This tale has now been recorded. Let me read it to you at Madame Yum’s Insta TV @madameyum

Thanks David for posting this faded glory themed pic to #LuxvilleTales. Here is your story.

 THREE FOR THREE.

David kissed his mother goodbye. “That was lovely mum. Can I do the dishes for you?” It was now a rhetorical exchange worn well through five years worth of afternoon teas.

“Well yes you can actually. I have to find something for you.”

David checked his watch. “Don’t be long Mum last train back to the city leaves in halfa.” As he cleared the small table by the front window he heard his mother rustling in her bedroom at the other end of the house.

There weren’t many dishes. Two cups, two saucers, two dessert plates, a cake plate, milk jug. All china, all matching. The good set. He put the dishes on the draining board, she loved the place neat as a pin.

His hands took over washing while his mind flew through the window into the backyard.

Over the back fence Jackie popped his head “Hey Davo, mums got scones!” and over the back fence he scrambled as bid.

The tyre swing behind the old shed his mother pushing him, the sound of the rope running over the branch like a metronome. One last big push before she went back to the clothes line.

Great grammie sitting in the shade, fanning herself and slowly drinking the long glass of pimms that no kid was allowed to touch, ever. David only needed to be told once by a clip over the ears.

His Dad cutting wood at the stump at the side of the house in his singlet and shorts. “Can’t that wait until the clothes are dry! You’re raising dust!” his mum voice rang out.

Christmas Day backyard cricket every year for as long as he remembered. The ball that broke the top window in the shed. Still broke.

Memory was the umpire that made the calls on a lifetime in one backyard. His mum must have seen them all from this sink, this window.

He saw himself with his cousins swinging in circles on the clothes line. Until gran came out the back door shaking her fist at them, “Get off there you kids. You’ll break the bloody thing! Scram I said, don’t come back til teatime.”

And then the three of them, together, under the clothes line, laughing so hard they cried. The same laugh. Great gammie, gran and mum. Thick as thieves his dad said.. would say.

“Here it is love.” It was his mum proffering an old leather box. He dried his hands and opened the box. Inside were a stack of old black and white photographs. He lifted one from the top, his mum, her mother and her mother’s mother.

“Soon it will be three for three, so these are yours to look after now. See you Tuesday darling man.” David continued to look through the box. “Scram or you’ll miss your train!”

David sat back at the table by the front window. “Oh you are going to have to tell me all about these mum. I’ll head back in the morning.” He looked up at her. “Ok?”

“Well I’ll have to get clean sheets out,” she smiled and headed back down the hall.

LUXVILLE TALES with TALE BY Erin McCuskey and IMAGE BY David.

Please Note: The #LuxvilleTales are generated from reader contributed images. Post me a single image themed ‘faded glory’ and I will write you a short tale. Tag it #Luxville & #LuxvilleTales and tag me too! Love Madame Yum