Widow's Warning

Widowhood, and I dislike the term "widow" has its downside other than the obvious. More often than not, shortly after the funeral,  a man appears out of the woodwork to offer his condolences and stay for more than coffee. Usually it is short term misery but some of these relationships do become a very successful marriage. The bad ones are those that go on a continuous, downhill slide that lasts about a year from start to finish. I have heard widows say about this: he was bi-polar, he took me for my money, he lied about everything, he wanted me to be his nurse. Their descriptions are legion.  But it's not all bad. There is a learning curve. The widow toughens herself up and the next coffee drinker is more closely scruitinized before any hanky panky occurs. In the mean time before the next chap does come along, a widow has time to re-discover herself and enjoy the freedoms of being single. She has the knowledge to filter out the fakers, the liars, the users and the ones who simply can't forget their old flames and finally, miraculously, there is the best man. He is a real man who will give her love, the true kind, and make her feel secure in his strong character. But what she is really looking for is someone to travel alongside to the ends of their lives. The prize is worth the wait.