Romance

A friend of mine who is currently in his late 80s recently moved to a retirement residence from the home he had occupied with his late wife for close to 50 years. Prior to the move John wasn't very well. He spent a lot of time in bed and had difficulty getting around, despite the fact that he had a car as well as a current driver's license. John's daughters convinced him that a move to a retirement residence would be good for him in that his frailties would not be an overwhelming liability because there were always people around to look after him.

After the move I did not see John for nearly five months, as he lives in a town that's a two-hour car trip away. When I finally did visit him we went out for lunch and I noted how well John looked. He had put on a little weight and he wasn't nearly as dependent on his cane as he had been a previous visit. Before I had the opportunity to ask him, John told me how well he was doing; how he liked living in the retirement residence because there was always someone to talk to and meals were prepared on a regular schedule and there was lots to do.

But the best part for John was the ratio of women to men. "There are at least ten women to every man where I live," John explained. "And I've met someone special." He then went on to tell about his amorous adventures. It seems the lady in question, a widow, lived in a suite down the hall from him. He had known her family in his younger years, as they attended the same church. But he'd never gotten to know her personally. When he saw her in the dining room he thought she looked familiar, but he couldn't be sure.

So one day he just walked up to her during the lunch hour and introduced himself. The lady was more than receptive, admitting that she had wondered if he would ever notice her. They discovered that they had a lot in common and really enjoyed spending time together.

"She even set me straight on how Europeans kiss each other on the cheek when they meet. I always thought they just kiss each other on one side of the cheek and that's that," John said. "Imagine my surprise when I found out they really do it three times back and forth; first the left cheek, then the right and then the left again. I like that much better!"

Needless to say, John is very pleased that he allowed his daughters to convince him to move to a retirement residence. "If I hadn't made the move, I'd still be miserable and alone," John muses. "And I would never have met Melanie."

John spends his days now playing Scrabble with friends and his evening sitting with Melanie in the fireside lounge reading. Somehow moving to that residence has given John a whole new purpose in life.