hazel remembers the hard times, I always make her a special cake on the day the war eneded. She lost her Dad in the war, and one of her older brothers. Didn't you Haze."

"Yes. Christopher. He was handsome, I have a likeness of him in my living room. Lovely Mayor Harkness-Jones painted it for me from an old photo. It's so … lifelike. I cried like a baby when he gave it to me. That man is so talented." She sighed "Oh. Dear, I did it again. Still call him the mayor, retired mayor. Little Jarred is Mayor now."

"Yes, we let him think he is in charge now" Ton nodded imperiously then motioned that they were moving on to the next thing he wanted to show them, Hazel left cackling in her front yard as Ton waved his arms and talked excitedly all the way along the street.

Yes.

Everyone knew this was still Ianto's show.