A Great Deal More

It’s quite an unusual relationship.

First of all, there is the age discrepancy. I am 88. He is 26.

We knew each other earlier, but not at the level we now enjoy.

It causes me wonderment and yes, amazement as I sit quietly after he departs, and dwell on the time we have spent together.

He was my husband’s best friend, but Art and I were quite different, I am far more reserved, and not as prone to laughter. The black Irish genes seem to dominate my personality. My husband’s Germanic origin provided other attributes, his quiet strength and constant emotional stability.

I have virtually no interest in sports. I am unable to converse on baseball, basketball or intelligently respond to current news about any internet hero.

However, I am quite computer literate, something my beloved did not share. He had no desire to enter the world of technology beyond the pleasures of TV and music provided by an Ipod. My new friend has an amazing command of all technology and has given me assistance on several occasions.

Neither my husband or I ever believed after he had departed this earth, I would have another gentleman in my life.

But so it has come to pass, and I strongly believe he hovers over both of us with approval.

Our needs are different. I have reached the pyramid of reality acknowledging I need assistance for many things.,

My new friend takes care of those for me on his weekly visit. The recycling which I find cumbersome is now handled efficiently with ease upon his arrival,.

Anything too heavy for my ability to move or carry is quickly dispensed with before we go to lunch.

In a way he reminds me sometimes of the young man I married. The gravitas they share is quite reminiscent of the young Lothario I met on a Brooklyn subway.

Yet when the merriment emerges as we watch early performances of ventriloquists I remember sitting together and wondering what my husband found funny. It is happening again.

The new relationship I now share is not a chance encounter, but a total surprise to not only I, but others who know both of us. Once again I am led to acknowledge the role God has prepared for every one of his creations.

The quiet intelligence, spirituality and yes, wisdom of my Sunday visitor is sometimes hidden by his youthful exuberance. His needs do not fall into the physical arena; rather a hope for more social acceptance.

That has been difficult during most of his young life. The environment where we meet has overcome that to a great degree by the pilgrims he encounters during our shared Sundays.

Those he now counts as friends are quite diverse, age and ability wise. Some share his youth and love of computers; others decades older and wiser welcome his smile and handshake., He is comfortable in their presence and grateful for their welcome. There is no restraint as he encounters new friends, both old and young, and introduces himself. It is a new chapter in a young sometimes difficult life where acceptance was not always available.

Occasionally, I am asked, “What brought you here?” I smile and say, “It’s an amazing story and a great deal more than that.” I believe both Will, my grandson and I agree on that.