The first meeting with Julia was more difficult than I expected.
My father, Stanisław, was a man of strong character. After my mother died, he lived alone for a long time, explaining that he didn't need anyone. „Your mother was one of a kind” – he kept repeating, and I believed that her place in his heart was irreplaceable. That's why the news that he had decided to get married came to me like a bolt from the blue.
„Father wants to get married,– my younger sister told me when she called one evening. „And to someone who's the same age as your daughter.”
I thought it was a joke. „What are you saying, Kasia?– I asked, trying to make sense of her words.
“I'm not kidding– she replied seriously. “We're meeting her next weekend. Her name is Julia, she's 28 years old, and…she seems really nice.”
Nice? A woman who could be my peer is marrying my 65-year-old father, and everyone is supposed to pretend it's normal? I was shocked, but I decided to give it a chance – after all, it's his life.
The first meeting with Julia was harder than I expected, though. When she entered the room, I felt my heart leap into my throat. She was young, beautiful, full of energy – and looked like one of my daughter's friends. My father, with a twinkle in his eye, introduced her proudly. „Meet Julia, the woman of my life– & he said, putting his arm around her.
Julia smiled broadly. „Nice to meet you,– she said with exaggerated politeness.
I felt embarrassed. The sight of my father behaving like a teenager in love was hard for me to bear. His gestures, his glances, the way he spoke about Julia – all seemed out of place. And Julia? She was lovely, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was more interested in my father’s fortune than he was.
After dinner, I asked my father in private: “Dad, are you sure this is what you want? She’s the same age as your granddaughter.”
„Ewa, I don’t understand why you see it that way,” he replied calmly. “Julia makes me feel younger. She makes me want to live again. Is it so hard to understand?”
It was hard. It was hard to watch my father, who had always been an authority figure for me, now do something that seemed so absurd to me. It was hard to understand why he had chosen someone who could be my friend.
Over time, their relationship became more and more serious. My father moved Julia into his home, and I visited him less and less often. Each meeting was uncomfortable for me. Julia spoke to me with exaggerated familiarity, as if we were peasant girls, and my father saw nothing wrong with it.
The worst moment came during a family dinner, when my daughter, Zuzia, said something we were all afraid to say out loud. “Grandpa, isn't Julia a little young to be your wife??– she asked with childlike sincerity.
There was an awkward silence. My father looked at her, then at me, his face hardening. “Love knows no age,” he replied coldly.
After that dinner, I returned home with the feeling that our relationship would never be the same. My father was happy, but I couldn't shake the feeling of embarrassment and fear that Julia wasn't with him for the right reasons.
Today I'm still trying to accept this relationship, but every time I see them it reminds me of the age difference and how much this situation hurts me. I love my father and want him to be happy, but deep down I still wonder: is Julia really his love or just a temporary relief from loneliness?
See what else we've written about in recent days: From Life. “My friend asked me for a favor and then took advantage of my trust”: I don't know if I can forgive her