Ode to an Everlasting Love

Ever since I can remember I’ve been listening to my grandfather tell the story about the first time he saw my grandmother and all the hardships they went through and how they made it through and have been happily married for 50 years now. He always begins by saying they were fourteen years old. He says he remembers that she was a very proud woman with a strong personality. He remembers her beautiful green eyes that lit up the whole room and her legs. He remembers every curve in her slender body. He loved her from the moment he laid eyes on her. He’s going to turn 74 this month and he still talks about her as if he were a teenager in love. She just laughs and covers her face with her tired hands as if she was embarrassed, but I know that every time she listens to him tell that story she falls a little more in love with him, even if that is probably not possible.
It all started in 1949, the first time he saw her. She was strutting down a hallway and he was late for school. She was a beautiful young girl with a strong personality. She did not tolerate any disrespect and most boys were even afraid to approach her, he, on the other hand, was not one of those boys. He saw what he wanted and went right for it. He was a troublemaker and she was a saint. She thought about her future and he lived in the moment. She turned him down a couple of times but she eventually fell for his charms. Who wouldn’t? It was a match made in heaven. They were born to be together. There has never been two people that could ever complement each other as well as they do. She is the only one for him and he is the only one for her.
However, the road to happiness was not a smooth one. The relationship between my grandfather and grandmother almost did not end in a happy marriage. My grandmother’s family did not approve of the union and threatened to send her away. This was the biggest disagreement they ever had because she agreed to move away from her love. My grandfather was absolutely devastated. He tells that the night he got the news he burned all the letters and a picture of her. He says that that one picture, the one that burned to ashes with rage, was the most beautiful portrait of her. He feels the deepest regret for burning it, but says that having the real thing next to him for the rest of his life definitely relieves that contrition. He managed to prove to her family that he really was devoted to her and her family let her stay.
The happy couple was joined in holy matrimony in December 1958 and has been together since then. They have four children, one of them being my lovely father. This is a couple that truly sets an example as to what a relationship and a marriage should be. I wish them the best and I know your love is everlasting. I just wish my future marriage is half has good and strong as yours are. I love you, grandma and grandpa!