SPEND TIME WITH YOUR
FAMILY
A man narrating his date with his mother after 21
yrs.....
.After
21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and
a movie. She said, “I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would
love to spend some time with you.”
The other woman that
my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years,
but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit
her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner
and a movie. “What’s wrong, are you well?” 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 pleasant to spend some time with
you,” I responded. “Just the two of us.” She thought about it for a moment, and
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 her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a
face that was as radiant as an angel’s. “I told my friends that I was going to
go out with my son, and they were impressed, “she said, as she got into the
car. “They can’t wait to hear about our meeting.”
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. After we sat down, I had to read the
menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Halfway through the entries, I lifted
my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her
lips. “It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,” she
said. “Then it’s time that you relax and let me return the favour,” I
responded. During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation – 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’ll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.” I agreed.
“How was your dinner
date?” asked my wife when I got home. “Very nice. 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. Sometime
later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same
place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: “I paid this bill in
advance. I wasn’t sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two
plates – one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that
night meant for me. I love you, son.”
At that moment, I
understood the importance of saying in time: “I LOVE YOU” and to give our loved
ones the time that they deserve.