Dear Poor Widow Me,
I have followed your blog since my good friend Natalie told me about it. That was a year ago. I must tell you that I have enjoyed and found useful just about all of your advice…you are a real pro.
Although, I hope I don’t have to go through the process of bereavement again, I buried my third husband last October (2008) Yes, Carol, number 3 and I am 62 years young.
I just met a very nice gentleman at my club. He is new to the club and it seems he has taken a fancy to me. Some of the other ladies have taken to calling me the black widow and that really hurts.
Herein lies my problem…At what point do I tell this gent that I have buried 3 husbands already?
I’d like to do it before the “ladies” get his ear.
Should I just not say anything and have him bring it up? Help me 2 step through this, Carol!
BTW: I have two grown children by my second (and longest) marriage.
Please hurry with your response!
Three Time Loser,
Wanda
Dear Three Time Loser Wanda,
There goes the saying, “3’s a charm.” Hopefully, for you, #4 is your lucky number, although, for every one’s sake it may be best (especially for the guy) if you stay single.
You don’t mention how your husbands died. I suppose unless it was by poison or gunshot or he was checking your headlights and you accidentally stepped on the gas it doesn’t matter.
Potential suitors are generally not wowed by a dramatic story. They are typically reassured by the boring:
“How does someone fall off a step stool?”
“I told him the gas was on.”
“I should have known his heart would give out. It was like a pea.”
Should you tell this new fella? Well, it’s gonna come out. The mean ladies at the club are salivating for just the right moment to refer to you as “black widow” as they stand next to him at the buffet innocently scooping out a bagel and filling it with low fat vegetable tuna.
If you were putting together a profile on one of the dating sites I certainly wouldn’t mention it. “Widow” is sufficient – let a stranger also assume you’re 40 years old and 25 pounds lighter – until he meets you. Every body’s doing it.
Oh, you’d better let him know before one of your kids blab that their father was number two and you carelessly “lost” number three. Children are such a blessing, aren’t they?
In conclusion, Wanda the Widow, even though it’s an understandable to conveniently forget to mention three dead husbands if you’re not upfront it will no doubt lead to other doubts.
On the positive side, if you don’t like to cook telling him could cause him to insist that you and he eat out breakfast, lunch and dinner. Make sure he always pays…use the reasoning few of us have, “All these funerals have cost me a bundle!”