My 8-Year‐Old Grandson Helped Me Find the Love of My Life at 65 — My Story

At 65, my fear of growing old alone started to worsen. With just my 8-year-old grandson with me at home, I wanted to find a partner to love – and my grandson led me right to him.

I've raised my 8-year-old grandson Max by myself ever since his parents died in a tragic car accident. I love Max with my whole heart, but I don't want to burden him with the thought of having to take care of me once I get older. To me, it shouldn't be his responsibility to put his life on hold just to care for me.

Now that I'm 65 years old, the thought of growing old alone has been bothering me a lot more. While I once had a husband, he left me for another woman he had met at a work conference and hasn't kept in touch since our divorce was finalized.

I wanted to find myself a companion, but I know that at my age, it'd be difficult to find someone single in an appropriate age range in our neighborhood. One day, I was talking to my good friend Mila about it, and she suddenly opened up an idea to me.

"Georgina, it's a great idea for you to find companionship. I'm proud of you for being true to yourself and acknowledging that," she commended.

"Do you know where to find an eligible bachelor?" I joked. "I haven't done this in ages!"

After a short pause, Mila's eyes lit up. "As a matter of fact, I do! One of the ladies at my gym mentioned finding a date on this special dating site... you'll find men in their 60s on there with their complete profiles. Why don't you give it a try?" she suggested.

"A dating site?" I thought to myself as I walked home. "Isn't that dangerous?"

When I got home, Max had already been dropped off by the school bus. "Hey, grandma!" he said, giving me a tight hug when he saw me entering the front door.

"Hey, you," I replied as we walked to the living room together. "How was school?"

"School was good. I got an A on my math test. How about you, grandma? How was your lunch with Aunt Mila?" he asked. My ever-so-thoughtful boy, I smiled before thinking whether or not I should be honest with my answer.

"Well, Max, to tell you the truth, it was quite an interesting lunch," I began to say.

"How so?" he asked, trying to press for more details.

"I've been meaning to tell you this, but I wasn't sure how you'd react. I ran it by Aunt Mila and she said it might be a good idea... What do you think of grandma getting a companion? Or a partner?" I asked him.

Before I could worry about his answer, Max flashed a huge smile on his face. "Grandma, I would LOVE that for you! Does that mean I'll have a grandpa?!" he asked.

I laughed softly upon hearing his reply because I didn't expect him to react that way. "It depends," I told him. "Aunt Mila told me about this special dating site where I could find potential dates. Do you think it's a good idea?"

"We can check it out," Max said, unzipping his school backpack to bring out his laptop. I told him the name of the site, and he went right to it.

Max, who was always a bright child, was able to quickly check whether the site was legitimate or not. When he confirmed that it was, he helped me register on the site.

For the first few days, Max and I spent time looking through the different profiles together. He explained how the site worked, saying that if I found anyone interesting, I would have to make the first move and wait if they chose to reply.

In the first week, Max and I made the first move twice. And just a day later, we were scheduling my first date with a man named Lewis, who was a war veteran.

Lewis and I were scheduled to meet at a coffee shop. If things went well, we talked about moving to a nearby fine dining restaurant to continue the conversation.

"Bye, Max! Wish me luck!" I said before heading to the garage to get my car.

"Good luck, Grandma! I hope it goes well. You look beautiful!" he waved from the living room.

I smiled at that sudden boost of confidence from my grandson. I drove off and made my way downtown to meet him at the coffee shop.

When I got there, I immediately saw Lewis. He was in a white long-sleeved button-down shirt, a brown vest, and a veteran's cap. I smiled at him and introduced myself once our eyes met.

As soon as I sat down, I immediately wanted to jump right up and head back home. Lewis was way too uptight and never laughed at any of the jokes I tried to say to make the meeting feel less heavy.

At one point, I asked lightly: "What's under the cap?" Instead of trying to say something humorous, he suddenly asked if we were on a date or an interrogation.

By the time we both finished our coffee, I took it as my cue to run. "I'm sorry, it seems I won't be able to go to dinner," I told him.

"Why is that?" he asked. "Am I too boring?"

Yes, I wanted to say. Instead, I lied. "My grandson just sent me a message that football practice ended early. I need to go pick him up. I had a great time!" I told him.

After I said that, Lewis smiled and tried to lean forward for a kiss. I quickly pressed my cheek to his and stood up before he could do anything else.

"That's it?!" I heard him say as I hurriedly made my way out the door. I didn't even look back – I just wanted to get that date over with!

When I got home that night, I told Max the horror story I had just experienced. I told him I was done trying to date, and that maybe I was meant to be alone.

"No, grandma! You can't let one date ruin everything for you. Maybe you just met the wrong guy the first time. Give it another try," he said, encouraging me. After some convincing from Max, we began to search through the site again.

This time, after just thirty minutes of making the first move, I connected with a man named Jack. Jack's profile stated that he was a divorcee looking for companionship. He also claimed to be 62 years old, which I thought wasn't that bad of an age difference.

Jack and I decided to meet at a restaurant where we could have dinner together. He had asked if he could pick me up and take me home after our date, but after the horrors that I experienced with Lewis, I said I'd rather take my own car.

I arrived at the restaurant first and chose to sit in a corner booth. I was seated on the couch so that he could sit on the chair in front of me.

When Jack arrived, I immediately realized that he had faked his profile. He was a lot older than 62... he looked 80! He waved at me enthusiastically and walked up to our table.

To my surprise, instead of sitting on the chair in front of me, he squeezed right into the couch. "Hello, lovely," he greeted me, leaning in for a tight hug. It was way too close for comfort.

I tried my best to move away from him to keep some distance between us, but he kept an arm around my shoulder. He ordered food for the both of us and went straight to talking.

He asked me so many questions – "Do you live alone? Do you have any pets? How do you get around town? Why did you and your husband split up?" In the same way that he was physically too close for comfort, these questions bothered me a lot, too. They seemed like questions a stalker would ask someone!

When he finally stopped asking me questions, I, too wanted some clarification. "I'm sorry to be asking this, but are you really 62?" I asked him.

Upon hearing that, he laughed. "You caught me!" he said. "No, honey, I am way over 62. Twenty years over, to be exact!" he told me. My eyes widened in horror. "Why did you have to lie about your age?" I asked him.

"To get younger chicks, of course! Look at you. So fine and beautiful at 65. I would have never been able to go on a date with you if I said I was 82. Right?" he said.

Oh goodness, I thought to myself. "Oh... I see. Well, you don't look your age anyway," I said, trying to remain polite.

Before the food came, I excused myself to the restroom just to get out of his grip. I spent my sweet time, contemplating whether or not I should just hit the back door and leave.

I realized there was no way I could ever escape his sight, so I decided to just power through the dinner and leave right after. Instead of sitting back down on the couch, I sat in front of him and ate my food as fast as I could.

When we finished our meals, he asked if we could hang out in my car. "Absolutely not!" I wanted to say.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I actually have to get going. I had a lovely time, but my grandson needs me to pick him up from a friend's house. Thank you for dinner!" I told him.

"I'll see you again, won't I?" he asked me, trying to lean in for a kiss. I smiled nervously and nodded. "Sure, why not! But I really have to get going. Bye, Jack! Goodnight!" I stood up, pretending that I didn't see him leaning in.

That night, I told Max that I was done looking through the dating site. It was exhausting having to meet so many different people and so anxiety-inducing not to know who they really are or where they were from.

So, I went on with my life and decided to stop searching. Maybe having a partner wasn't meant for me after all. Instead, I focused on Max and tried to be the best grandmother I could be.

One day, as Max and I were at the grocery store, I stumbled upon the most handsome man I have ever seen. He looked straight out of a Hollywood movie, with ash gray hair, brushed-up eyebrows, and piercing brown eyes. Who IS he? I thought to myself.

Max caught me staring at the man, who was buying some sweet potatoes and cabbages and began to giggle. "Grandma, are you in love?" he teased.

"I think I am," I said, still in awe of the man's beauty.

"Well then, go approach him!" Max urged.

I shook my head. "He's probably married. How can a man like him be single?" I told Max. "Come on, let's get going."

I looked out the window, and my eyes widened in shock to see the same man from the supermarket in front of my house.

On the drive back home, and even as we were sorting out our groceries, I couldn't stop thinking about the man. It turned out that Max hadn't stopped thinking about him too.

"I just know him from somewhere, grandma. I can't pinpoint where!" he told me.

"Well, it's too late, sweetheart. I missed my chance to approach him at the supermarket. I'll never see that man again!" I sighed.

I thought that conversation was through that night, but one day, while I was making Max some pancakes for breakfast, I suddenly heard a car horn outside the house. I looked out the window, and my eyes widened in shock to see the same man from the supermarket in front of my house.

"Max!" I yelled. "Why is the man from the supermarket here?" I asked him.

Max had a big smile on his face as he leaned on the kitchen door. "Let's just say I used my connections, grandma," he laughed sheepishly.

My smart grandson finally remembered where he had seen the man. The man was one of his classmates' grandfathers, who was a widower. He, too, was looking for companionship, and when Max visited his classmate's house and saw him there, he started to share stories about me.

"When Max told me you were the most beautiful woman in his life, I had to come see for myself," the man, whose name was Pierce, said. That's how I met the love of my life. It was all thanks to my grandson.

Some people criticize me for choosing to find love at my age, calling it "stupidity." Do you think what I did was right?

Tell us what you think, and share this story with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a 75-year-old woman who believed she lost her former beauty, only for her granddaughter to make her feel young and beautiful again.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.