The old man glanced out of the shop window and was surprised to find that it was raining. He hung the last two hams and heard the village clock chime the hour. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 o clock. He thought about his last daughter and how she would be getting married the next week. He felt that it was only yesterday that he had been watching her blow out the candles to her fifth birthday cake. It was funny how time went so fast. He thought of his wife. It was almost their 37th anniversary. He ambled over to the rusty old sink and washed the blood off of them. He heard the clock chime again. 5:45. It was funny how time went so fast.


He walked into the storm. With his head bowed into the wind, he closed his eyes. He opened them a bit and saw a young man with a bundle of flowers in his hand. The old man watched the way his eyes twinkled and got a faraway look when he smiled. He was probably bringing the flowers to someone who loved him. The old man sighed and fantasized about a time when he was young and thoughtless. A blast of lightning jerked him out of his reverie and the young man sped up and hurried into a nearby building. But the old man did not run. He saw his home in the distance. His daughter was probably in there, trying on her wedding dress. He had no wish to see her in all her glory, probably looking happier than she ever had. He enjoyed thinking that he was the best part of her life, although the old man knew that was not true. He liked to think that he would always be part of her life, because even though the daughter had sworn to keep in touch, he knew one day, she would not.
Another blast of lightning shook the earth beneath him and the old man watched rain cascading down a cluster of rocks on a nearby hill. He saw a light in the window of his house and through the small square of light he saw his daughter twirling happily in her long white wedding dress. He felt tears well up in the corners of his eyes and not caring who saw, he wept freely. The old man sprinted the last few yards with all the strength he could muster and burst through the heavy wood door, drenched, out of breath and crying softly. He strode to his daughter and his wife and cluthched them both tight in his arms. The daughter seemed much older and more mature than she had just that morning. It was funny how time went so fas