Summer Job

"Oliver! I told your father I heard a car and he told me I was imagining things!"

"Mom? Dad? Remember yesterday when I told you there was someone I couldn't get off my mind? Someone I thought I might have fallen in love with?"

"The married woman," his father said immediately.

Casey cringed when she heard those words.

"She's not married anymore, Dad. And just as you were leaving, she was there, standing right next to me. She knew I was graduating and came to see me."

"And?" his mother said anxiously not sure what to make of this.

"And I was right. I...I do love her. I love her with all my heart."

"How old is this woman?" she asked with even more anxiety.

"I'll tell you, but her age doesn't matter to me, and I hope you'll be able to look beyond a difference in age and understand that I really, truly love this woman."

His mother looked at his father who said, "I guess the only way to find out is for us to meet her. Perhaps you should invite her to have dinner with us this week."

Oliver knew the look. It wasn't anger. It was his look of skepticism. He'd seen it a hundred times and as long as he wasn't angry, Oliver knew it would be okay. That didn't mean it would be smooth sailing. It only meant he'd give Casey a chance.

"Well, I'm glad to hear you say that because..."

Oliver went back toward the laundry room and as he reached for the door said, "Because she's here with me."

"Oh, my gosh!" his mother said as she held her face in her hands, her eyes darting between her son's and her husband's over and over.

"Come on in," he told Casey who gingerly took his hand.

She walked in and watched their faces as Oliver said, "Mom. Dad. This is Casey. Casey, these are my parents, Jim and Kathy Campbell."

Casey stood there like a teenage girl on prom night not knowing what to say.

After a moment or two of stunned silence, Jim Campbell stuck out his hand and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Casey."

She shook his hand but kept looking at Mrs. Campbell. Her hands slowly came down as she looked at Oliver then her husband then Casey and finally back at Oliver again.

She could see the way her son was looking at this older woman. It was the way she'd hoped and prayed he'd look at Kendra; a look she never saw. She didn't understand why her son would choose someone much closer to her age than his, but she knew he loved her. Yes, she was still very beautiful and looked closer to someone maybe in their early 30s, and all she could do was hope Casey was closer to 32 and not her age which was almost 48.

Kathy moved closer then held out her arms and let Casey know she was willing to give this a chance.

"It's nice to meet you, dear," Kathy said as Casey hugged her back.

"You too, Mrs. Campbell," she said as they held one another. "I can only imagine how crazy this all seems to you."

"Crazy or not," Kathy said as they let go of each other, "I can see love in my son's eyes. For now, that's good enough. Won't you come in and join us for lunch?"

Casey helped Kathy get things ready as everyone gently danced around the age issue as they did their best to get acquainted and withhold judgment while doing so, something both Campbells had instilled in their son his entire life.

As they talked, the conversation flowed freely, but there was always an underlying current of concern; concern that Oliver might be making some kind of mistake. And very big mistake, at that.

But after a couple of hours of talking, Kathy insisted Casey stay for dinner and by the time it was around 8pm, the doubts had taken a back seat to respect for Oliver's decision. They'd raised him to carefully consider all aspects of an issue, analyze things fully, and only then make a decision. In the end, they knew that all they could do was trust his judgment, and so far, he'd always exercised the best where good judgment was concerned.

Casey insisted on staying in a motel that night, and out of respect for his parents, Oliver didn't stay with her. The next day, they found a furnished apartment and leased it for three months.

Jim and Kathy never fully understood how or why their son had chosen someone they later learned was 41 years old, but they both understood how much he loved her. It was also obvious she loved him just as much in return.

Her parents had many similar concerns, and tried chalking it up to her having been through so much trauma that a younger man as handsome as Oliver could come along and take advantage of her. And her money.

Casey hadn't mentioned money and Oliver hadn't asked, but she had a ton it having received half the value of their farm and their business. She'd specifically avoided mentioning it until she was certain Oliver loved her for her, and only when it finally came up did she mention the divorce settlement.

Oliver immediately told her he didn't want her money and that it made no difference to him, and Casey left it at that. Well, until he proposed to her in early August and asked her to marry him before they left for Palo Alto, California. Casey not only said 'yes', she cried tears of joy when he asked.

He'd borrowed even more money to buy her the modest ring he slipped on her finger, but to Casey it may as well have been ten carats, as all she wanted was to spend the rest of her life with this amazing man she loved with all her heart.

Neither of them wanted a big ceremony, and Casey was thrilled to be married in Jim and Kathy' home a week before they left for Stanford, her parents and a few other family members in attendance.

Oliver insisted on a pre-nuptial agreement to the point that Casey relented as long as he promised not to pretend the money didn't exist.

"It's our money, sweetheart, and nothing would make me happier than to use it to further your education and career. One day, you'll be making more money than we ever dreamed of and it still won't matter because all that matters is being with you."

Casey meant that as much as Oliver meant he didn't want 'her' money, and both of them were utterly content just to be man and wife and start their new lives together. Oliver never asked and Casey never talked about it. She just made sure his tuition and their bills were paid for month after month as they enjoyed their time alone.

That was true until a year later, when at 42, Casey learned she was pregnant. She'd never seen her handsome, young husband tear up until she told him. And he'd never cried in front of her until the day their daughter was born eight months later.

Any misgivings the Jim and Kathy had about the marriage melted away when they flew to nearby San Jose then rented a car so they could hold their new granddaughter. From that moment on, Casey was no longer the older woman. She was the wonderful mother of their first grandchild and soon became Kathy's new best friend. Well, next to the sweetest little girl they name Emily Anne Campbell.

Oliver finished graduate school in just under three years and landed an incredibly lucrative job the same week he got his MBA. Money hadn't been an issue for them during school, and as Casey had said, they had more of it than they could ever spend once Oliver went to work.

But nothing mattered more to either of them more than the love they shared for one another and their beautiful baby girl.

May-December romances bring their own unique challenges to a marriage, but for a few very lucky people, they also bring a unique kind of love and fulfillment that Oliver and Casey Campbell now fully understood.