Dave’s wife walked away, fervently taking pictures of a parade in the vicinity. He had seen too many parades in his life. As he strolled around, his legs stopped in front of a gallery, eyes glued to the statue of a security man. It was an exact replica of a youthful Dave, even the uniform. Some passers-by looked curiously at the statue and Dave, recognising the identical features, despite his wrinkles.
Dave sat down, stunned, in front of the gallery. Was this just a coincidence? He had retired after 40 years of service with no pension and unappreciative employers. Now he felt strangely vindicated.
Written for Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers. Thanks to Pirate for the photo.
call2read 
Very good! Nobody likes to feel they have been somehow robbed. I wonder what Dave’s wife will say.
She would probably be shocked at first and later agree with him. They may make enquiries on how the statue came about..:) Thank you so much, Hannah
🙂 I like when a person is recognized for a job well done! Great story Nightlake ❤
Thank you, Cao:))
Interesting, it makes me wonder who the woman in the actual painting really is.
an interesting shot indeed. Thank you for reading
Wow, that would be disconcerting! I’m so curious how that happened and what Dave’s going to do.
janet
His treatment in his workplace was disheartening. but, as to how that happened, it would be another story. Thank you, Janet
This story would make a good premise for a Twilight Zone. Nicely done! 😀
Thank you, Linda:)
After a lifetime of near-anonymity, what a reward–lucky Dave.
Though non-monetary, it is at least some kind of a recognition:) Thank you for reading
Cool story. Has a good feel to it. A little pique of interest, too. Quite good!
Nice work!
Thank you very much:)
yes that is vindication
The statue could have been a coincidence. but somehow Dave felt vindicated. Thank you for reading:)
At least Dave can’t leave his post.
yes:)) Thanks for the comment
Ooh, lovely.
Thank you:)
Dear Nightlake,
That would be a little disconcerting. Intriguing take on the prompt.
shalom,
Rochelle
True. Thank you so much, Rochelle
The woman in the image is quite a well turned out soldier – though I doubt those days, they had uniformed female soldiers in the west
A woman.. but for the story’s sake – the photo has become a statue and the soldier is a male:) Thank you for reading
(A small contribution – hope you don’t mind)
Whenever Joan narrated her dream, Jack would laugh it off.
“Honey,” Jack would say, “they didn’t have female soldiers back then.”
After retirement, on their first visit to Europe, they chanced upon a large crowd jostling around a statue of a soldier.
Jack lost his wife in the crowd, which quickly melted away, leaving him utterly alone.
For a moment, fear gripped his heart but he heard Joan and turned with a sigh.
The statue held and drew him to its exquisite workmanship, resplendent uniform and –
“The eyes,” with a small gasp, Jack slunk to the ground. “Joan.”
wow, an amazing narrative:) Poor Jack. Thank you for the contribution.
Would like to post your contribution in FF?
Oh YES – Nice take on the prompt!
Thank you, Rosy:)
Most original and enjoyable take on the prompt, Padmini! I enjoyed your story very much!
Dear Penny, Thank you so much:)
A very unusual take on the prompt. You turned the prompt round nicely.
Hi Sandra, Thanks a lot:)
Everyone wants to feel appreciated for their contributions. Very good story.
True, when the appreciation doesn’t come along, life can be frustrating for people. Thank you, Susan
Very effective and well-written. Good to be vindicated at least.
Some acknowledgement, though not the way he expected:) Thank you, Perry
Nice…in an doppleganger sort of interestingly odd way. I hope to post my story contining story piece soon.
Cheers.
Thank you, Jules:) Hope to see yours:)
and they never even told him that they made a statue. Cheap bastards. Replaced by a statue and not even memorialized! Randy
lol. maybe they didn’t know there was a living representation of their statue. This was a coincidence perhaps:) Thank you, Randy
I like that, and if I was Dave I’d want to track down the sculptor and find out the story behind it – and perhaps he could charge the tourists to take his picture next to the statue? That way he might at least get something out of it 🙂
That is good idea and a nice way to make some money. That could be his next step:) Thank you, Trudy:)
oh, poor Dave…got hit hard from every angle. darn bad luck of the Universe but your story, numero uno! ♥
Hi Sunshine, Thank you:)) Wish you a great weekend ahead
😊 always adore weekends & hope it’s flowing well for you, Padmini!
It was good, but almost coming to an end now. Did you check out new Ligo Challenge? Either go to Pirate, Penny or my page. There are a lot of interesting photos this time:)
oh, i am happy you keep me up to date on this…i really try to check but either i go to early or something. ha ha. okay, going to check. ☺
there are four more days to go:) Take your time:)
thanks, Padmini. very beautiful photographs from the collection…almost made my head spin into orbit! ☺
so, you already have a lot of ideas on how to go about it? 🙂
Oops…missed your question…a belated, yup. 😊
Really like your story – such an original idea and different take on the prompt. I can’t help feeling that poor Dave is being exploited again – no pension, and now his image is being used for others’ entertainment or profit. Maybe that’s just the pessimist in me.
That is certainly one way of looking at this:) But I am not sure if the statue was put up by his employers or if it was a coincidence. Though his future actions are yet to be seen, at least for now he derives some kind of a non-monetary satisfaction. He was a security officer and this statue is exactly how he wants to be identified in the future. But, if he is in need of money, he could pose with the statue and make money (as Trudy said in the comment above:)) Thank you so much, Sarah Ann
A kind of acknowledgement, but without his knowledge or permission aren’t his employers using him yet again?
Well written and thought provoking, great take on the prompt Padmini
He is on a tour with his wife (who has gone away with a camera:)) And as far as he is concerned, he thinks the statue is a coincidence. When there are millions of security men around, it is his face in statue, which would tell the future generation that this is what an ideal (or model) security officer looks like. Of course, no money in this for him. But, depends on how he looks at it. Thank you, Dee:)
Wow, that would be quite something to see, a statue that looked like me. I like the very creative way you used this picture.
Yes, it’d be great if they put up a statue to honour your contribution to your profession. Thank you so much:)
Clapping 🙂
Thank you, Aesop Clerk:)
what an imagination!
Thank you so much, Sharmishtha:) Somehow, your comments had gone to the spam
what, no pension? 😦 hmmmn a really sad story. that man really deserved a statue. great story, it makes us think of so many others who deserve to be recognized for their service and loyalty but weren’t
Yes, no pension, despite being a sincere employee. Thank you for reading, kz:)