Twelve years ago I was broken. I had just ended a 29-year marriage, sent my only kid off to college, and was left broke and unemployed, left with the cats and the dog to feed. Not exactly my life plan. I was alone for the first time in my life and filled with fear.

　　12年前我离婚了，在将我唯一的孩子送入大学以后，我结束了长达29年的婚姻生活。剩下的只是破碎的家庭和没有工作的我，以及需要喂养的猫咪和狗狗。这本不是我想要的生活，我第一次感到孤独和恐惧。

　　I sold the big house on the hill and started a new life in the city in a cute little condo that was to be my healing place. I traded the country club membership for a job and sold my Mercedes-Benz and bought a used BMW. I penned my book, "Single Past 50 Now What?" and was thrilled when it was published. I moved on with my life as best I could.

　　我卖掉了山上的房子，在城里找了个还算温馨的小公寓疗伤。并在乡村俱乐部找了份工作，卖掉了我的大奔，换了辆二手的宝马车。我将我的故事写成了一本书《50岁单身又怎样?》，当这本书出版后还引起了不错的反响。我尽量忘记过去向前看，尽量将生活过得更好。

　　It took two years before I dated again. Broken hearts bring with them broken lives and battered self-esteem. It took time to mend, heal and get my head together.

　　我单身了两年。破碎的心灵伴随着破碎的生活和微薄的自尊。它需要时间去修复，愈合和清醒。

　　That's about the time I received an email from an old high school friend of mine, a wonderful young man named Steven. We had been hangout buddies 40 years ago. I responded to his email and the conversations began.

　　那是从我收到来自一位旧时的高中同学的来信开始，一位名叫史蒂芬的很棒的年轻人。40年前我们是经常一起玩耍的好朋友。我回信给他，然后交流就这样开始了。