Senior Prom

I was one of those people who married for life. For better or for worse.

My husband preferred to seek better elsewhere. He didn’t want to wait ‘til death do us part, and poof! With the wave of a judge’s magic wand, I found myself single after 31 years and 11 months.

At the tender age of 20, I had gone straight from my parents’ home to my husband’s home.

At 51, I had to learn to live with and by myself.

I left the Midwest and moved to Jacksonville, Florida, to be near my adult son. He helped me find a house and taught me to navigate the streets of a large city. He also dried my tears.

Lots of tears.

Eventually, I learned to enjoy aspects of my new life. No sharing the remote. No one complaining about my beloved dogs. The tears began to dissipate, and I realized I wanted to date. But how does one go about dating without a high school friend to ask a cute guy, Do you like Janie? She likes you. Do you want to go to prom with her?

I hoped I’d find a single man in church, but the churches held married men, most of them elderly. I didn’t know anyone who could introduce me to a nice man, or set me up on a blind date. No way would I go on a man hunt in a bar. Not my style.

Then my nephew suggested a free online dating site. He had discovered a very nice woman there. They had married. It took me a while to find the courage to put my profile online. In fact, it took me four years.

About a year ago (April, 2013), loneliness finally gave me the audacity to put my photo and some facts about myself on the dating site. I used a pseudonym, created a special private email address so suitors who were strangers could contact me, and didn’t post any information that might be too personal.

I started “man shopping” as soon as my profile went live. It didn’t take long to find a fellow who seemed interesting and intelligent. I reached out to him. We chatted through instant messaging for a bit. He seemed nice enough, but I wanted to take a look at some other fish in the sea.

I messaged some men; some men messaged me. Then, I received an email from the first man I had contacted. He asked me to have lunch with him! He offered to pay! Oh, the excitement of a possible first date!

But did I really want this particular man?

I read his profile over and over and studied his photo. He looked somewhat familiar. Then I realized why I recognized him. He looked like Captain Kangaroo! I couldn’t go out with the Captain. He might bring along Grandfather Clock and read me a story. I answered his email with a “No, I’m too busy right now”. Too busy! Huh! Too busy being lonesome.

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30 Comments

  1. I’m happy that Ms.Goltz decided to find a date for her “senior prom” on her own and I’m happier that she shared her method with us. She tells an interesting story in an easy to read fun way!

  2. A nice lesson there. Not too old to try for that date to the prom again. Thanks for sharing.

  3. Wonderful story! I’m so glad to hear that you are doing better and have a wonderful man in your life.

    You have a wonderful heart, ma’am. Honored to know you. xx

  4. This is a beautiful story, and I pray it gives many single, lonely retirees hope and the courage to venture to an online medium to find someone to spend their years with. I’m so glad your “Captain” turned out to be awesome and that you opted to give him a second chance. Good luck in your relationship, beautiful!

  5. Gorgeous. I am sitting here sniffling. I love the last line, “..we don’t want the music to stop”. Good for you! Though having a story read to me would have been a plus in my book (wink).

  6. wonderful story. i’m so happy that you were able to find a wonderful companion to share your life with. i’m also glad that you shared your story. it’s never too late to find that special person regardless of age. good luck.

  7. Thoroughly enjoyed the story. Carry on with the “after prom” party!!

  8. What a wonderful testament to romance – real romance, the building of a deep and meaningful relationship. I’m glad you took a chance on the “Captain” – it sounds as though he’s a treasure.

  9. Ravina Andrea

    May 14, 2014 at 9:49 am

    Lovely story and I’m so glad you found love again. Thank you for sharing.

  10. Happiness and love comes to us at all ages. Nice story.

  11. Cute story. Glad to hear the happy ending

  12. Nice to know there’s hope for us folks of a certain age to find love again. It’s nice to hear about someone who didn’t give up and kept trying. I do love a happy ending! 🙂

  13. Lovely story! I am glad this worked out so well for you. I love that you had the support of your son and that you approached this with an open mind.

  14. I hope they live happily ever after.

  15. Great heartfelt post. I love stories with happy endings, and I’m glad you had the courage to reach out for happiness instead of curling up into a ball of loneliness. Congratulations; you are an inspiration to mature folks everywhere.

  16. Joanne Noragon

    May 15, 2014 at 2:14 am

    Well done, both of you.

  17. You made a lot of good decisions all on your own. You and Captain Kangaroo seem to be a good match. I, also, have dated men from an internet site. I am sure you have many more stories that are as interesting as this one! More?

  18. That was super sweet. Did he at least have a giant Captain Kangaroo mustache? A floppy hair cut?
    I love the idea of you texting your son to see what to do. “Pardon me a moment, Captain, I think I’d like to continue this date, but please allow me to consult my son.” I’m sure it didn’t go down like that, but it makes me giggle.
    I hope you’ve found your Happily Ever After.

  19. Well-written, as always. 🙂

    Once you plunged into the dating pool again, you were very lucky that you didn’t go through the typical 47 losers before finding the right guy!

  20. Oh Willy Dunne Wooters . . . once thought to be Captain Kangaroo, ha! I’m glad you decided to give him that second chance. And good for him for getting along with your dogs, and for the occasional disagreements . . . gotta keep interesting and all that. Lovely “Senior Prom” story, Janie. 😀

  21. I loved being reminded of Captain Kangaroo. I grew up watching that show! Great story in only a way you can tell it….so happy for you. Keep dancing! XOXO

  22. Keep dancing! It makes me look forward to my “Senior Prom”. Wonderful storytelling. I hope to read more.

  23. See? You don’t need a prom to find a date!

  24. I love this story! She is a terrific writer, and hers is the type of writing that everyone understands and enjoys. Please have her back again~

  25. A wonderful story, told beautifully, and with lots of heart. For sure, our Ms. Goltz is a keeper, and I hope she and her not-the-Captain friend keep on dancing and laughing for many years to come. (sniff)

  26. I almost started crying when I read this. It’s so amazing how you just seemed to gravitate back towards each other. Things worked out for the best and you have a happy family now. Just…aww!!!

  27. Such an inspiring story!

  28. That would take a great amount of nerve for me to do that. I am glad that you did and it sounds like you found ‘a keeper.’

  29. Dear Janie, I’m so happy you and Willy found each other. I’m curious why he looked nothing like the Captain in person? It’s a lovely story told by a very lovely woman. Life must have been saving the best for last. 🙂

    -andi

  30. Aw, I love this so much! What an encouraging story. And it just goes to show, you never know who you will click with. I’m glad you gave Captain Kangaroo a chance!

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