Destiny

It was clear from the start that he was looking to make a significant encounter that evening - to all intents and purposes with my son at first, leading me to assume he was no ladies' man. This gave me licence to boldly appraise him from across the room - elegantly lanky, self-assured, a bit too handsome - mercifully unavailable to me, still exploring and revelling in my relatively new, if reluctantly acquired, utter singledom.  

However, my gaze somehow penetrated their tete-a-tete. He turned his head and fixed me briefly with a casual insolent stare. Moments later, he'd disengaged with my son and sauntered across the room to sit beside me. Immediately flattered and be-fluttered I found myself lightly flirting, allowing myself to bask in his mesmeric attention. He was no great intellect, but seemed well versed in intuitive small talk, and we struck up a guarded but memorable rapport. Shortly after, he left rather perfunctorily, my daughter-in-law having announced that we were about to go out, and he was clearly not invited to join us.

I soon forgot about him, until a few weeks later when we were again destined to meet up. This time - in a nutshell - I threw care to the winds and surrendered myself just one more time to what was to become a steady relationship - today our thirteenth anniversary. Sometimes you just have to trust in chemistry. 

Utterly comfortable together,  we discovered so many common interests: we enjoy gardening, birdwatching, wildlife programmes, weekends in the caravan, hanging out with friends, Radio 4, newspapers ... we don't however share the same tastes in music or food - I'm a vegetarian, he a dedicated alpha male carnivore. But every morning I awake to a gentle touch and loving gaze, and consider myself blessed. 

Then I step out of bed to be confronted by last night's headless mouse on the rug. A small price for taking in a Swansea stray.