When I got there, I saw that my mother was also excited and nervous. She was waiting outside, wearing her beautiful old coat, her hair all done up and had the dress she wore for her and dad’s last anniversary. Her face was lit up with a bright smile.
“I told my girlfriends I’m going on a date with my son tonight and they were very excited for me!” She told me when she got in the car.
The restaurant we went to was not the fanciest, but the staff were incredibly friendly. My mother held my arm and looked like the first lady! We sat down, and she asked me to read her the menu (“My eyes are not what they used to be” she said). Halfway through, I looked up and saw she was staring at me with a nostalgic smile on her face.
“When you were a child, I was the one who read you the menu.”
When I dropped her off at her house, I felt genuinely sorry to see her leave. I hugged and kissed her and told her how much I loved her. When I came home later that night, my wife asked how the date went.
“It was wonderful, thank you for suggesting it!” I looked at my wife and added “Much better than I could ever have imagined”.
A few days later, my dear mother passed away from a heart-attack. It was very quick and there was nothing anyone could do. A short time afterwards, I got a letter from the restaurant we went to that last time.
The letter read:
I’m quite sure that I won’t be able to make it to our next date, so you and your wife can enjoy each other’s company like I did with you. I paid for your next meal here in full and I want you to know just how much that night meant to me!
I love you,
Mother
