Yet Again Starting Over Again-Forever Young-The Bart Webber Saga

By Fritz Taylor

Jack Callahan had to laugh one again, and probably not for the last time, at the love foibles of his old friend from high school days at Riverdale High, Bart Webber, who apparently is organically incapable of not leaving well enough alone. He had initially cornered Jack one night in their favorite watering hole, the Dee Drop Grille in Gloversville a few towns over from growing up hometown Riverdale and where Bart now lives, and after not hearing from Bart for about a year found out in detail about his third divorce, this one from Linda Evans which had lasted the longest. Naturally since it was Bart he had to go into the downfall of his previous two marriages as well to complete the scene.    

Subsequently, maybe two weeks later Bart “shocked” Jack with the information that he was back in the love hunt. This time though since he had no lady friend waiting in the wings and having been with Linda about twenty years and very rusty and behind in the why and wherefores of “senior” dating he had joined a senior dating site on the Internet, paid his dough, and created his profile. The reason that Bart again cornered Jack in their favorite watering hole was that after checking out some profiles he noticed that the age range that most woman did not seem to want to go above was sixty-five. At least for the fifty to sixty year old women that he was interested in meeting. Jack and Bart are now both seventy so you could see the dilemma coming a mile away. He pleaded, begged really, for Jack’s opinion about whether he should shave a few years off his age on his profile page to increase his chances. Jack had answered “no, no way” stuff like that catches up with you and had in the past for old Bart. Moreover unlike the fickle young, including them when they were younger, age is not as great a factor for older, oops, more mature women who have been through a few storms themselves.     

Of course Bart refused to pay any heed to Jack’s very reasonable remarks. Then last week for some reason he began hitting pay dirt with several women on the site. One in particular, a fifty-two year old hospital administrator who also liked folk music, Bart had been in a folk music group back in the early 1960s when the folk minute blew through the American shores, listened of all things to the same folk music station that he did (both are members), liked going to the ocean which Bart had always craved and to art museums a newly acquired taste since his retirement. She had startled him after a several site e-mails chatting about this and that when she asked if he would like to accompany her to the Museum of Fine Arts where a new exhibit was to open over the new weekend. The long and short of it was that he accepted her invitation and they made arrangements to meet for their first “date.” But now Bart is afraid that the chickens will come home to roost on the age question although because he had recently taken up running, well, jogging really he could probably “pass” for sixty-five or so. So Jack will wait with baited breathe to see what falls out this time. Jesus, Bart and his lady love affairs.