Target Shooting for Widowers

I think I have the makings of an espionage expose'.

Here's the scoop. Because there is an abundance of elderly women looking for male companionship there is also an exclusive male club designed to make use of the over-population.

My attempts to access the inner workings of the organization have been so far unsatisfactory but I am making progress. There probably is no hierarchy, by-laws or meetings called to order. I think it operates more casually, at ballfields, Optimist lunches, bowling lanes and beer gardens. There are no secret handshakes and no "red hats" to warn you in advance when you are being stalked by a member.

Best case scenario goes something like this: a widower, a year or more removed from his original grief decides that while he probably is not ready for a "real relationship" it would be a good idea to do a little target practice.

As an aside, it is sometimes bandied about that the men who were happily married are those most likely to get down to the business of finding a new wife, perhaps with little or no target practice. On the other hand, if said widower has remanufactured a busy life without said wife, target practice is the logical next step.

Another aside, since so many pitiful older lonely women are out there, this is not a very sophisticated hunt.

If said widower has been able to milk the "bereaved lonely widower" status for sometime resulting in friends and neighbors who regularly include him in their social events and offer support for home and travel plans, it makes the idea of target practice even more appealing.

So, this hunting adventure starts with a little "fishing trip". Just locate a likely mark and drop a little bait; maybe "would you like to see a movie" which means, not in my neighborhood and where it will be so dark no one will recognize me. Or if the mark has some usable skill, like tailoring, or computer geeking, it is possible to approach for that skill while keeping the greater goal unmentioned. And, just like fishing, if you bait the hook attractively and keep it moving, you can reel in your first "target."

In case you are wondering ... I am not bitter. I am not coping especially well with having gleaned this information and I am not giving up.