He started dressing more carefully before going out. He bought a few new shirts and even asked me whether a particular jacket made him look too old-fashioned.
I laughed and told him he looked perfectly fine.
He pretended to be offended, but I could tell he was nervous.
“Dad,” I reassured him, “you’re not trying to impress the entire world. You’re just meeting someone for coffee.”
He smiled.
“I know. I just don’t want to make a fool of myself.”
That was when I realized how much courage it had taken for him to put himself out there again.
And when his first date went well, I felt genuinely happy for him.
Unfortunately, that happiness didn’t last.
The First Woman Who Disappeared
My father’s first date was with a woman named Helen.
She was a retired teacher who enjoyed gardening, traveling, and spending time with her grandchildren. According to my father, they had talked for nearly two hours without running out of things to say.
