Barry realised the man he was watching reminded him of his grandfather, Barry put down his phone and took time to remember the old leathery man.
His grandfather was a man of his principles, a man who always had a lesson to teach or a story to tell. He was someone who had lived a present life, he had thick wiry white hair that he took great care of with a pocket Comb. Barry thought back to a time they spent the day together at the annual Egremont Crab Fair.
Barry had just turned 11 a fortnight ago at the time and was starting to wonder what his place was going to be in the world as he transitioned into a man. They wandered through the fair inhaling a cocktail of catering van delights and decided they would fill their tanks with enormous Cumberland sausage hotdog, despite the copious amounts of seafood on offer. They both had dark brown thick cut slightly charred onions and honey mustard that sent a sharp pain up your nose on top. They both felt a great sense of fulfilment as they took a bite at the same time, seeing each others faces as the mustard rushed into their nostrils. Barry’s consciousness came back to the present, his mind was calm as he imagined the joy his grandfather must have felt taking his grandson to experience something new and to guide him though his early life.
Barry started to realise the privilege it was to have a family and to be able to guide someone younger than himself. He picked up his phone and called his Girlfriend Sarah she was worried sick after he had abruptly left their gender reveal party. He apologised for letting his fears of raising a child get the better of him as he realised that this new chapter in his life would serve a great purpose and he couldn’t wait to share it together with her.
This story was submitted as part of the King’s Study Phase of the Gen Z Role Models Project. Added April 2026.
“Barry realised the man he was watching reminded him of his grandfather” (S197) © 2026 by The Gen Z Role Models Project is licensed under CC BY 4.0
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