Twelve years ago, Jenny Tucker’s dad died. as
Father’s day approaches, she opens her heart
I’ve celebrated my silver
wedding anniversary
remember my wedding day when we
stood together outside the register
office before the ceremony? It was
a boiling July day and we were both
clammy with nerves and the heat. You
asked me if I was OK and I waited forDa D,
the things I’d
like to tell you...
the father/daughter Big Speech. It didn’t
come; you’d always been a man who
struggled to expose his heart. But as
Prince started playing inside – the cue
to take your arm and walk towards my
new life – I saw your eyes were shiny
with emotion and it was enough.
You and mum were married for 58years. most peopIe would consider that
to be incredible, but we knew it was a
rollercoaster of a relationship and mum’s
depression often took us into dark
corners. But then, at 79 years old, you
went first, leaving mum reeling at the
loss of her sparring partner.
In so many ways my husband reminds
me of you. He’s self-contained, calm and
intelligent. They say women often marry
a version of their dad. way back then, on
that day in July, a friend filmed our guests,
asking each of them for a message to
the newlyweds. when it came to your
turn, you raised a glass to the camera
and said, “I know they’ll be happy. He’s
a good bloke.” as always, you were right.Your grandsons are
now men
the last time you saw the two of them,
rafael was seven and Luca was four.
They were both perched on your knee
and you were secretly passing them
a werther’s from your pocket. now,
as young men aged 19 and 16, they’d
dwarf you. They’re huge, hairy, muscly,
strong-willed and if you offered them
a drink, they’d ask for a double shot of
vodka in their lemonade. rafael – who
has your distinct “Tucker face” with the
full lips and signature almond eyes- always loved playing dominoes with
you. He says you never let him win, but
if he did beat you, you endorsed that
he was “the champion”. Stuff like that
sticks. luca was so young when you
left us, his memories are more misty. He
told someone once that “Grandad was
a horse man”. Of course he meant the
races. we still bet on the Grand national
Dennis was a
big traveller
and proud of
his perma tan!