{"id":8513,"date":"2026-11-05T00:11:20","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T00:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bzerbros.fun\/?p=8513"},"modified":"2026-11-05T00:11:20","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T00:11:20","slug":"a-6-foot-8-woman-joined-a-dating-app-her-first-match-asked-her-to-wear-heels-but-what-happened-at-dinner-left-her-terrified","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bzerbros.fun\/?p=8513","title":{"rendered":"A 6 Foot 8 Woman Joined a Dating App Her First Match Asked Her to Wear Heels but What Happened at Dinner Left Her Terrified"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>My four-inch heels made me impossible to miss beside the restaurant window. I thought Richard wanted me to feel beautiful on my first date in 12 years. Then a black SUV stopped, two men got out, and he dragged me toward the kitchen. I couldn&#8217;t tell whether he was saving me or leading me into a trap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard checked his watch for the third time, then looked past my shoulder toward the restaurant window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was clearly nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I just couldn&#8217;t tell whether it was because of me or something outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was clearly nervous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Are you expecting someone, Richie?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His fingers paused against the watchband. &#8220;No. I&#8217;m enjoying the evening.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You seem more interested in the street than your dinner.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He gave me a quick smile and reached for his water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Are you expecting someone, Richie?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ice had melted, but he still stirred it with the straw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something about the way he kept watching the street bothered me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I blamed it on first-date nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At 74, after 12 years without romance, I was nervous too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Something about the way he kept watching the street bothered me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Besides, Richard had seemed different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most men noticed my height before they noticed anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had been six feet eight since I was 19, which meant I had heard every basketball joke and every question about the weather &#8220;up there.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard had seemed different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My husband, Thomas, had been five feet ten and entirely unimpressed by the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we danced, he rested his cheek against my shoulder and claimed I had the best view of his thinning hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We had 41 years together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My husband, Thomas, had been five feet ten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After he died, I assumed that part of my life had ended with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My granddaughter disagreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Grandma, you need to meet people,&#8221; she announced one Sunday, taking my phone before I could object.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I assumed that part of my life had ended with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I meet people at the grocery store, dear,&#8221; I said. &#8220;The butcher gave me a free chicken last month.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Geez! I&#8217;m thinking of someone who might buy you dinner.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Twenty minutes later, I had a dating profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Marilyn, 74. Loves detective novels, gardening, and men who don&#8217;t ask whether she plays basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I meet people at the grocery store, dear.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She insisted on listing my height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I hesitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Why frighten them before they meet me?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Anyone frightened by you isn&#8217;t worth meeting, Grandma.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She insisted on listing my height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Three days later, I matched with Richard, a 76-year-old widower who stood five feet five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His first message asked whether I preferred solving a mystery before the detective or being surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Surprised,&#8221; I wrote, &#8220;provided the author hasn&#8217;t cheated.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For two weeks, we traded messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I matched with Richard, a 76-year-old widower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Did I tell you the neighborhood cat has begun sleeping beneath my hydrangeas?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;No. That&#8217;s nice!&#8221; I&#8217;d replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He remembered small things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I mentioned my roses were struggling, he asked about them days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He remembered small things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I told him about Thomas, he didn&#8217;t offer advice about moving on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He simply said he missed his wife too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then he invited me to dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The night before our date, a peculiar message appeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He missed his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Would you mind wearing your tallest heels?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I thought it was weird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I sent a reply immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Richie, I&#8217;m already six foot eight. In heels, I&#8217;ll be over seven feet tall.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Would you mind wearing your tallest heels?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Please, Marilyn. It&#8217;s important to me.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I almost canceled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Men before Thomas had asked me to sit for photographs or wear flats around their friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard was the first to request more height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I almost canceled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps he liked it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps he wanted me to feel beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the back of my closet, I found the navy four-inch heels I had worn to my granddaughter&#8217;s wedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I thought they&#8217;d go well with the navy dress I planned to wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps he liked it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I sent Richard a picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;All right, Richie. But don&#8217;t complain if I block the restaurant lighting.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He replied with three smiling emojis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The following evening, my granddaughter stood in my bedroom doorway while I fastened the ankle straps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I sent Richard a picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You look gorgeous, Grandma.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I look qualified to dust ceiling fans.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She took a photograph anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In it, I was smiling more broadly than I had realized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You look gorgeous, Grandma.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The navy dress had been Thomas&#8217;s favorite, though I had not worn it since his funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choosing it did not feel like replacing him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It felt like carrying the life we had shared into a room I had been afraid to enter alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had not worn it since his funeral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard waited beneath the restaurant&#8217;s brass awning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was smaller than his profile pictures suggested, with silver hair carefully combed and a red pocket square that sat slightly crooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He looked up at me and smiled so broadly that I laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was smaller than his profile pictures suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Perfect!&#8221; he murmured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You certainly got your wish, Richie.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He kissed my hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then his gaze slipped past me toward the traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Perfect!&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inside, the hostess offered us a quiet table near the fireplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard pointed toward the front instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Could we have the one beside the window?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hostess warned that it was exposed to the sidewalk, but he insisted the view was better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard pointed toward the front instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I thought he meant the city lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now those heels rested beneath a table beside the restaurant&#8217;s front window, exactly where Richard had insisted we sit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moments later, a black sedan slowed outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard stopped stirring his water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I thought he meant the city lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When it continued down the street, his shoulders lowered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;What was that?&#8221; I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Nothing. I&#8217;m a little nervous.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That answer might have satisfied me if he hadn&#8217;t immediately checked his watch again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;What was that?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our appetizers arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard asked about my garden, but his gaze kept returning to the glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I tried to recapture the easy man from our messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He hadn&#8217;t heard a word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His gaze kept returning to the glass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then he set down his fork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Marilyn, would you mind standing?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Standing?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Just for a moment. I&#8217;d love to see how tall you look in those heels.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Marilyn, would you mind standing?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I glanced at the surrounding tables. &#8220;Right here?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Please.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was no admiration in his voice now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The word came too quickly, as if we were running late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Right here?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, refusing felt like turning a peculiar request into a scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I pushed back my chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;If someone asks me to change a ceiling fixture, you&#8217;re explaining.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Refusing felt like turning a peculiar request into a scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In those heels, I stood close to seven feet tall, and people noticed immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A little boy near the entrance stopped chewing until his mother redirected him toward his plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard did not look at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He stared through the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People noticed immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A black SUV had stopped across the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two men stepped onto the sidewalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One wore a dark jacket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other surveyed the restaurant entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A black SUV had stopped across the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard&#8217;s hand closed around my wrist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Sit down. Now.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His grip hurt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Richie, let go.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He loosened his fingers but kept hold of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Sit down. Now.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With his free hand, he dropped several bills beside his untouched plate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We need to leave.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Who are those men?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ll explain outside.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He pulled me toward a doorway beside the kitchen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We need to leave.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My heels struck the tile sharply, each step reminding me how difficult running would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I could not tell whether Richard feared those men or intended to hand me over to someone waiting behind the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The restaurant manager stepped into our path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard feared those men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Sir, guests aren&#8217;t permitted through the kitchen.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We need another exit.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The manager looked at Richard&#8217;s hand around my wrist, then met my eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Ma&#8217;am, do you want to go with him?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Sir, guests aren&#8217;t permitted through the kitchen.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I pulled free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;No. I don&#8217;t.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The manager shifted between us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the men from the SUV entered the restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I pulled free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He spotted Richard near the kitchen and walked toward us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Richard.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard pressed two fingers to his forehead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The stranger stopped several feet away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His anger seemed aimed entirely at my date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He spotted Richard near the kitchen and walked toward us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Where are you going?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I stayed beside the manager. &#8220;Who are you?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The man looked surprised. &#8220;I&#8217;m Eleanor&#8217;s husband.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Who is Eleanor?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Where are you going?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard studied the floor tiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;His daughter,&#8221; the man answered. &#8220;The daughter he asked to drive past this restaurant tonight.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I turned toward Richard. &#8220;You arranged this?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;His daughter.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The man introduced himself as Daniel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The other man was the driver, waiting near the SUV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Neither had come for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Eleanor thought you wanted her to see something,&#8221; Daniel told Richard. &#8220;Why did you run when we arrived?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The man introduced himself as Daniel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I panicked.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Because of me?&#8221; I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard rubbed the side of his thumb against his palm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I wanted Eleanor to see us together. She has worried about me since her mother died. I thought if she saw me enjoying dinner, she&#8217;d stop treating me like I was falling apart.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I panicked.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The window table, the watch, and the heels settled into one ugly picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You asked me to stand so your daughter couldn&#8217;t miss me.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He looked toward the dining room rather than at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You weren&#8217;t admiring my height,&#8221; I added. &#8220;You were using it as a sign in the window.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The heels settled into one ugly picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Marilyn, I do admire you.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Did you ever plan to tell me she was coming?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His lips parted, but no answer followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The request for heels had made me feel chosen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Marilyn, I do admire you.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now I understood that Richard had chosen me partly because no passing car could overlook me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A woman entered in a wheelchair and moved toward us with practiced, quick turns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Daniel stepped aside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her eyes went first to Richard, then to me, and finally to the wrist I was rubbing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A woman entered in a wheelchair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;What happened?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Eleanor,&#8221; Richard began, &#8220;I can explain.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She ignored him. &#8220;Ma&#8217;am, are you all right?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m Marilyn,&#8221; I said. &#8220;Your father grabbed me when he saw the SUV.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eleanor&#8217;s hand settled on one wheel. &#8220;Did he tell you I was coming?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;What happened?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;No.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, as though she&#8217;d heard a version of this before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Dad, I agreed to drive past because you said there was something you wanted me to see. I didn&#8217;t agree to watch you turn a woman into part of an argument.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She&#8217;d heard a version of this before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I wanted you to know I was fine, sweetheart.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Then you could have told me. You could have told her too.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard looked smaller than he had at the entrance, and not because I was wearing heels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I wanted you to know I was fine, sweetheart.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The manager offered to arrange a car for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before leaving, I faced Richard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Richie, I came because I liked you.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I like you too,&#8221; he whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The manager offered to arrange a car for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Then you should have trusted me with the truth.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He stepped forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My shoe moved back against the tile, and he stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My granddaughter was waiting when I got home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You should have trusted me with the truth.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I sat on the sofa and reached for the buckle on my left shoe, but my fingers kept missing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She knelt without asking and removed both heels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I told her everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Are you deleting the app?&#8221; she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I told her everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I looked at my phone on the coffee table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;No. One foolish man doesn&#8217;t get to decide whether I ever have dinner with another.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Three days later, Richard&#8217;s handwritten apology arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He admitted that he had treated me like a prop and frightened me when he grabbed my wrist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard&#8217;s handwritten apology arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He did not ask for forgiveness or another date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A week later, Eleanor called with my permission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She explained that after she began using a wheelchair, Richard often confused protecting her with controlling her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He did not ask for forgiveness or another date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He canceled plans before asking what she wanted and called restaurants about access without including her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Last Christmas, he moved dinner from my house to his because snow was forecast,&#8221; she told me. &#8220;He never asked whether my street had been cleared. He simply announced that he had solved the problem.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He canceled plans before asking what she wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;And had it been cleared?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Before his own street.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Her laugh held affection as well as frustration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard was not a scheming stranger who had invented every kind message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;And had it been cleared?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was a lonely man who cared about people and then pushed their choices aside whenever fear took over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Understanding that did not excuse what he had done to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But it explained why Eleanor had looked tired rather than shocked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was a lonely man who cared about people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Mom could make him listen,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Since she died, he keeps deciding what everyone needs.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;He decided I needed to feel admired.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;And decided I needed proof he was happy,&#8221; she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;He keeps deciding what everyone needs.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before hanging up, Eleanor told me her father had asked where she wanted to meet the following week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Is that unusual?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Very.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two weeks later, I agreed to coffee with Richard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Is that unusual?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I chose the caf\u00e9 and the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I wore flats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He stood when I arrived and wisely said nothing about my shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the table lay a small paper bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I chose the caf\u00e9 and the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He pushed it toward me only after I sat down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Tea biscuits,&#8221; he explained. &#8220;You mentioned Thomas used to buy them for your road trips. If bringing them was presumptuous, I&#8217;ll take them home.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That was different from deciding I needed them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You mentioned Thomas used to buy them for your road trips.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He had remembered, offered, and left the answer with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I opened the bag and placed one beside each cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After we ordered, I rested both hands around my cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Do you know why I wore those heels?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He had remembered, offered, and left the answer with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Because you asked. Most men spent years wishing I were shorter. I thought you wanted me to be proud of taking up space.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Richard turned his cup until its handle faced away from him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Most men spent years wishing I were shorter.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Instead, I discovered you wanted your daughter to notice you standing beside me,&#8221; I finished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m sorry, Marilyn.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I believe you. But believing an apology isn&#8217;t the same as trusting you again.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I understand.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You wanted your daughter to notice you standing beside me.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He told me Eleanor had chosen the location for their next visit and that he had not argued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;That&#8217;s a start, Richie.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When coffee ended, he asked whether I might see him again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Perhaps. Slowly, and without surprises.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Agreed.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He asked whether I might see him again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>***<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At home, I placed the navy heels beside my flats instead of returning them to the back of the closet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My granddaughter called to ask how coffee had gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Pleasant,&#8221; I told her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Will there be another date?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I looked at the shoes. Richard had not ruined them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Will there be another date?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They still belonged to the woman who had chosen to wear them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Possibly. But next time, darling, I choose the height.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My granddaughter laughed. &#8220;Deal. But I&#8217;m still taking the picture.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I laughed too, already imagining the next photograph with whatever shoes I chose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They still belonged to the woman who had chosen to wear them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My four-inch heels made me impossible to miss beside the restaurant window. 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