Elizabeth has always held a place in her heart for Jack โ the one who got away. But when her daughter reveals that she is dating someone, someone with the same quirks as Jack, she grows increasingly paranoid. Would her daughter date someone her fatherโs age? Is a coincidence just a coincidence?
In the quiet aftermath of the day, as Susan and I recovered from our Sunday dinner, I did the dishes, ready for the nap that was calling out my name.
Food on a table | Source: Pexels
But, of course, that was the time my daughter decided to have a heart-to-heart in the kitchen. She lived two hours away, but she occasionally came home for the weekend โ just for us to catch up and spend time together.
โMom,โ she said, bringing in the final dirty dishes from the table. โYou know Iโve been seeing someone new?โ
โYes!โ I said. โWhat about him?โ
I always wanted to know what was going on in Susanโs life โ but she was very tight-lipped about her romantic life. My daughter was twenty-four and still believed that oversharing with her mother wasnโt cool.
A person washing dishes | Source: Pexels
So, whenever she wanted to talk โ I was all ears.
Except, this time, I wasnโt expecting the conversation to take such a turn.
โJack,โ she said, reminding me of his name. โHeโs pretty quirky, you know. But I guess I see it like that because of the age difference, maybe.โ
A smiling young woman | Source: Pexels
My daughter was always dating people who were slightly older than her. I couldnโt figure it out, just that it was entertaining to navigate her mind when she let me into it. I knew that I would step in if she needed me to.
โI was just thinking about this strange habit that he picked up. He only eats the top of muffin because he says that itโs the best part. Like thereโs something different about the top versus the bottom. Can you believe that?โ she giggled.
A muffin and a brown paper bag | Source: Pexels
The plate I was washing fell from my hands and broke into pieces. Shards flew off the sink and landed on the floor.
I was dumbfounded.
Names are common, sure. But are strange habits common too?
โMom, what happened?โ Susan asked. โAre you okay?โ
She picked up the dustpan and began to sweep the remnants of the plate into it.
A broken plate on the floor | Source: Pexels
โSorry, darling,โ I said, feeling winded. โI just got a bit light-headed there.โ
โMaybe you should take a nap,โ Susan said. โIโll finish up here.โ
I went to my room and lay on the bed. Hearing about Susanโs boyfriendโs habit had thrown me back in time, catapulting me back to those tender years of my late teens and early 20s.
An unmade bed | Source: Pexels
I was instantly reminded of Jack โ my Jack โ the one love that had profoundly etched itself upon my heart. His kindness, intelligence, and that peculiar muffin habit had been the center of my life for years.
โWhy do you eat muffins like that?โ I asked Jack once.
โBecause the top is always a little crisp and the inside is soft. And when you get deeper into it, it just starts to taste weird. And the textures get all muddled.โ
His explanation made absolutely no sense to me โ but it made him happy.
A happy young couple | Source: Pexels
But then, along came life. Jack went off to study abroad โ he had a desire to learn. While I remained anchored in our hometown, taking care of my ailing father. I didnโt have any regrets.
Not really.
Although, I did wonder what would have happened if Jack had asked me to travel with him. Would I have gone? Would we have remained together, or would life have found a way to separate us after all?
The years that followed were a long and grueling testament to moving on โ or at least, an attempt at it.
An airplane in the sky | Source: Pexels
I met Phil while I was at college. I married him, brought Susan into the world, and eventually faced the heartache of divorce, realizing the love I held for my husband was but a pale shadow compared to what I had felt for Jack.
โElizabeth! You cannot still be hung up on Jack,โ my best friend, Catherine, said when I told her that my marriage just wasnโt working.
โI donโt know, Cath,โ I said. โBut Iโve tried to make it work with Phil. Itโs ridiculously difficult trying to make a relationship work when both parties are not in it.โ
โSo, you think that your only chance would be to find Jack?โ she asked.
โNo!โ I exclaimed. โIโm not looking. Iโm going to focus on Susan.โ
Two women sitting together | Source: Pexels
And I did. My daughter became the most important aspect of my life. Phil and I got divorced, but we continued to co-parent the best we could. And even during those years โ I only looked Jack up on Facebook three times. But there were never really any updates of note.
Just mentions of places he had been to.
I continued to keep my child at the center of my world. Even now, Susan and her happiness came first.
Yet, as she had told me โ unveiling her boyfriendโs name and his eccentric muffin habit, my world once again spiraled into chaos.
A laptop opened to Facebook | Source: Pexels
โWhat if heโs my Jack?โ I said to my empty room.
Susan had mentioned that her boyfriend was older โ but how much older? Jack and I were the same age. Surely my child couldnโt be dating someone old enough to be her father.
The thought was ridiculous. But still, it felt as though something had come undone inside me.
I fell asleep that evening not knowing how to navigate the situation. I could be reasonable and ask Susan about it straight out. I could ask her to show me a photo of Jack โ that would immediately confirm who he was.
But then, on the other hand, if I had to see his face next to my daughterโs, I didnโt know what that would do to me.
A person sleeping in bed | Source: Pexels
The following morning, things went back to normal. Susan went back to her apartment and I was left to wonder about her and the mysterious Jack.
I channeled all my feelings into my garden.
โItโs the healthiest thing you can do,โ I told myself as I continued to plant new seedlings.
I knew that I could have reached out to Catherine. But the thought of her snickering at me still holding some kind of torch for Jack would just be too much to deal with.
A person holding a seedling | Source: Pexels
In the ensuing months, Susan would only speak about Jack when she called. He had become a beacon of light in her life, and she had fallen in love.
โItโs different, Mom,โ she gushed. โItโs real and I think Jack is going to propose. Iโm sorry that you havenโt had a chance to meet him yet.โ
She wasnโt wrong. Every time my child wanted to bring Jack over or have us meet someplace, I would always cancel.
A young woman holding a phone | Source: Pexels
I knew that I was being a horrible mother โ it was easy. I just had to ask Susan for a photograph. But because I didnโt ask, she didnโt share.
โMom,โ she said the day after he proposed. โPlease let me know when youโre free. Weโll come to you.โ
She had sent a photo of her ring, and it was beautiful. But Jack wasnโt in sight.
And still, I refused to give her a time. I just felt that if I didnโt know any details โ I would be in the clear. And besides, Phil had met with Jack and Susan. If there was anything I needed to know, he would have told me.
โMom,โ Susan said, her voice low and tired. โDo you want to help plan this wedding or not?โ she asked.
โI donโt think I can,โ I admitted to her.
A photo of an engagement ring | Source: Pexels
โIs this about the divorce? Is it too much for you?โ she asked, her voice laced with concern.
That was it. That was my way out.
โYes, honey,โ I mumbled. โI think itโs just a sore spot for me. But Iโll be there.โ
The day of the wedding arrived like a storm Iโd seen coming from miles away yet still hoped to somehow evade. My heart was a cacophony of emotions as I prepared myself to finally meet the man my daughter was about to marry.
A wedding venue | Source: Pexels
The man who, until now, I feared could shatter the precarious peace I had managed to build around my heart.
โGood afternoon, Mrs. Davis,โ the young man at the altar greeted me, his voice warm yet unfamiliar. โItโs an honor to finally meet you. Iโm so glad you could come!โ
Relief washed over me momentarily, easing the tightness in my chest. This wasnโt my Jack. This was someone new, someone important to my Susan. But the calm was short-lived.
Then, the true Jack emerged, his presence as jarring as it was unexpected. โElizabeth!โ he exclaimed, his voice a mix of surprise and joy.
A young man wearing a suit | Source: Pexels
โOh my God! Are you Susanโs mother? My boy is so lucky to marry her! I had no idea it was you.โ
In that instant, a flood of emotions overwhelmed me. Years of what-ifs, of memories suppressed, came rushing back. But there was no room for them here, not today.
Today was about Susan, about her happiness and her future.
Jack and I managed to find a moment for a quiet conversation amidst the festivities. He shared the outline of his life since weโd partedโso strikingly similar to my own.
Married, then divorced, with children who meant the world to him. It was oddly comforting to know that our lives, though parallel, had been filled with love, even if it wasnโt the love we had once shared.
A smiling older man | Source: Pexels
As the ceremony began and I watched my daughter walk down the aisle, a sense of peace settled over me. Susan was radiant, and the love in her eyes as she looked at her Jack was all I needed to see to know that everything was as it should be.
Later, as Jack handed me a glass of champagne and said, โI came back for you,โ I realized that some chapters of our lives remain open, not for us to return to, but to remind us of how far weโve come.
โAbout two years after I left,โ he continued, seeing my puzzled look. โBut nobody knew where you had gone.โ
โMy father passed on,โ I replied softly, a part of me healing with the acknowledgment. โAfter that, I needed to move. I came here, and settled down.โ
Jackโs smile was gentle, his eyes conveying a world of emotions. โIโm sorry,โ he said, and I knew he meant for everythingโthe pain, the separation, and the years lost.
Two glasses of champagne | Source: Pexels
As Susan called me to dance, I realized this wasnโt just a celebration of her new beginning but also a healing moment for me. Dancing with my daughter, I felt the weight of the past lift, leaving behind a sense of gratitude for the present and hope for the future.
Today was not about lost loves or what could have been. It was about family, about bridges built from the pieces of our pasts, and about the unwavering strength of a motherโs love.
As I looked around the roomโat Susan, at Jack, and at all the faces filled with joyโI knew that everything had led us to this moment, and it was exactly where we were meant to be.
A bridal couple dancing at wedding reception | Source: Pexels
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