Love transcends age, a powerful feeling that shatters stereotypes, offering a simple yet rare beauty. It moves viewers and listeners alike.
A few days ago in Terralba, a couple of not-so-young lovers said "I do." The groom, elegant in a blue suit, is Gesuino Soru, 85, almost 86. She, born in 1953, wearing a light blue silk dress and matching heels, radiant with happiness, is Maria Assunta Manca. They made their vows before God, surrounded by family and friends. And then there was a huge celebration at a local venue, with choruses asking for kisses and loud applause for the newlyweds.
<p>The party (Photo by Sara Pinna)Gesuino and Maria Assunta, both long-widowed, have been together for 13 years. In reality, however, since they're both from Terralba, they've known each other forever. He spent his life as a driver for various companies on the island, traveling throughout Europe. She, on the other hand, worked as a clerk in various local supermarkets.
"I still remember when, many years ago, I met Gesuino at La Fata, where he worked at the time," Maria Assunta recounts after saying "I often went to him because I needed a bus ticket for my son Marco, who was a student at the time. Let me be clear: I always thought he was a handsome man." The real courtship, however, began when the two met by chance at a dance school in Arborea: "I felt butterflies in my stomach right away, during the first dance," she recounts, her eyes shining. Then came the first walks, strictly by car: "So he wouldn't see me," she continues, "I was as embarrassed as a child, even though I wasn't doing anything wrong. He courted me for a year, a true man of times gone by. With elegance, grace, and politeness. Then, in the end, he moved in with me. After all, I was alone, and so was he. And now here we are, with wedding rings on our fingers. Because you can say "yes" even at our age."
<p>The newlyweds (Photo by Sara Pinna) </p>Gesuino, who has also been a lifelong sacristan at the Church of St. Peter the Apostle (he's the one who opens the church every morning), is, however, brief when it comes to describing his love for his woman, aided by his emotion: "I would have married her right away, as soon as the first dance was over," he says, looking at the woman who has now become his wife. "I had no doubts, I immediately said: here she is, she's the woman who will be with me for the rest of my life. She was beautiful, and she still is today." To stay happy, they share a secret: "When we argue, we make up right away; arguments hurt. You have to stay calm, especially at our age."
Before getting married, however, there was one request: it was Marco Pani, Maria Assunta's son, who convinced his mother that perhaps the time had come to marry Gesuino. "A few months ago, my son told me he would be getting married at the Town Hall on May 2nd, to Alessandra," says Maria Assunta Manca. "Then, however, he told me he would have the pleasure of celebrating with me, after marrying Gesuino in church. It was heartbreaking; I couldn't say no." Maria Assunta was accompanied down the aisle by her son Marco, who married two hours later at the Town Hall. Gesuino, on the other hand, was accompanied by his daughters Loredana and Michela. Tears and strong emotions for everyone. A day that will be remembered by many in Terralba. And to those who are now of a certain age and don't have the courage to marry, the couple says: "There is no right age; love is the most beautiful thing that can exist. Always."