An unexpected request from his wife after 21 years of marriage resulted in a moving evening that permanently altered the narrator’s views on love and family.
The wife proposed that her husband take a different, deeply liked woman out to dinner and a movie. The second woman was, surprisingly, his widowed mother, who, despite the pressures of her son’s career and raising three children, had been longing for meaningful time with her son.
The son called his mother and warmly invited her out for a night on the town, stressing how much he wanted to spend time together alone. A resounding yes cleared the way for a heartfelt reunion.
The son was astounded by his mother’s stunning beauty when he picked her up for the dinner date. Clad in the clothes from her previous wedding anniversary, she was all smiles and excitement, grateful for the chance to spend a memorable evening with her son.
They enjoyed one other’s company while having a straightforward yet profound chat over supper. Reading the menu for his mother, who had done the same for him when he was a child, the son noticed the reversal of roles.
Their final meal together was poignant because the mother unexpectedly died a few days later from a major heart attack. When the son got an envelope with a restaurant receipt and a note from his mother explaining the deep significance of their supper together, it was a poignant revelation.
In the epilogue, the son comes to understand the value of showing affection and spending time with his family. The unplanned supper provided as a heartfelt reminder of the priceless importance of family ties in addition to creating treasured memories.