"I was married twice. My first wife died young, of Leukaemia, and I was married to my second for 49 years. She died two years ago."
"Sorry to hear that, how did you feel?"
"Relieved"
"How so?"
"I gained my freedom. It was just too much, too long, being married that amount of time. Rather than being something special, it became a burden.”


Roy was sat on a bench, relaxing, smoking his pipe when I approached him. When I asked for his picture he replied surprised “Me?” but gave his consent all the same.

I started to chat to Roy firstly about his pipe smoking, he told me “It’s American baccy” which I took to mean tobacco and he said it was a mixture. We talked for a while about what he enjoyed doing, and he told me he had travelled quite a bit and his favourite places had been Egypt and Malta.

We came onto family at one point and he told me about his son, two daughters, and his grandchildren. He was talkative and quite open, providing me with a lot of information about himself. I mentioned wives and he said his wife had passed away a couple of years ago and told me about how he felt about it, as the excerpt describes.

I asked him whether he was joking when he said “Relieved” because I couldn’t imagine that, but he told me he was being quite serious. He didn’t reveal much more about his wife's condition so it was difficult to interpret what he meant, but I’m assuming the longevity of the relationship had taken it’s toll in some way.

It was an enjoyable chat with Roy, and he was both open and inquisitive. He did say he was most happiest talking to people so I hope he enjoyed the encounter as much as I.


Humans of Leeds