Annabeth
As for me, I was ready to find that special someone and settle down. I had even tried online dating services but none seemed to work. For about six months I went out on three dates. All of them ended in disaster for one reason or the other.
Down on my luck and turning to my friends, I asked for their advice. One in particular, Jeff mentioned the grocery store.
“Are you kidding?” I asked.
“No way. You can find single women all the time there. If you see one having trouble, offer your help.”
It was at least a shot. What else did I have to loose? “I don’t know about this.”
“Tell you what. If you want, I’ll go with you.”
As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, I felt my knees go weak. Jeff smiled and assured everything was just fine. He could understand my apprehension though. So, we went inside the grocery store; we didn’t see hardly anyone right away.
“Okay, can we go home now?”
“Come on, let’s go.”
Jeff grabbed a shopping cart and pushed it over towards the produce department. There was a woman standing just over five feet. She was looking through the cantaloupes. “See what I mean.”
“Yeah.”
“Go on over there.”
This woman had dark blonde hair, probably not her natural color, and wore a pair of cut off jeans and white tank top. I took the cart, pretending not know where I was going and ran into her.
“Oh I’m sorry.”
She turned and smiled. Her baby blue eyes glittered in the light. “It’s okay.”
“Don’t you hate not finding what you’re looking for?”
“Definitely. And I hate having to shop for myself.”
“I’m David by the way.”
“Annabeth.”
To make the long story short, Annabeth and I struck up a conversation. We chatted about different things and found out we both had common interests. She loved the outdoors, as did I. We both liked movies and concerts as well. I don’t even know how long we talked. After we reached the checkout, Annabeth asked for my number. I was taken back by the question. Nonetheless I was flattered. A woman had never asked for my telephone number.
I hurried home to call Annabeth. After talking a while, I asked her. “Does my age bother you?”
“Sweetie, I’m going to be honest. It does.”
“I see.”
“Most women my age are grandmothers by now.”
Annabeth was forty-six; nearly twenty years older than me. She didn’t act or look it in any way. “We seem to get along just fine,” I added.
“We do but I just don’t think this could work.”
“Age is just a number.”
“It is sweetie. What would your friends think?”
What would my friends think about me dating an older woman? Frankly I didn’t care what anyone thought. Annabeth, at least seemed like the perfect woman. She was the kind I had been searching for. “Can we talk about this over dinner?”
“David, I really must be going.”
“At least give me a chance.”
“You are very sweet, but this could never work.”
It was one of the worst feelings I’d ever experienced. We hadn’t even been out on a date, and already Annabeth was rejecting me. I wasn’t done yet though.
A few days later, I called Annabeth again. This time it was to offer a proposal. “Go out with me just once. If you feel uncomfortable I’ll let you go and never contact you again.”
“That’s fair enough.”
I had everything planned out. When I went to pick up Annabeth, I gave her a dozen yellow roses. The look on her face was absolutely priceless. I had never seen a woman blush before, so it was quite satisfying. I even commented Annabeth on the outfit she was wearing.
“Where are we going?” She had a concerned look on her face.
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
We ate at a very fancy restaurant, ordered wine and so on. Dinner was great and then we finally had a chance to really talk. It was an intellectual conversation to say the least. We talked about why I was so attracted to older women in general.
“I need someone to keep me in line. A woman that knows what she wants.” I went on to make generalized comments. Then though, I had this wave of emotion come over me. “Annabeth.”
“Yes David?”
“Would you mind if I kissed you?”
She looked around. “Here? In the restaurant?”
“Yes.”
Annabeth lowered her head. “No man has ever asked me that before.”
“I am.”
She spoke softly. “I know.” Annabeth raised her head. “I want you to kiss me.”
Our first kiss was magical and pure. I didn’t even care if everyone saw us. Nothing else mattered but that moment in time; our kiss that lasted for what seemed an eternity.
“Wow,” Annabeth remarked.
“Did you like that?”
“Yes, I did very much.”
Annabeth and I went on to date several months. There were times we both wanted to call it quits. However we stuck it out and eventually I asked Annabeth to marry me.
So it just goes to show that if you are persistent, any relationship can work no matter the age difference.
