My Dad is one, apparently. The feelers are out. I knew this day would be coming, but I am still freaked out about it. He’s not ready, he says. Not now. Not yet. But he will be. He’s getting phone calls. And of course, a few overtures from ladies at church. I don’t think he’s in any rush. He doesn’t feel old, and he was with my Mom for 60 years, he’s still grieving. But eventually, my Dad is going to probably start dating, and that’s gonna be weird for me.
It’s not that I don’t want to see my Dad happy, I do. I expect him to live a good long time, and I don’t expect him to spend that time alone. When the lady called, I was kinda happy for him, and kinda thinking, “Hey, that’s my Dad!” like a child. You know, I didn’t anticipate that. I’m pretty sure it didn’t show. He walked out of the room to talk to her, and I told myself to snap the hell out of it, grow up, FFS. When he came back he tells me it was a friend of a friend, he told her he wasn’t ready, didn’t know when he would be, but he took her number. I nodded and said, “And the she-wolves are out” We both laughed.
Women have flirted with my Dad all my life. Sometimes he flirted back, but nothing beyond a remark, nothing serious, he was devoted to my Mom. So, this is going to be interesting, to say the least. Is he going to start going out late and hanging around in bars? Am I going to have to worry about him? What if he has bad taste? Is he going to start bringing strange women home? No, he wouldn’t do that. But maybe for dinner. Wow, what if she’s a Rebublican? I don’t even want to think about that one. But I am. The Republicans around here spout their Trump-love with no prompting, and I’m afraid I could not hold fire indefinitely.
But, he has told me he’s not ready. And, when the time comes, I have resolved to be a grown-up about it. I am way too old to feel this childish. To have my husband tease me, and actually, stomp my foot with an embarrassed flush of anger. By the time he’s ready, I’ve gotta be ready too, damn it. Who would have thought my 80-year-old father would turn out to be such a catch?
3 comments
My girlfriend’s mom, a widow as of 8/1/12 has been “dating” a guy (a widower for about the same amount of time) for over 3 years now. She’s in her mid sixties. He’s in his late seventies.
It’s not going anywhere. They are not romantic. Mostly they are just bored but enjoy the social aspect. At least that’s the feedback from her mom. Heaven knows what he’s thinking.
It is very weird though.
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Incredibly weird! My old man, he’s going to have them lining up, they outnumber the hell outta him. I know he wants to be social, he’s already sitting in on game night. Not playing yet, but that can’t be far off.
oh yeah that’s gotta be weird… but if he can find some happiness, even short term, good on him… you’re gonna need some extra rev though… 😮