That response hurt him more than I let on.
Then, almost without warning, something changed.
He signed up on dating apps.
I discovered it one Saturday afternoon when I stopped by his house.
He was sitting at the kitchen table, holding his phone with both hands.
His reading glasses rested low on his nose, and he was smiling at the screen.
I hadn’t seen that smile in years.
“What are you looking at?” I asked.
He quickly locked the phone.
“Nothing.”
I raised an eyebrow.
He lasted less than ten seconds before giving up.
“I created a profile.”
“A dating profile?”
He nodded, suddenly looking embarrassed.
Before he could explain, I hugged him.
He remained stiff at first, then he returned my embrace.
“I think Mom would approve,” I told her.
“I hope so,” he murmured.
Soon after, he began to meet wonderful women.
He would talk to me about it before each appointment.
One of them worked in a library.
Another owned a local bakery.
