By Diana Clark, February 3, 2016 — Shortly after becoming a widow, I was invited on a date with a very handsome gentleman in celebration of my birthday. I was hesitant, but I could not resist. He wouldn’t tell me where we were going—he wanted it to be a surprise.
When the day arrived, I carefully dressed for the mysterious occasion. I wanted to look nice for my date. It brought back such fond memories of when I was dating my husband during our courting days many, many years ago.
When I answered the door that evening, there he stood, as handsome as ever, holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers. How thoughtful of him. He smiled, gently kissed my cheek and said, “Happy Birthday.” I fought back the bittersweet tears as I located a vase and quickly arranged the bouquet.
We drove to a very nice restaurant where we shared a delightful dinner. When the meal ended, he looked at his watch, “We better leave now in case traffic is heavy. We don’t want to be late.” Late for what, I wondered.
We headed north and crossed the bridge to Philadelphia. At last we arrived at our destination, the Mann Music Center featuring a performance by the River Dancers. How exciting! It was fascinating to watch the precision and energy of the dancers. It was almost contagious. We walked about during intermission; he was attentive to my every need. When the show ended, I held his arm as we walked back to the car. Conversation never waned as he drove me home.
It was a very special date with a very special gentleman. As he was leaving my apartment, I hugged him tightly as I said, “Thank you, Honey. I had a wonderful time.”
“You’re welcome. Happy birthday, Mom, I love you.”
ENDNOTE:
It was definitely one of the Best Days of My Life and made even sweeter by the fact that it was my daughter-in-law’s idea. I am very blessed.