Late again! The booster club meeting for my son\u2019s high school football team was almost over. I slid into a seat at the back of the crowded room, hoping no one would notice. Working full time as a single mother made it tough to get to my kids\u2019 school activities on time. Life was easier to navigate with a partner, but when I started dating after my divorce, each date was worse than the last. The womanizer, the guy who was financially irresponsible, the controlling one, the immature one\u2026 It took a while but I finally got the message: I\u2019d be single forever.<\/p>\n
At least the kids and I are a happy family,<\/em> I thought as the booster meeting wrapped up around me. I knew it should be enough, and most of the time it was. But sometimes in the back of my mind I caught myself wishing for a companion. Someone to talk to at night after the kids went to bed. Someone to hold hands with at the football games. Someone to love and someone to love me. But it seemed like all those bad dates had proved that God had closed that door for good.<\/p>\n \u201cOne last item,\u201d the man running the meeting announced. \u201cDon\u2019t miss the game on Friday! See you all there.\u201d<\/p>\n I gathered my things. On my way out I bumped into my friend Darryl, who was talking to someone I didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n \u201cHey, Darryl,\u201d the guy said. \u201cAren\u2019t you going to introduce me to your friend?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m surprised you two haven\u2019t met. Kenny, this is Charlotte,\u201d Darryl said. \u201cKenny\u2019s son will play on the team this year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNice to meet you, Charlotte. I\u2019ll probably see you at the next game,\u201d Kenny said. <\/p>\n As I drove home, I remembered everything I\u2019d already heard about Kenny through Mack, another mutual friend. Kenny was a widower who had lovingly cared for his wife during her long illness. <\/p>\n Next time I saw Darryl he asked if I would work the cash box at the tailgate fund-raiser before the game. The money went toward college scholarships for the players. \u201cSure,\u201d I said. \u201cHappy to.\u201d<\/p>\n I drove straight there after work on Friday. It had been a long week, but I was excited to mix with the other parents before the game. There was always a crowd of them. But when I arrived in the stadium parking lot, I couldn\u2019t believe what I saw. I was the only woman in sight! Only me and a bunch of men to work the team fundraiser. <\/em>Darryl waved to me from behind the grill with his tongs. \u201cHey, Charlotte!\u201d he called. Kenny stood next to him.<\/p>\n