Love Across Time
"Behave yourself, Bert."
Wobbling slightly in his rush, Bert glanced over his shoulder, that familiar crooked grin on his face. He knew what was expected, however, waiting. She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and they continued down the path. His free hand gripping onto the wooden cane that he used to aid him, the whitening pressure suggesting that he relied heavily upon it.
Above, the sun shone and the birds sang. Neleus was rather cheerful, despite the fact that his original shine had dulled with age, with use. A small splattering of bird poo left on the edge of his stand.
Bert doffed his cap, all the same. Beside him, Mary bowed her head in acknowledgement.
They continued on their way, watching the children rush around them, the gathering of families. Despite being in nature, the use of technology was everywhere. The two found it disconcerting, but they were of a different time. They were in the same predicament as Neleus, although Bert insisted that her shine could never dull.
To prove her correct, he jiggled slightly. "It's a jolly holiday with Mary..."
"You are going to fall one of these days, Mr Alfred, and I shall have to say I told you so," she chided. "We are not as young as we used to be."
He looked across at her, studying her face. The wrinkles that had formed, the wisp of white hair that was still tied meticulously out of her face, and those blue eyes that continued to sparkle. With magic, with knowledge, with mischief.
"Per'aps not, Mary Mine, but the sun will never stop shinin' when you are around. Each day is a holiday with you."
A smile began to appear on Mary's face. She could accept that, but she still wished he would stop dancing so energetically; he had arthritis in his knee.