Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012 - 11:40 p.m.
Never Too Late
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My friend grew up in an average house with a conventional super straight white Mom & Dad. Some years after the kids had grown up, moved away and had their own families her Dad died. Her sporty Mom struggled with loneliness but tried to keep busy with her grandchildren, garden and volunteer work.
What really surprised everybody was that this super straight widow Mom had secretly joined a dating website
and eventually met a nice Korean-American man, a retired teacher with grown up children. They corresponded regularily but had never met in person. Neither of them told their families or friends of their secret romance.
One day the Mom informed her family of her decision to join this mysterious wonderful man, packed up & went to live with her internet romance in far away Philadelphia PA
They married soon after in a private civic ceremony, didn't invite anybody and began happily living together in his little house. her family didn;t know what to do: This man was not after their Mom's money because she didn;t have any.
Her occassional emails to her daughters revealed that she was very happy and lived a brand new sort of life with this mysterious man- rich in books, conversation, shopping, cooking & enjoying meals, taking walks and rediscovering the little wonders of life together. They seemed very happy but were _very private about their new life together. Although her new life was far away and very unusual to sort of cut herself off from everybody she had known, their Mom had never been happier in her whole life
But within a year Mom came down with cancer. It spread quickly and profoundly.There was no magic " getting better" Together, almost merrily the new old couple prepared for as happy & fearless death that could be had.
As she lay a dying in their little house he grew flowers for her, fed her Kimchee, massaged her feet and bravely sang her songs while playing on his new guitar while she grew steadily sicker and sicker. When she cried in agony as the cancer did its worst, he made her laugh.She was as grateful for him as he was gratefulfor her. They never told anybody- even her sickness was private.
When she finally did die, her distraught husband called her very surprised family in Canada who immediately drove to Philadelphia to bury their Mom and finally meet this mysterious man who had stolen their Mother away.
He was wonderful and loving to them, the best sort of person.. He was a widower for the second time in less than two years.They buried her in a non religious ceremony and went home to Canada.
He died soon after, but private man that he was, nobody knew til his own adult children called them, equally shocked to learn that their Dad had married-their Mom bit never told anybody
Epilogue:
These good people took a chance with love late in life and won. They had the joy and comfort of each other to honour & share 1001 big and things together at the very end of their ordinary lives.
They took a chance and chose love thus avoided being lost & lonely and maybe just fading away.
They were ordinary people but they special people: ordinary special people.
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