Date With An Older ManMar 09 '06 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line I was 29 and he was in his early seventies--and we were making some really hot plans!
When I'd started out on my road trip in late August of 1982, I'd already had plans of having this excursion include a date with an older man--however, the one I had in mind was named Paul Enger, and he was around 25 years older. When it comes to men, I have no problem with a 40-year age difference between the couple--that is, just so long as I'm not part of said couple. That large of a gap is just a little bit too much of a gap for me, to say the least. But I would end up having a very hot date with a Southern Gentleman named Alonzo Bolton who was in his early seventies that year, while I was still going to be 29 for a little over three more months. Alonzo--or, as I called him, "Grandpa," because he was the grandpa of a couple of close friends--was a really nice-looking older gentleman. He looked a lot like Spencer Tracy did at that age. My trip was to include a few days spent at Mammoth Cave National Park. From there, I would be making quite a trip that included such sights as The Great Smokey Mtns., Blue Ridge Parkway, The Wayside Inn, and other fun places on my way to New York City where I would be getting to meet Paul face-to-face! He'd been my correspondence school instructor in journalism, and I'd come to the conclusion that this guy was really special--something that hasn't changed in years since, even though I'm no longer madly-in-love with him. (He never was madly-in-love with me, in case you're wondering...). The first stop I made after leaving the Mammoth Cave area was in Old Hickory, Tennessee (a small town very close to Nashville). This was where Grandpa lived. Mark (one of his twin grandsons) and his wife, Barbara, had just given birth to a baby girl named Karen that June, and I was very anxious to meet the little angel. As it turned out, the timing was wrong for that, because they had left for Ohio to visit some of Barbara's relatives and show off the baby. But Grandpa said that, since I'd be passing through the area anyway, why not drop by and visit him--that, perhaps, we could go out to eat somewhere. At the time I came through, it wasn't mealtime, so we ended up going to McDonald's for sundaes. Grandpa had been a widower for about a year after caring for his wife during her long bout with cancer. Although he had family near-by and was very active in his church, he was still feeling pretty lonely and down at the time. After I arrived at his place, we drove separate cars over to McDonald's so that I wouldn't have to drive all the way back to Old Hickory and could head on down towards Gatlinburg. We got into line at the counter to order our sundaes--which is when Grandpa noticed a couple of women giving us funny looks. Grandpa turned to me and quietly explained that the women (a mother and her teenaged daughter) were neighbors of his and were old hands at creating juicy gossip. He asked me if I'd like to have a little fun with them. I was game for that. Soon, Jackie (the daughter) loudly addressed Grandpa: "Hey, Grandpa! Is that your new girlfriend?" Grandpa whispered to me to tell them that I was, and so I told them that I was and that he was a very nice guy. Jackie and her mom looked at each other and smirked. Grandpa and I got our sundaes and found a booth. Not surprisingly, Jackie and her mom chose the booth right behind us and were watching us like hawks. They overheard the part of the conversation where I was planning on traveling all the way to New York City, so Jackie asked if I were planning on taking Grandpa along with me. "You know..." I responded. "I think that might be a great idea, if Grandpa wants to ride along. How about it, Grandpa? Would you like to ride along?" "Sure, honey," he replied. "I don't have any other plans, and it's been mighty lonely around my place since my wife passed away." I began to describe the places we'd be going to him and said that he'd especially like The Wayside Inn. "I've been there to eat before, but I've never stayed at the hotel. But I plan on doing so this time. I've seen one of their rooms, and they have these wonderful, old-fashioned beds..." We could hear snickers coming from the booth behind us. "Well, honey, that just sounds wonderful. I guess we'll need to go back to my place so I can pack..." "There's really no need to do that. I'm in a hurry to get on the road again, and we can always buy things for you like a toothbrush and deodorant along the way. No need for a change of clothes, either. What you're wearing now will be just fine--and, besides, most of the time we won't be wearing any clothes..." The next few moments were really rich! We could hear Jackie barking like a seal while her mother was hissing at her to, "Hersh up, Jackie! Hersh up!" We finished our sundaes and told them that we'd really better get going so that we could get to the Motel 6 I'd rented in North Carolina that night. Two pairs of eyes followed us as we left the building. Grandpa told me to follow him to his favorite filling station, so I did. When I got there, he told me that the gas was on him because it had been too long since he'd had so much fun. "When will Jackie and her mom realize that we were playing a joke on them?" I asked. "Probably tomorrow when they see me out-and-about," he replied. In the meantime, those two neighborhood gossips had been given a lot to think about. No doubt, they would be telling all of their friends and neighbors about Grandpa's hot date and their travel plans--and would they ever feel foolish the following day!  |
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