Another shot at life

Kurai had had enough. All the self-pity was threatening to drown him, and yet he couldn't get out of the mire. His wife had left him some time ago, and his adult children occasionally dropped in, probably more concerned about the family dog's welfare than their father. They never took sides in the arguments before and since the separation. They were mature enough to know that there would be no winners. Kurai still couldn't understand how he had arrived in his current situation, constantly licking his wounds with no end in sight. As a husband, he had been the classic textbook example of a dutiful provider all his married life. Ruby had walked out after their twenty-third wedding anniversary, her bottled-up anger exploding and smothering everyone in despair.

"Dad, you can't go on like this. Whenever I come to visit, the house is like a pit. When did you last clean out the fridge? It's full of takeaways from heaven knows when and you're growing mould in here! There is enough dirty linen scattered around the house to keep a laundry firm in business. You also look as if you sleep in your clothes. Mum is not coming back, and the sooner you internalise that fact, the better!"

"If every time you come and visit, you are going to give me verbal diarrhoea, don't bother to come!"

"I'm not trying to pick a fight, which I know I won't win. I don't know about Mum, but your children do care about you. It appears to me you have been experiencing low-level depression for at least a year."

" The soon to graduate psychiatrist! Are you already diagnosing patients? I don't know why you children are focusing on me as if I am a charity case. Leave me be!"

"You need to take your mind off things. Too much overthinking! You should join one of those dating sites. Get out and about and meet new people since you're not prepared to resume any of your old hobbies. That's the trouble with never having given each other space with Mum. You were joined at the hip, and now you think you can't function on your own."

"Sounds like I have been the topic of discussion over the weekend! I don't need any of your help. I want time out."

"For how long? Ok, Dad, let's be brutally honest. When did you last go out, even among the company of your age?"

"It's not the same anymore. I always relied on your mum, especially when we were with other couples. She managed to make even the dullest people sound exciting. I neither have the skill nor energy to emulate her."

"We can look at one or two websites together. If you don't want to spend money, we can go for the freebies. Sounds cheap, but until you know what you are looking for, why spend anything? Here's one. Let's see what sort of information they want."

"Have you read any of the reviews before you start splashing my name all over the internet? I'm only doing this for you to get some peace."

"If we come across any information you don't want to share, we can always delete and explore another. The point is you should at least start on one of these applications."

The next few weeks, Kundai discovered that the site on which Maidei had persuaded him to sign up was not as dead as the reviews had indicated. After holding off parting with any membership fee, he finally decided to pay the $ 70 a month and make the most of what was offered. All the added benefits began to flood his inbox. Even though he had shaved off two years on his profile age and listed hobbies he had long abandoned, several matches came up, and he went out with three people.

  The first encounter didn't last long. In fact, it never really happened. Kundai arrived at the agreed venue and sat at a bar after ordering a small gin and tonic. His prospective date had chosen a meeting place, which rapidly filled up with after-work crowds, half his age. He wondered, on second thoughts, about the wisdom of meeting up with a total stranger on unfamiliar territory. He couldn't even remember the persona he had created for himself online. Emptying his glass in three gulps, he paid and left.

The phone rang as Kundai changed into his nightwear.

"Hie Dad, how did it go?"

"It didn't."

"What do you mean, it didn't?"

"I stayed for a short time, drank my g&t and came home. Online dating is not for me."

"I admit it takes time to get used to. In your impatience, you probably left some poor soul at a table, waiting for you and feeling like a nana! That's just so insensitive! Imagine if it was you who had been left high and dry, we'd never hear the last of it. It's just nerves, Dad," said Maidei. "You said there had been lots of interest in your profile. So try again. This time, try not to give up before you even start."

Believing she was part of the problem, Maidei held back for a few weeks. However, her father's silence became unbearable, and curiosity got the better of her. One evening, she turned up unannounced and invited herself to dinner. It didn't take long for her to realise a transformation had taken place in her absence. Dad had been to a barber and had a makeover. The house was unrecognisable.

"Is there something I should know?" said Maidei throwing herself onto a sofa.

"No, not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"Well, something has happened. Have the dating sites been keeping you busy? Looks as if you are already entertaining visitors. You've spruced up the place. The trendy hair cut and clean clothes!"

"Well, yes and no. I don't think it's necessary to give you a blow by blow account of my private life. However, what I wanted to share, I shared with your mum."

"Mum knows about this new life of yours? I thought you are living separate lives."

"That's just it. Soon after the first disastrous date, I went back online, made a few changes to my profile and shared information that I feel is the real me. I was hesitant at first, but life is too short. I've been on a couple of dates which is a good thing because time is not on our side. I am comfortable with the decision I have made about my future."

"Dad cut out all the backstory stuff. The suspense is killing me. When do I get to meet the lucky woman?"

"It is a man, Maidei."