This is my contribution to 'lazy writers' this month. It's actually based on something that happened in my Dad's family. The 'auld scots' is a bit rough but i tried to think back to how my great grandparents spoke. You'll get the idea i'm sure. Just a simple wee story.
Comments appreciated!

Alison sat down on the ground, her legs dangling over the water and shielded her eyes with her hand, to look out across the lock. She had lived in the city her entire life so this holiday to the country was a special treat. Except it wasn’t really a holiday. She had travelled up on the train from Glasgow with her fiancé. His family had a holiday house here and they were spending the week together to become ‘acquainted’. Alison adored the family already but a simple day with her own was taxing. She had excused herself after lunch to come out, and get some fresh air.

‘Hello Lass.’

Alison turned her head and saw an amiable man sauntering towards her. His voice was loud and brusque but his face shone with kindness. A navy cap covered his white hair and his beard was long. His skin was brown and leathered.  A thought suddenly occurred to her.

‘Afternoon, sorry am I not allowed to sit here?’ she made to get up.

‘Havers! Ye just sit there an take a load off.’

‘Are you sure?’ she asked as he made his way towards a big wooden handle.

‘Aye.’

She smiled back at the man and settled. A yacht was slowly swimming down the canal towards them. It was big and blue with gold lettering on it. Children in little swimsuits were playing behind their father on the deck. She smiled and waved as they past, their happy shouts of glee hanging in the air.

‘That boat must have cost a bit. It looked almost Royal.’ Alison said in awe of seeing her first boat so close up.

‘Aye but that’s nothing. The Bloodhound came through just a week or so back.’

Alison’s eyes widened in amazement. The man chuckled and held out his hand.

‘I’m Bill.’

Alison shook it. ‘Alison, pleased to meet you.’

Bill indicated to her that he would be back in a moment, and when he did sat down beside her, a sandwich in his hand. He offered out half to her. She declined politely.

‘First time tae Dunadry?’ Bill chomped down heartily on his bread.

‘To Argyll actually. I’ve lived in Glasgow since I was a baby.’

‘Oh aye, where boot?’

‘Merrylee area.’

‘Aye I know it.’ Bill nodded his large head, Alison smiled in acknowledgement.

Bill had almost finished his sandwich. Alison heard a phone ring off somewhere to the right.

‘That’ll be fur me. Gets awfu lonely doon here in the day, could dae wi some company. Why don’t ye come doon fur a brew the morrow?’

Alison looked at the man and thought this an odd request. They didn’t even know each other, but maybe this was how things were done up this way. He seemed very friendly.

‘Ok thank you.’ Bill got up and began trotting towards the ringing. Alison brushed down her trousers.

‘Remember lock thirteen!’ he shouted back to her. As she walked away she heard him greet the person on the phone, loudly.

‘Alright Tam! How many an how long?’

*

 Over the next few days Alison took every opportunity she could to go down to the Lock and see Bill. Calum (her fiancé) had assured her that Bill was harmless and had been working and living on that lock with his family for years. He used to help him out in the summer and got a shilling for a days work.

It was Friday now and the day before they were due to leave. Bill had invited the whole family down for a special lunch at his (after declining to come to the but and ben. He couldn’t leave the lock unattended of course).

Alison set off early, a basket in hand filled with homemade bread and cakes. The weather was dreich. Everyone else would be along shortly, as there had been an incident with Grandad and an empty bottle of whisky. She approached his front door and knocked.

‘Bill its Alison!’

He opened the door with a grin on his face. He was all red and smelled faintly of cabbage. ‘Hallo lassie, come on in. Where’s the troops?’

‘They’ll be along soon.’

Bill beckoned her inside and to a table where a bundle of old photos lay out.

‘I got oot those photos of my family tae show ye. Tae bad you’ve no had a chance to meet them. Don’t my girls look just like ye?’

Alison peered down and the tea stained photos and marvelled at how right Bill was. They do say that everyone has a twin somewhere.

‘They do.’ Alison nodded.

‘I ne’er asked ye boot yer mither and faither. Any more bairns in the family?’

‘No,’ Alison shook her head ‘it’s just me. I’m adopted actually. My mother and father couldn’t have children. My father passed away a couple of years ago.’

‘Och  am sorry tae hear tha.’ Bill placed a cup and saucer in front of her and poured hot sweet liquid into it.

‘That’s ok. We weren’t that close. I wanted to find my real family and he didn’t want me to. I just needed to know where I was from. I don’t now. I have a photo of my mother though. She died giving birth to me. I don’t know what happened to my real father.’

Bill looked up intrigued. Alison took the picture out of her purse and handed it to him.

‘She was really pretty wasn’t she?’

Bill’s eyes welled up in empathy. ‘Aye, aye.’ he whispered. ‘Aye she was a bonnie lass.’

Alison sipped at her tea and scanned her eyes over the rest of the photos. Reaching to take a biscuit another photo caught her eyes. This one was more worn looking than most and had almost gone yellow with age. Slipping it out from underneath the pile she stared.

She looked up at Bill who had his back to her now and was fussing over some pots on the stove. That couldn’t be right.

Alison reached over to where the photo of her birth mother lay. It was the same woman; the same curly dark hair, big eyes and long legs. She looked at the photo of Bill’s children.

‘Bill?’ she asked, her voice timid and shaking.

He turned around to face her. His eyes were red, his hands were trembling.

‘Aye?’

Alison stared at him closely, ‘Are you my father?’