None is from Monchique, but it was there, in the Algarve mountains, that they found love. Mr. Adalberto Romão is 67 years old; Mrs. Custódia Romão, 68. They met, by mere chance, at the Santa Casa da Misericórdia home, where they were welcomed. They fell in love, moved in together and now got married, showing that the idea they made might actually be true: love doesn't choose ages.
As tradition dictates, it is 14:10 pm and there is still no sign of the bride.
Custódia is late, while Adalberto is already waiting for her in front of the altar.
The wedding that will be attended in a few minutes at the Igreja Matriz de Monchique will be special: it is not every day that you see the marriage of two sixty-year-olds, users of a nursing home.
The village mobilized: the employees of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia are in a crowd, welcoming guests at the entrance to the church.
The home vans, always full of users, arrive.
You can feel that typical bustle of any wedding: in front of the Church, there are also many people waiting. A lady even comes to talk to the reporter from the Sul Informação: «I just came to see the bride».
And she arrives around 14:30 pm, in a red car, decorated for the occasion.
She has a blue dress and dozens of people are waiting for her, cell phones in hand to register the entrance to the church, accompanied by the traditional wedding march.
The person celebrating the wedding is D. Manuel Quintas, Bishop of the Algarve.
In the words he addresses to the bride and groom, already after the marriage rites, he speaks of the “lesson” that Custodia and Adalberto are teaching.
«Love does not choose ages to manifest itself or to live it. Love doesn't age because it never ends and you are teaching us that lesson », she says.
Custodia and Adalberto met seven years ago. With a difficult past, life took them to Monchique, where they were welcomed by Misericórdia.
They have been dating for five years and the story of how the relationship began is told by Custódia.
«I was very naughty because he was sweeping the yard and I would go there and wink at him», he says between laughs.
And who took the first step?
"I I stung him and then he did the rest», adds Custódia, with her husband by her side.
The couple has been living together for five years, in an annexe owned by the Misericórdia de Monchique. Getting married was the natural step.
“I was the one who made the request, of course. I had already spoken with the provider and later I spoke to her», says Mr. Adalberto who, unlike Dona Custódia, was once married, but only civilly.
No family members attended the ceremony: just friends from home, popular people, members of other Mercies and godparents (Margarida Flores, director of the District Social Security Center of Faro, and Rui André, deputy ombudsman of Misericórdia and former mayor of Monchique).
Newlyweds assume that everything they idealized for their wedding is being fulfilled.
«It has been a really happy day», they say.
After the wedding and the photo session, in the town's Parque Urbano, the party continued in the hall of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Monchique.
Awaiting him were many of the couple's friends, housemates, and a feast, as is tradition at any wedding.
There was cake, champagne and a single wish for the future, left by Custodia and Adalberto.
“May everything continue to go well, as it has until now. Angers never give good results».
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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