At the age of 51, you planned on settling down. You had a nice little establishment. Your kids were grown, your grandbabies would grow up around you, your sister lived with you because you loved her. What more could you ask for? You were a happy person. But lately, you started to feel…unhappy. In your 50’s, you should’ve had thoughts of winding down and relaxing. Being that cool mom and grandma that baked pies and cookies on special occasions or brought you expensive gifts! But no, you just felt so empty. What was it? You didn’t know.

You went to your sister about how you were feeling, and being the prideful and free spirit she was, she gave you some advice. “Start dating.” She said simply, spraying whipped cream into her mouth. Dating? You haven’t went on a date in years! The last date you went on was in the 9th grade with some boy who could recite the alphabet in chinese! But a date now? At this day and age? “A date? That’s absurd! I’ve lost all my touch! My body isn’t as uptight and lively as it was back then!” You protested. Your sister laughed and nodded, “You’re right about that—“ You gave her a look. “But think about it! Ever since the divorce you’ve been feeling so down and dumped. Why not get out? Live a little! You’ve still got some time to oil up those gears and make that engine purr.” Your sister said, nudging you suggestively. Maybe she was right. And crazy. The thought of dating did sound nice, and meeting a new man who could probably last forever had a nice ring to it, even if your wedding ring didn’t have no ring to it at all.

“I don’t know, (sister name)! I just feel like I’m getting too old for dates!” You said with a harsh sigh, rubbing your face. (sister name) put away the whipped cream can and stood beside you, “Look, there’s no point in moping around the house and eating your feelings away in bed with day old lasagna. Just try it out for once and if you still don’t feel like it, you can quit.” She was right. Eating lasagna in bed watching cheesy christmas movies was not how you were gonna go out. “Alright…I’ll do it. But where will I find a man that’s perfect for me?” You said. (Sister name) hummed then pulled out her phone, “Tinder. We’ll just set you up an account and boom, date planned.” Oh, you already had a bad feeling about this.

Two nights later, after talking on Tinder with your…little man, you decided to finally meet him and actually plan this date. Your sister helped you get into something nice, made you look good. Your daughter also came by and helped, giving you a pep talk. “Alright, Mom, don’t blow this, okay? Just take it nice and easy.” She said, putting in your earrings. Your sister came by and nodded, “Besides, what could possibly go wrong? You know his name, what he looks like—“ She paused. “You do know what his name is and what he looks like, right?” You smiled and nodded. “Bruce Wayne. He’s a fine man. Oh, I’m so nervous…going on a date after so many years. What if I blow it and he ghosts me?” You began pacing, breathing heavily. Your daughter quickly stepped in, “Mom! You’ll be fine, okay? There’s nothing to worry about.” She rubbed your shoulders. Alright, yeah! Nothing to worry about. Deep breaths. You felt at ease now. You grabbed your purse and took in a deep breath before waving to your sister and daughter and leaving. Time for the bomb to drop.

Once you made it to the designated area of the date (a little fancy restaurant), you walked up to the reception. “Uh…reservation for…Wayne?” You asked, hoping that there was already a reservation. Means you didn’t have to pay. The man behind the counter looked down at his list and nodded, “Table four in the back, Ma’am.” He smiled. You nodded with a smile back and walked to the table. It was empty, which means Bruce wasn’t here yet. You already felt nervous. Was he late on purpose? Did he suddenly just not wanna do this whole thing!? The thoughts were endless. You called over a waiter and ordered a bowl of garlic knots to ease your stress. You just hoped and prayed he was just running late. Fashionably late.