Simon, too, was grieving Lionel’s death, but he realized he had to be there for his family during the difficult time, so he tried to return to normalcy as soon as possible.
Fortunately, he, his wife, and their children shared a home with Elsa and were always there for her. That gradually helped her overcome her loss, and two years later, Elsa began to return to a normal life.
One day, Elsa was driving home from the supermarket when she saw an ad for a chess club for the elderly. She used to enjoy chess as a teen, and it was through it that she met Lionel. He adored the game, and their love for it eventually brought them together.
When Elsa saw the ad, she couldn’t resist joining the club. She thought it would be a good distraction from everything that was bugging her and joined the club the following day.
“Mom! Why did you have to lie to me?” he asked angrily, and Elsa’s face flushed with shame.
For months, Elsa kept herself busy by frequenting the club daily. One day, she met a handsome man named Arthur there. She hadn’t seen him there before, but the other members seemed to recognize him.
“Ah, Arthur! We really missed you! I haven’t seen your lovely face in a year! How have you been?” a woman at the club inquired, hugging him, and Elsa could tell she was flirting with him.
“I’m glad to be back, Caroline,” he replied. “However, I have some awful news… Last year, I lost my wife. I needed a break before returning to normal, and while I’m still not over my wife’s loss, I guess I am doing better than before.”
Elsa felt sympathy for Arthur since he, too, had lost someone he loved. Later that day, she introduced herself to him, and as they spoke, Elsa realized Arthur was a genuinely nice man.
As time went on, Elsa and Arthur began meeting regularly and spending time together inside and outside the club. Elsa realized she was developing a soft spot for him, and he felt the same way about her.
One day, Arthur drove Elsa home from the club. Coincidentally, Simon returned from work at the same time and saw them together. Simon confronted Elsa about the man who dropped her off, but she was too embarrassed to tell him.
She assumed Simon would be offended if he learned she was seeing another man, even though she knew that having Arthur around her made her feel alive. So she lied.
“He’s just a member of my club, darling! He offered to drop me home, and I thought saying no would be rude,” she explained, her face flushing.
“Are you sure he’s ‘just a member,’ mom?” Simon furrowed his brow. “If nothing else, you two looked like close friends!”
Elsa pretended to chuckle. “Oh, honey, why would I lie to you? We’re not as close as you believe! I’ll go to my room now…I’m tired.” She dodged any further inquiry and left for her room.
Simon didn’t ask her any more questions after that and completely forgot about it. But it wasn’t until a month later that he realized Elsa was lying. She was brought to the hospital that month after she injured her leg. Simon, his wife, and their children were visiting his in-laws at the time.
Elsa told him over the phone that she was fine and that he didn’t need to worry, but Simon insisted on seeing her. Unfortunately, he could not secure a flight immediately and only managed to visit her two days later.
When he arrived at the hospital, he was surprised to see her with Arthur through the round glass in her ward. Arthur was assisting Elsa as she walked around the room on crutches, and seeing their closeness, Simon knew what was brewing between them. “Damn, what’s going on?” he exclaimed as he stormed into the room.
“Mom! Why did you have to lie to me?” he asked angrily, and Elsa’s face flushed with shame.
“Oh, Simon, I had no idea you were coming today. You didn’t inform me!”
“I’m sorry, Mom! I should have told you so you could keep this a secret for a little longer, right? How come you didn’t tell me about him when I asked you the last time?”
“Oh, Simon, I was embarrassed. I thought you’d be horrified to find out your mother was seeing someone other than your father. I met Arthur at the chess club; he’s a widower, and we just… I’m sorry—” But before she could finish, he took a step forward and hugged her.
“I was just pretending to be upset, mom. You don’t have to feel bad about anything. But there was no need for you to lie about it. I saw you two before I came in, and I haven’t seen you so happy in a long time. I’m happy for you, mom!”
Elsa’s eyes welled up with tears. “You – you won’t object if I date Arthur?” she asked, surprised.
Simon grinned. “Okay, so his name is Arthur! … Mom, everyone deserves to be happy. I have nothing against you two being together. After all, it’s your life, so your decision is what matters. Love chooses us, not the other way around, mom. And thank you, Arthur,” he added, turning to face him. “For making my mother happy. I’ve not seen her smile like this since dad passed away.”
Arthur admitted that, like Elsa, he was afraid to tell his daughter that he was dating another woman. But when he recently told her, she was just as happy for him as Simon was for Elsa.
From that day on, Arthur and Simon became close. Simon realized that his mother needed someone by her side and that Arthur would always keep her happy.
So a month after Elsa was discharged, Simon surprised them with a destination wedding in Miami. During the ceremony, when the priest asked who objected to the marriage, Simon raised his hand, leaving everyone shocked.
“I am so jealous he is taking my mom away! She’s the most beautiful woman on the planet! I despise you for this, Arthur! I really do!” he shouted, and everyone laughed.
What can we learn from this story?
There is no defined age and condition to fall in love. Elsa was 78 and a widow, and she was afraid Simon would be offended by her dating a man. But Simon was happy for Elsa when he learned she was dating Arthur because he believed that love chooses us rather than the other way around.
Moving on is a sign of healing; it doesn’t mean disregarding the people we lost. Elsa loved Lionel and missed him. But at one point, she chose to move on as she finally healed from her loss. That doesn’t mean she didn’t care about her late husband.
Leave a Reply