Love Links

JJ had lived alone for many years.

His fondness of the drink was the best company since his wife had left him.

Now with his eyesight fading and a few aches and pai9ns in his body JJ knew that the golden years of his life were well and truly gone. As soon as he became aware of this fact he decided that maybe it was time for a final fling.

He knew his alcohol problem was going to make it difficult for him to keep a relationship so he bit the bullet and made the decision to seek some help .

He knew it would be too hard a task without some support group so JJ reached out to and grabbed on to a lifeline from a local group involved with recovery from addictions.

JJ had made the first step to his recovery and went on the wagon.
His fight to overcome the problem was on going for the next six months but he had been able to get through a lot of challenges and was still on the wagon.

For JJ now it was time to look for a lady. He wanted to have more than a final fling, he was ready to share the rest of his life with somebody special.

He put a lot of though into the places he mighty meet a nice lady and thought he might try out a self help program and made some enquires at the local college. There was a computer awareness class twice a week in the evening from 5pm to 9pm and he thought that might be something he would enjoy.
After he enrolled he went to clean himself up a little. He shaved his beard off, had a haircut and bough a new wardrobe.

It had been over a year since JJ had a drink and things were going well.
He had started walking a mile before breakfast and drank lots of water during the day. At 69 JJ was in pretty good shape.

It was time to begin semester one and on the first evening JJ was a little disappointed. He had hoped in the class that there could be someone with who he could start a relationship.
It never turned out as he expected. All the students were teenagers. He was old enough to be there Father. Still he continued with the course because he did want some computer skills and learn more about the Internet.

Half way through the first semester JJ discovered that he was popular with all the young girls. They trusted him and shared some personal stuff at recess. This practice was frowned on but the young male students who wanted to have the attention that JJ was getting.

JJ studied hard and soon was top of the class. He had a PC at home and found a new world out there on the World Wide Web.
He had 7 email addresses, 3 personal websites and was a member of eleven Internet groups that corresponded via forums on line.

Thanks to some of the young girls in the class, information became available about dating agencies and other places on the World Wide Web where single men and women could converse, date and hopefully begin a relationship.

At last JJ had found hope.
With hope he had faith something would happen.
He started by contacting an on-line dating group and to his surprise at nearly 70 years of age some interested people who were looking for someone, searching for love, contacted JJ.

JJ had to think seriously now because he knew he could not allow himself to enter a relationship that might end up in tragedy as that would probably send him back off the wagon to the depths of alcohol abuse in a hole too deep and dark to escape from. He knew that this could be his last chance to make something beautiful happen in his life and he wanted this relationship to last the distance. Carefully he approached each prospect as if his life depended on it. As fragile as he was JJ was also eagre and willing to give the ballroom of romance a twirl, if the right person presented herself.

Faith, hope and then it happened love arrived with a runaway train on a track called click and connect on the Internet. A lady called Maggie sent a photo of herself and a brief bio. JJ knew she was the one. Love hit him the instant he laid eyes on her.

They set a time and day to meet.
It was to be a dinner date at one of the best restaurants in the city.

On the table that evening there was no wine but plenty of roses.
JJ was honest and explained his situation to Maggie. That won her respect and from that point on, there was no looking back.

She wanted to share her life with him and at last JJ had been given a second chance to undo all the wrongs and make right the things in his life before it was too late.

Maggie and JJ were wed in a quiet ceremony and after went on a honeymoon that would take them all over Europe and America. With the world as their oyster JJ and Maggie discovered love and happiness they could never have imagined.

The End

By Paul McCann