Brittney was helping to sort things out in preparation for Mom's move to the assisted living facility when she found a shoebox stuffed with old photos.

"Who's this?" she asked as she pulled an eight-by-ten glossy from the box.

"Why, that's me, of course!"

"Well, I figured that much. But who's the guy? He certainly doesn't look like Dad."

"No, no. That's Ted. He was so charming... and wealthy, too!"

"Looks like a special night out. Did he propose?"

"Before I answer that," cautioned Mom, "let me tell you a little story."

"Oooo! Sounds juicy!"

"Please, Brittney! It's nothing like that. But it's a story no one else knew except Dad. As you can see, I wore my new black dress with tight-fitting fishnet sleeves. I had spent the better part of that afternoon getting my hair done. Ted said I looked like a real princess."

"You sure did, Mom! You looked beautiful! Where was the restaurant?"

"You know, I don't remember. It was a very classy place in mid-town. A lot of celebrities went there. Sinatra used to go there, but I never saw him. I did see Dean Martin once, though."

"Wow! So, then, what happened? Did Ted ask you to marry him?"

"We had cocktails, champagne, and filet mignon. Here, you can see the waiter bringing a selection of desserts."

"They look delicious!"

"Yes, it was a minor dilemma to choose only one!"

"Who took the picture?"

"Back in those days, well before cell phones were even a concept, the classy establishments had professional photographers who would walk table to table, asking customers if they would like to have their picture taken - for a price, of course."

"Of course. So, then, what happened?"

"Well, do you notice anything missing?"

"There's no candlelight on the table. Although, there's an unlit candelabra on the countertop behind you."

"Well, yes, that was one thing. It was so big, and the table was tiny. We asked the waiter to move it out of the way to make room for our drinks, breadsticks, and appetizers. But I'm missing something. After all, I'm all dressed up! What's missing?"

"OH! You're not wearing any jewelry! Not even earrings!"

"Yes! I was certain Ted would 'surprise' me with a necklace, earrings, or something. After all, it was my birthday."

"Ahh, I was wondering what the special occasion was. So, did he give you anything? A ring, maybe?"

"No, no ring. But he did give me a cute pair of earrings, nothing extraordinary. Tiny silver-plated earrings. I never wore them after that."

"Why not?"

"Ted and I got into an argument. It's a long story. Anyway, I never saw him again. And the earrings only reminded me of how sour things went despite the fairytale photo."

"And?"

"Remember the photographer?"

"What about him?"

"A few days later, I got a call. The picture was ready. I guess Ted wasn't interested. So, I went to get it. That's when the photographer, your future dad, asked me out."

Story Copyright © 2023 by Michael DeFrancesco

Photos are non-copyright