Before anyone had time to blink New Years Eve had rolled in, it was a day that the husband had scheduled a procedure and would need to have someone there with him because he would be put under anesthesia and wouldn't be able to drive himself home. The youngest daughter and her husband took him to his procedure and sat there and waited for him to be done so they could make sure he got home safely. Once he was in recovery the doctor called both the daughter and her husband to the back to wait with the stepdad until he awakened. The daughter talked to both of his doctors and his nurse and asked how everything had gone. Both doctors and nurse let her know that everything had gone great and that they hadn't found anything to worry about, but as procedure while they are inside during an endoscopy they always take a sample of tissue to test for any abnormalities. It was standard protocol. Nothing was wrong and they had nothing to worry about.

It didn't take the stepdad long before he began to stir. He was still a bit groggy from the anesthesia, but he was able to talk with the doctor. The doctor let him know that everything went great and that they found nothing to worry about. The doctor added that because he had been under anesthesia that he couldn't drive for 24 hours. Once the stepdad heard that he asked the doctor why, that he had plans for later that night. The doctor said his driving ability would be impaired for the next few hours and he really shouldn't drive and left the room.

The daughter saw that her brother was calling to check up on the stepdad so she answered the call. It was at that time the stepdad still groggy turned to the daughter’s husband and asked if he really thought he wasn't going to be able to drive. He went on to say he had a hot date that he couldn't miss. The youngest daughter's husband just laughed it off thinking he was just making a joke. The stepdad too laughed and repeated it a second time adding that he knew the daughter's husband wanted to know what he was doing later but he wasn't telling. He laughed and repeatedly mentioned he had a hot date but he wasn't telling anyone.(That whole conversation happened while the daughter was on the phone and didn't hear any of it and her husband didn't repeat it as he really thought the stepdad was making a dumb joke.)

Sure enough after the stepdad had been dropped off a few hours later he was seen leaving. He had in fact felt it was okay to drive so he drove himself to his “hot date”. That was December 31st 2019 just 27 days after his wife was laid to rest. No matter how you try to justify it, that is absolutely way too early to start dating, there’s no other way of looking at it. It was WRONG.

The husband found himself at a Mexican restaurant with his date, but what he hadn't anticipated was that two of his granddaughters and their boyfriends would be there as well. He was quickly noticed by both. As he walked to his wife's car with the woman the grand kids watched and followed them to the car. The younger granddaughter (This was the granddaughter that was home from college) tapped on the window as the two were sitting in the car talking. She must have been channeling both her mom and grandmother in that moment because that is definitely something both women would have done. You make sure the person knows you know what they are doing.

Boy, was he surprised to see them there. After a moment of shock he recovered and rolled down the window and guiltily began to stutter and explain that the woman was an old friend of the girls grandmother and that they were just having dinner to talk. ( Good thing for him that they hadn't been around earlier to hear him talking about having a hot date or his crock of shit story wouldn't have been believed by his loving naive granddaughters.)The granddaughter took that excuse and left but knew that something did not feel right. If that was the case why hadn't the woman taken her own car to meet to talk? Usually friends meet up at a place, you pick up a date. It definitely seemed like a date to them. This was definitely the hot date he kept talking about earlier while at the doctor's office.

Not wanting to hurt both of their mothers any more than they were already hurting by losing their mom the granddaughters decided not to say anything about seeing him out with another woman already. A woman he had no problem putting in his wife's car. And they both stuck to that, they kept this secret to themselves until too much had happened and there was no more denying that the husband had a girlfriend.

Two days after New Years Eve the youngest daughter got a phone call from the stepdad saying that something was wrong, that something was really wrong. He went on to say that he had just gotten off the phone with his doctor and that they had found cancer in his throat. That they had taken out some cells for a biopsy and he was waiting for the results and he didn't know what to do.

The daughter stopped him and told him that wasn't true. She went on to say that she had spoken to two of his doctors and the nurse and they all said they did not see anything that looked like cancer or anything that looked to be worrisome. That it was a procedure that while they were in there that they always took a sample to biopsy as protocol.

The stepdad paused as if in surprise. It seemed as if he wasn’t aware that she knew all that she did. He hadn't realized that the daughter had spoken to the doctors herself. He then argued with her that that was not true that they took the cells because he had cancer. She again told him no, that it was protocol.

After continuing to argue the daughter had heard enough, she knew it wasn't true and that he was once again trying to garner worry and sympathy, something he’d done on numerous occasions while her mother was still alive. He knew he was no longer getting as much attention anymore so he needed to do whatever he could to get it back. The daughter said that there was nothing to worry about and that he would have to wait until the results came back to see that all was okay. That was the end of that conversation for her, but she was made aware that he’d made that same phone call to her brother and sister.

The youngest daughter let her brother and sister know all that the doctors themselves had told her. There was nothing to worry about. No one could figure out why he was lying about having throat cancer. The only thing they could think was that he saw how much love and attention his wife had gotten and he too now wanted the same attention. Everyone had already started to get back to their normal lives and he wasn't getting the attention from everyone like he'd been used to getting for the last few months and he missed it.

Continue to Chapter 16 - No Change of Heart After All