A Special Date

Rob was a little surprised when his wife Teena insisted that he take someone else – another woman – out to dinner. Not once in the 15 years, he had known her, had she said that. Teena said, “Rob,  I love you a lot but this other woman loves you more and would love to spend some time with you.

The other woman, Teena wanted to be his date, was his mother, who had been a widow for some 20 years, but Rob’s hectic schedule at work and his own family had made it impossible for him to visit her regularly.

That night Rob called to invite her to go out for dinner. “Are you well my dear?” she asked? Mrs Gomes was a woman who suspected a surprise invitation was a sign of bad news.

Rob answered, “Mom, I thought it would be nice to dine with you, just the two of us.” She thought for a moment, and then said, “That would be awesome.”

That Friday after work, Rob drove over to pick her up. When he arrived at her house, he noticed that she looked a little nervous about their date. She was waiting by the door, wrapped in her stole. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary with Mr Gomes, before they had lost him to cancer.

“I told my friends that I was going out with my son, and they were so excited,” she said as she got into the car. “They are waiting to hear how it went.”

They went to a restaurant that was elegant and snug. Rob’s mother took his arm as if she was Miss Universe. After they sat down, he had to read the menu as the print was too small for her. Half way, he noticed his Mom staring at him. She was smiling softly.
“There was a time when I used to read the menu when you were a kid,” she said. “Mom, now it’s time that you relax and let me do it for you,” Rob responded.

During the dinner, they just talked and talked and time passed very quickly. He dropped her home and promised to take her out again.

Back home, Teena asked, “How was it dear?” Rob said, “Very nice, more than I could have imagined. Thanks for asking me to take Mom out.”

A few days later, his mom passed away. Some weeks later, Rob received a packet with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place his mother and he had dined.

A note said: “Son, I have already paid this bill as I wasn’t sure I could be there. Nevertheless, I have paid for two plates – one for you and the other for your wife whom I love very much. Little do you know what that night meant for me. I love you my son.”
It was then that Rob, a father of two, realised the importance of saying “I love you!” in time. If only, he had spent more time with his mother.