67 years old French love story

By Marine Pintena

My friend’s grandparents celebrated their 65th anniversary while we were in Australia. She was really sad not to be with them for this important date. So that day, she decided to share with me their love story. It was her way to celebrate it.

She told me that when she was sleeping at her grandparents she would always ask her grandpa Matteo to tell her this story. He would tuck her in the bed, shut the blinds and sit next to her. “Once upon a time, in the town of Nice, took place a ball…” this is how the story would always start, as a fairy tale. It was actually Lorene’s favourite. She loved the passion Matteo would put in the story, and all the details he included. Details make stories more real. So real that she could here the music, and see the skirts dancing.

At this time Matteo and Fernande were about 17. As always on a Saturday, there was a ball. Every districts of Nice were gathered at a same place to dance and party together. But each of these balls was forced to end up because of clan’s wars. Young men would fight each other for girls or settlements of scores.

This night, Matteo started to hear broken glasses and fight noises and screams. He ran under a table to protect him self from this big fight arising.

At the same moment, Fernande lifted up the tablecloth to hide under it and came face to face with Matteo.

Matteo was immediately impressed by Fernande’s beauty. Never in his life he had seen such beautiful eyes. This blue was so intense that he could not stop watching them. And this smile made him want to kiss this stranger.

Fernande was scared, so he told her nice words to reassure her.

They then, started to talk and exchange their name. An hour or two passed before they realised the ball was finished and they were still under the table.

None of them wanted to leave. Something special happened this night.

They met each other the next day, and the day after that. They finished to marry each other years later. Since this day, they never stopped loving each other.

“I can say what true love is, I have witnessed it: It is in their eyes”, said Lorene.