It had been about 55 years since he’d had anything he considered a date, and he was as nervous as a schoolboy. But there was one thing Edwin Holmes was very clear about: he wasn’t going to show up empty-handed. 🥹
In 2016, Ellie Walker, a 22-year-old who worked at a Sainsbury’s supermarket in Leeds, England, discovered that one of her favorite customers was going through a very difficult time.
Edwin, 86, had lost his wife in 2006, after 45 years of marriage. His daughter and grandchildren lived in Australia, so he spent much of his time alone. When Ellie learned he was planning to spend Christmas at home, eating a ready meal, she decided to do something.
The young woman invited him to dinner during the Christmas holidays at the supermarket café. What she didn’t expect was that Edwin would take the invitation so seriously. The former painter arrived smartly dressed and with flowers for her, a gesture that moved her to tears.
Ellie said she had invited him because she thought of her own grandfather and how much she would want someone to keep him company if he were alone.
And the loveliest thing is that dinner wasn’t just a one-off meeting. The two built a friendship and, when their story became known in 2017, they were still meeting regularly for coffee and a chat. Edwin said the unexpected invitation had made him very happy.