Chapter 1

Watching the movers bring his belongings into the townhome Ed Gleason couldn’t help but wonder if he made the right decision in deciding to move here. This townhome was located in an extremely large retirement complex. It featured a tall fourteen-story condo building that had one hundred and eighty-eight units. There were also in the complex sixty-six townhomes that were sized at thirteen hundred and fifty square feet with an attached two-car garage. Anchoring this complex was a large four-story high nursing home which was presently being expanded. The residents in this complex went to being first in line if going into the nursing home became a necessity.

Ed was seventy-two years old and for the past two years was a widower. His wife Patty had fought a good fight but was unsuccessful in her battle with breast cancer.

His two daughters Amy and Carly who were married and had children were constantly suggesting to Ed that he should move closer to them. The logistics of that was that Amy lived in Boise, ID and Carly lived just outside of Madison, WI. Ed was grateful for the love they must have for him in making those requests but he liked the area where he was living and didn’t want to move and try to make new friends. Golfing with some fellows he knew and spending time at the American Legion sipping on a beer while talking with friends were things that he liked doing and didn’t want to relinquish.

Although he thought he was probably too young to be moving into this assisted living complex he did it to appease his two daughters. Here someone would look after him if that became necessary which eliminated a concern his daughters had. Having his townhome afforded him the privacy he wanted and in some way took away from what he perceived was the stigma given to living in an assisted living complex.

After the movers left Ed spent some time unpacking. The scent of fresh paint was still in the air as Ed had all the rooms painted before he moved in. Hanging up his clothes and emptying some of the boxes made the time pass by quickly.

When he noticed it was getting close to six, he showered and shaved, and walked over to the large dining room located in the condo building for dinner. Ed did enjoy cooking and fancied himself a good cook but he didn’t enjoy doing the cleanup. Because of that, he signed up for the dinner dining plan which seemed to be reasonable as to its cost. After thirty days if this dining plan didn’t work out he would explore other alternatives for dinner.

In entering the dining room he observed a large number of people that were there. He secured a tray along with some utensils and stood in the food line. He was standing behind a fellow who must have sensed there was someone behind him.

This fellow turned and in seeing Ed he extended his hand saying, “You must be new here. I am Gus Bondi and it’s nice to meet you.”

Shaking his hand Ed said, “Ed Gleason, and it’s nice to meet you too. I just moved in today.”

“Well after you get your food let’s sit together and I can give you the low down on what you can expect living here.”

In following Gus going through the food line Ed had an initial impression of Gus. Ed guessed that Gus was approximately Ed’s age and that he fancied himself a lady’s man. The main reason he thought this was because of Gus’s lack of gray in his jet-black hair which to Ed looked like it was dyed. More power to him thought Ed.

After sitting at an unoccupied table Gus asked Ed to tell him about himself. Ed did include his reasoning for moving here. He asked Gus to tell him about himself. Gus did stating that he was divorced and he still worked two days a week as a used car salesperson.

After giving Ed this synopsis Gus said, “Let me say that I think you will enjoy living here.”

“It’s too early for me to say that but let me ask you why do you enjoy living here.”

“Look around and tell me what you see.”

Ed did give a glance at the room and said, “Just a lot of people eating dinner.”

“You aren’t seeing what you should be seeing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Besides six couples that reside in this complex, there are a lot more single women living here than single men. Now if you eliminate the women who require walkers or wheelchairs and those who are much older than us that still leaves a large number of single women. Only eight single men are living here. Stan and Jim are close to ninety years. Cliff is getting ready to go into the nursing home after suffering a stroke. Paul is moving in with Shirley and Lloyd seems to have a thing going with Leona judging by how often he is with her. That leaves Phil, me, and now you to provide for the needs of some of these women. Let me also say that I have found that most of the women here have a strong desire for male companionship if you know what I mean and they are not hesitant to pursue men. Single men here are like gold and don’t be surprised how often you are going to be hit on.”

“You are kidding, aren’t you?”

In saying that Ed again looked at the people dining there and noticed he was getting looks from some of the women who were there.

“I am deadly serious. Unless you don’t like women which I doubt because of how long you were married you might want to get a supply of those pills that you see being advertised for as they say “When the moment is right.” He continued saying “Believe me when I say you are going to find a lot of right moments here.”

Chucking a little Ed said, “Will see about doing that but I thank you for the information and I will keep my guard up.”

The conversation then shifted to sports for the rest of the meal.

Walking home after dinner Ed couldn’t help but think about what Gus had said. He probably was exaggerating but if he wasn’t it was something that Ed had never thought about and could make living here interesting. It would be a one-eighty change from when Ed was growing up and men were the pursuers to now being the ones who are pursued. That thought was still on his mind as he watched some television in bed before he fell asleep.

The next day Ed made the effort to finish unpacking and also made a list of things he wanted to do to this townhome along with the items he would need to purchase to accomplish these projects. Ceiling fans, shelves, silicone caulk, cove molding, and ceramic tile for the kitchen back counter to complement the kitchen granite countertop were all on his to-do list. He wasn’t going to kill himself in doing these improvements and would do a little at a time which would give him something to do and keep him occupied.

Ed’s doorbell chimed and in looking at his watch he saw that it was three and wondered who that could be. Opening the door he saw an average height blond haired well-dressed lady maybe a little younger than him standing there.

“Hi, I am Sandi Sanders and I live across the street from you. I saw you moving in yesterday and was wondering if I could answer any questions you may have about living here.”

“You saying that qualifies you as the local welcome wagon representative so come on in and you can tell me about living here. Can I offer you something to drink?”

“A diet soda would be nice.”

Sitting at the kitchen table they sipped on their sodas. Sandi first asked Ed to tell him a little about himself and he explained that he was a retired fireman, a widower, and the concern expressed by his daughters for him as being the reason he chose to move here.

Sandi told Ed about the various available activities. Bridge, pinochle, guest speakers, bowling, movie night, bingo, trivia tournaments, computer club, casino bus trips, travel club, and bocce ball along with other activities were all adequately explained by her. He did ask her a few questions and told her he would consider some of the activities she had mentioned but he wasn’t a joiner. He enjoyed golfing with his friends and going to the Legion for a few beers. He did do some traveling in visiting his daughters but his tastes were somewhat simple.

While Sandi was talking he was listening to her and also observing her. Facially she wasn’t what would be considered beautiful but she might have been when she was younger. She certainly was attractive and from what he could see she had maintained a slim figure. Breast wise she wasn’t overly endowed but she did have what he would guess were 32B’s. All in all, he thought in how she conducted herself that she was a classy lady. She did say she was a widow. Her now-deceased husband was ten years older than her and had passed away from a major heart attack just over a year ago. That she had been married inferred to Ed that she did enjoy the company of men.