The more beautiful love is, the more harsh is fate? A brief encounter that came after nearly 60 years of waiting. And eternal parting. A Greek grandmother, who passed away at the age of 80 last month, is wetting the hearts of all Europeans.
Angeliki Stratigou. The grandmother passed away with two postcards ending in Italian, "Amorese Semfre (Eternal Love)" on her chest. "I waited for you with great love," she said in the minutes before she died."
Time goes back to August 1941. The so-called Luigi Surache, a 20-year-old Italian soldier, is sent to Patrai, a beautiful port city in the northwest of the Peloponnesian Peninsula in Greece. While marching, Luigi asks Angeliki Stratigou, who was sitting in front of the house, for directions.
The virgin's big black eyes were attractive. a courteous and affectionate officer The two could not help but be attracted to each other. He noticed that the droop who taught him the way was tired of hunger and handed out the food he had. Luigi went to her house with food on his hands three days away. Louis learned Greek and Angeliki learned Italian.
short happiness But this happiness ends with Italy's surrender in 43. Louis, who had to return home in a hurry, sought Angeliki and begged him to let him hold his hand. But afraid that anyone else would see her dating an enemy officer, she finally refused. Instead, the trembling voice quietly nodded to Luigi's proposal of marriage after the war.
After the war, Louis returned to his hometown of Lexio Calabria in southern Italy. There, Louis kept posting letters to Angeliki. She was living in her aunt's house at that time. But the aunt, who refused to admit her nephew was dating the enemy, intercepted the letter and removed it. After continuing to send echoesless letters, Luigi finally decided to forget her on the day of the thousandth day.
Louis got married soon. A normal life with a son continued. But when his wife passed away in 1996, a faint shadow of old love resurrected in his heart. He wrote a letter to Patrai's mayor, who, with the help of reporters from the local Sky Broadcasting Company, found Angeliki, who was still living in the city.
"I knew this day would come one day," said Angeliki, who heard the news. Upon receiving Angeliki's call, Luigi covered his face and cried endlessly. That's because she knew she had been single all her life, still believing in the promise of nearly 60 years old.
A touching reunion was held on St. Valentine's Day in February last year.
During his visit to Patrai, Luigi proposed again in a quivering voice, and Angeliki accepted with a overwhelming heart. Louis was 77 years old and Angeliki was 79.
Luigi and Angeliki's sweet plan to spend half a year in Greece and Italy, respectively, became a dream when Angeliki was sick and left for heaven. The death date was on January 9, two weeks before the wedding, which was scheduled for Jan. 23.
Luigi is still unaware of her death. He himself was hospitalized because he was sick, and he kept it a secret around him. I understand that the wedding has been postponed. Even now, every Saturday morning, he picks up a pen and writes a postcard that ends with "Eternal Love." Postcards are piling up in front of her grave.