Thursday, August 8, 2013

Flirting With Old Men


The old man bent over, put his hand on my arm, and whispered in my ear, "in one year and four months, I will be one hundred years old." He was beautiful, tall and straight, with a nice tan that made him look much younger. 



I was in the bread isle in the grocery store, my way blocked by an advertising display and these two tall old men. They were busy squeezing a loaf of bread and I didn't want to disturb. When they were done, one thought out loud, "now what should we do?" I smiled and suggested they give me room to walk by. They smiled back, so when they passed me I asked if they were brothers. They were both tall and thin and could have been.

"No," said the one who looked to be the oldest, "he's my father-in-law." An unexpected answer. Then he went on and said, "I'm 87 and he's 98," pointing to his father-in-law. I felt like I sort of put my foot in it, but they didn't seem to mind. And that's when the older man took me by the arm and told me when he would be 100. 



I could have said he didn't look it, but instead I said, "what a great achievement, you look like you've had a wonderful life." He smiled, a handsome smile that touched my heart and made me feel like a young woman. As they began to walk away, I blurted out, "I just made 73!" They both turned around and said they hoped they had made me feel young. "Yes," I said, "in more ways than one."









32 comments:

  1. Aw, such a precious moment, and memory for you.

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  2. You took a moment and they took a moment to be conversational and all went away feeling better.

    You could have just said Excuse me and pushed on by, and the moment would have been lost. Good for you Inger - you caught that moment.

    How tall were these guys? Any guestimate? (guess/estimate)

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  3. Oh Inger I am pretty sure with those beautiful eyes of yours this happens all the time. You are a beautiful soul inside and out. Hug B

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  4. You are a good writer. That opening sentence is just a really great opener. Read it out loud. You caught the moment exactly.

    On old men (and women).... yes, some are so beautiful and even more so as they get older. But, it takes a special person, like you, to discover that beauty in an old person.

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  5. beautiful story, now i am trying to decide if this happened TO you or INSIDE your head... which ever i like it...

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  6. I love this, Inger!!

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  7. What a wonderful interaction! 98 and upright is a huge accomplishment but this fellow surpassed even that!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  8. D.G. I'd say they were about 6'4 or - both of them. Same as my dad, I think. And so straight! I'm 5'11" and I had to look up. A rare thing for me.

    Manzanita: Thank you.

    Sandra: It really happened. I'm strictly a non-fiction writer, when I try to tell a story.

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  9. A rotten week has kept me from reading blogs this week, but I'm glad I was able to read this very sweet post!!

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  10. Hehehe ... great post Inger ... I love it when young women stop to talk to me too ... :)

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  11. Loved this 'moment in time' you had Inger!
    The men probably felt the same as you as I am sure most people wouldn't give them the time of day.

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  12. How neat. He sounds like quite a character...

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  13. What a lovely moment!
    Hayley-Eszti

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  14. Inger...will you be...will you be my matriarch?

    I dont have one, and I couldnt think of a better woman to show me the way to the golden years then you, through your beautiful writings, and your beautiful life!

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  15. What a wonderful encounter! Thanks for sharing it with us -- you write so vividly that I can see all three of you (and the squished bread).

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  16. I am glad you had that encounter!!!

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  17. Made me smile... but we both know...the bodies get old...but we are all young inside!! Some are lucky...the bodies stay good looking too:)

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  18. That is such a beautiful story!

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  19. What a fantastic encounter, Inger. The spark in the conversation shows the zest for life I sure do hope I have as I continue to grow older. And to be the age of those "young" men and have the twinkle in the eye, well, don't we want that! Wonderful story. I'm so glad you shared it.

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  20. A truly precious moment. We should take the time to really see others more often.

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  21. What a sweet and well told story. Their relationship was a bit of a shocker. Wonder if daughter/wife was still living?
    Thank you,you made my morning.

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  22. What a wonderful story! Today my dad turn 78. It really is all a matter of perspective.

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  23. hello je suis revenue de vacance ! à bientôt bisous de FRANCE

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  24. Wonderful! I'll bet 73 never felt so young. I remember when my mom turned 90 she started feeling a little tired and said she wished she had the energy she'd had at 73!

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  25. THIS ~~ is what makes unexpected encounters so magical!!

    Psst~~~someone thought Jim was my Dad one day....we LAUGHED SO HARD!!!!

    Ron

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  26. What a hoot. Flirting with old men in supermarkets. *shakes head in wonderment*

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  27. Hi Inger .. lovely you all had time for each other, and time to take time ... to not rush.

    What a lovely story .. cheers Hilary

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  28. Dear Inger, a lovely story and one well told. Three decades in that grocery aisle: a woman in her 70s, a man in his 80s, and one in his 90s and looking forward to being 100. So much wisdom there and life experience. Peace.

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Thanks for leaving a comment.. ~~ Inger

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