The Day I Kissed An Older Man

Rita's mind raced with questions. 'Why did he accept another woman's daughter as his own? Why should he let that woman's daughter be addressed as his daughter and not his stepdaughter? I'm not the only daughter! Why did he do that? Will I ever have an answer to that? Will I ever be able to find a way to undo all this so everything can return to the way it was before?'

Sherman tactfully switched on the radio without making too much of a fuss about it. As the melodies filled the car, he heard Rita's silent cries in the background.

After what felt like an eternity, Rita turned around awkwardly and felt embarrassed to meet Sherman's gaze.

She wiped away her tears and offered a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. It's not like me to become so emotional. I guess I'm just safer opening up to you. Thank you, Sherman." As their eyes met, Sherman felt a pang in his chest. He knew right then that the unavoidable had sunken in.

He struggled to find the right words, but before he could speak, Rita seemed unable to bear the embarrassment and hastily bid farewell as they arrived at her destination. Without another word, she opened the car door and ran off.

don't have to run..." Sherman mumbled as he glanced at

seemed to collapse as she reached the door of her house and covered her face in agitation. "Why did I even say all that?" she mumbled to herself in frustration. "I can't believe

felt too embarrassed to see him in her current state. Her mind

and felt a sudden pang of loneliness

by himself in a large apartment. At that time, he came up with a rather witty response about how perhaps he should live in a smaller

saying, "You know that's not what I meant." She was not like other old women who had the traditional mindset that marriage must come at a certain age. She simply wished that he