Story Of The Week – The Spur Of The Moment

Story Of The Week

The Spur Of The Moment

by Kyla Stewart

It was our first date.  He was ten years younger, and I was nervous because he reported to me at work.  He had been asking me out for a while, but I held no interest in dating a younger guy, though I found him very appealing.

I finally consented after he sent me two dozen roses on my birthday and a menu to one of the most fabulous restaurants in town.  At work, I was teased about him daily by my co-workers because he made it known that he was “smitten” with me.

Over dinner, he held my hand and looked directly into my eyes, while we talked.  He seemed genuinely interested in me and who I was, and I soaked in a new experience.  I had been married twice, and they had both been to older guys, so at that moment I was on a page I’d never been on before. We sat talking and staring into each other’s eyes until we were the last ones left in the restaurant, and I found him to be so enchanting that I hated for the evening to end.

As if reading my thoughts, he asked if I’d like to go for a long ride in the country and I quickly said yes.  It had been months since I’d had a real date and the last one was still a sore memory.  It had been a first date that ended abruptly, immediately after we left the theater when my date claimed that he had to get home to a previous engagement. He dropped me off at a nearby taxi stand, and never looked back.  He never called again, and I didn’t expect him to, but I always wondered what wrong I had done to cause such a reaction.  But this time I was at a different place.  I felt beautiful and wanted.

It was a warm summer night and as we drove under the stars he told me that he loved me and that he wanted to take care of me for the rest of my life.  When I informed him that I was ten years older than him, he didn’t flinch.  He told me that my age didn’t matter to him because he believed in his heart that I was his soulmate. Then suddenly, he pulled over to the side of the road, into an orchard of dense trees, and my heart stopped.  He pulled me into his arms and stroked my hair without saying a word.  When he finally spoke, he asked me to marry him and suggested that we drive to Vegas for the weekend.

As I sat staring at him with my mouth open, I quickly pulled my life up on the screen of my mind.  I had never been married.  I was 36 years old, and my heart had been broken so many times I couldn’t count.   I had never had a man tell me he loved me, nor had I seen myself in a man’s eyes the way I did in his.  In a split second wild decision, I said yes, and we drove off toward Vegas.  We were married two days later. It was the biggest risk I’ve ever taken, but it was the best decision I ever made. That was three years ago and we’re still happily married with two children.