Dating "the other woman"

[Dee8go]

Someone sent me this story this morning and I thought it was pretty good. I hope some of you enjoy it, too.
After 15 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love. A little while ago I started to go out with another woman. It was really my wife's idea.

"I know that you love her," my wife said one day, taking me by surprise. "But I love YOU," I protested. "I know, but she loved you first AND you also love her AND if it wasn't for her I wouldn't have such a wonderful husband!"

The other woman that my wife wanted me to go out with was my mother, who has been alone for 19 years. The demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her no more than occasionally at best. That first night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. "What's wrong, are you okay?" she asked.

My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news."I thought that it would be nice to spend some time with you," I responded. "Just the two of us?" She thought about it for a moment, then said, "I would like that very much."

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our "date." She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate my own wedding day. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's. I suddenly saw her as she was years ago when she was the only woman in my life and I was reminded again for the first time in a long time of how beautiful my mother really was.

"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son. They were so impressed," she said, as she got into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our evening out."

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady as I helped her up the steps, into the restaurant and into her chair. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips and tears filled her eyes.

"I was just remembering when I used to help you into the restaurant and read the menu to you when you were small," she said.

"Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor," I responded.

During the dinner we had an agreeable conversation and even a few laughs - nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I can't tell you how very much I enjoyed spending another evening with you," and I agreed. Mom really was a fun and enjoyable "date."

"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home. "Very nice. I really enjoy the time I've been spending with Mom lately. Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her or even say good-by. Some time later I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place my mother and I had last dined. An attached note read:

"My Dear Son, I paid this bill in advance. I was almost sure that I couldn't be there but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what our lovely "dates" meant to me. I love you."

At that moment I understood the importance of saying "I LOVE YOU" and showing it, in time. Give your loved ones the time that they deserve. Of all the things you hold dear in life, remember that it was your mother who made it possible for you to be here and have them. Give her the time she deserves, because these things cannot be put off till "some other time."
Dee8go