Crinkle

When I was growing up, I remember many times questioning my Mum.  What colour was Nanna's hair?  It was auburn I think.  How tall was Nanna?  I don't recall the answer, but she was short.  How tall was Grandad?  I think he was 5ft 10".   I poured over old photographs, photos that were taken long before I even arrived on the scene.  I was looking for someone I looked like.  Some trait that I'd inherited, for someone that I looked like.  I was already odd, the fifth daughter, four daughters to one, beloved father... then me... to mine.  I was just looking for a little something to show that I fitted in.  Some said that I looked like my cousin Lyn, but I think they were just throwing me a bone as we both had brown eyes.  Did I have the looks of my blond bombshell Mother?  My oh so handsome Grandad or my exotic looking Nanna?  No, no, and erm... no. 

I once told my Mum that she was the image of my Grandad, she was older by this time, maybe in her 70's and Grandad was 50+ in the photo I was looking at.  This particular black and white photo, showed a still handsome, and proud looking James, with whiter hair and a stoic look.  It was the eyes that made them look the same... and the crinkle.  They both possessed this little inflection.  Two, tiny, vertical lines, carefully engraved above the nose and into the brow.  The were identical and Mum seemed really pleased with the observation, like she'd never noticed before then.

As the years have passed, I've come to accept that I was not in fact left under a bush or on the doorstep, or switched at the hospital where I was born.  I've seen pictures of my Dad Jack, when he was younger, well, a little younger than I am now, and I have a look of him.  I also have this "look," that my Mother used to give.  Scared the living daylights out of me the first time I realised I was doing it, but it's kind of nice.  And yes... I noticed in the mirror this week, that I have my Granddad's crinkle too.  I'm welcoming it with sentimentality at present, that doesn't mean that I won't consider botox in the future though ;)