A Contact

Last night the phone rang, when I answered it I found on the other end was the guy who had the Business off me. He has been retired for 2 years but unfortunately had cancer before he retired. I told him and his Wife asked me to tell him to retire but he did not until a couple of years ago.
 It was nice to hear from him and when I asked him how he was he was still positive and told me he was still on Chemotherapy but they had reduced the dosage, he also told me that the Cancer was under control and had progressed no further. He did say he thought he could have retired a year earlier. I told him that he loved being up there so I understood just how he wanted to stay in Business. We had a chat for about 30 minutes then we finished.
 Soon after I thought about my Best Pal, it was in the 90s when my Mother was visiting, I suggested to him that we should not work too long for we  only needed enough to be able to retire with enough money to live on. With that suggestion he stated that he had not quite got enough yet to retire. I also told him that I had nowhere near enough just yet but the aim was to have enough without the need to work needlessly.
 When my Best Pal left my Mother said to me, and I will always remember the quote. "Your head need never ache Boy for he will NEVER have enough to retire on".  How right she was for my Best Pal worked until he was 70 years old and no sooner had he retired when he had Bowel Cancer. He has since, on more than one occasion remarked that he might have worked a little too long. I am certain he did for I don't think he is a lot better off for his working till the age of 70.
 For what it is worth I retired at 60, mind you I was not well for the first year or so being in and out of Hospital often, but I didn't go on the sick I lived off what I had saved and took my Private Pension earlier than what I had planned to do. Now I am approaching 80 I can manage quite well on what I get every week. I must admit that I put that down to the way we were bought up. We have always been bought up to spend a little and save a little and I was fortunate in the fact that I have never had a lot of money. In fact I have never earned £10.000 a year in my life so I have been used to having to make my money last me. My Best Pal tells me regular that he thinks I am the best handler of money he has known and thought he was a good handler but he adds that he is nowhere near as good as I am. More soon.