He’s not My Dad, He’s My Hubby!
A 30-year age gap didn’t put off Lucy and Roy from tying the knot
Out shopping or walking with Roy, 60, I’m often approached by strangers. ‘Is that your dad?’ they ask. My response sends them shuffling off, awkwardly. ‘No, he’s my husband!’ I smile. And you should see the gawps whenever Roy and
I kiss or hold hands in public.
But the 30-year age gap doesn’t bother us – even if Roy is older than my dad!
We met four years ago, when we were both working as bus drivers.
I’d just come out of a five-year relationship, so I wasn’t looking for love at the time.
Nor was Roy, who’d not long separated from his wife.
The first thing I remember noticing were his big blue eyes.
They had a cheeky twinkle that was so attractive, I found myself stealing glances at him and blushing.
Weird!
I never normally liked older guys, but there was definitely an attraction. Especially when we started chatting…
Getting flirty
Rob was such a laugh, and so charming with his tattoos and extrovert personality. He was 56 then.
We became firm friends, and would spend all our lunch breaks together, laughing and chatting.
Roy was cheeky, a little flirty even. But then, so was I.
I fancy him,
I admitted to myself.
But surely I was too young for him?
So I kept my feelings quiet as we enjoyed lunchtime walks together. One day, we stopped by a shop window.
‘That bracelet’s beautiful,’ I muttered absent-mindedly.
The next day, at work, Roy handed me a box.
‘Just a daft pressie,’ he shrugged casually.
It was the bracelet I’d seen! ‘Oh Roy!’ I gasped.
And that’s when I realised… He liked me, too!
But we were both still too shy to do anything about it. Plus, the issue of the age gap kept worrying me.
‘Who cares?’ my mates said. ‘Age is just a number!’
But I still didn’t have the nerve to come clean to Roy about my feelings.
Then, finally, in October 2013, Roy made the first move and asked me out.
‘I’d love to!’ I said, smiling nervously at him.
I was so excited, but something still worried me. My parents.
Roy was three years older than my dad Simon, now 56.
‘I can’t see you if they don’t approve,’ I warned Roy.
I still lived with my mum Karen, 55, and Dad, and their support meant a lot.
So, one night, just before Roy was due to pick me up for dinner, I casually mentioned I was seeing an older man.
‘If he treats you right, he’s fine by me,’ Dad replied.
Suddenly, there was a knock
I didn’t have the nerve to come clean about my feelings
at the front door.
‘Hello, I’m Roy,’ said a chirpy voice when my dad answered.
Always the gentleman, Roy had even brought me flowers. ‘How lovely!’ I blushed. No lad my age had ever done that for me.
Making it official
While I finished getting ready to go out, Roy sat down to chat with my parents.
I don’t know why I was worried – they all got along like a house on fire!
Once I was ready, I actually had to go and interrupt their joking to tell Roy it was time for us to leave!
Over those next weeks, my friends met Roy, too. And they loved him. On nights out with them, he was always one of the last people standing, never in a hurry to go home to bed.
Roy and I got serious, and even went on holiday with my parents to Tenerife in the summer of 2015.
While Mum and I went back to bed, Dad and Roy would head out for the night!
‘Watch out, there’s a bromance brewing!’ Mum used to joke.
That May, I was in the bathroom when my sister Hayley, 29, came rushing in with a glass of champagne.
‘I’m not supposed to tell you, but Roy’s going to propose!’ she squealed excitedly.
She’d just heard Roy asking Dad’s permission for my hand downstairs.
When I walked down the stairs, I saw Roy standing there, and burst into tears!
‘I was only going to ask you to marry me!’ he laughed.
‘Yes!’ I sobbed, as he threw his arms around me.
We tied the knot on 27 May last year in front of 150 friends and family members.
We even hired a Big Red Bus to transport the guests to the venue, as a nod to how we met.
Now, Roy and I are looking to start our own family, but it won’t be easy as I suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which means it will be difficult to conceive.
As Roy already has four kids, the NHS can only offer us limited help, so we’re saving up for private fertility treatment.
We don’t think too far into the future, though.
Why would we, when we’re so happy right now?
Getting dodgy looks from passers-by used to annoy me, but now it doesn’t bother me at all.
In fact, it makes me laugh – especially when Roy and I play up to it by canoodling in public even more!
The stigma around age-gap relationships is so outdated these days.
You love who you love, and that’s all there is to it.
You have to follow your heart, just like we did.
my family and friends all love roy, too I walked down the stairs, saw Roy, and burst into tears!