He looked to be around 90...the years had stacked on his frame and face like so many layers of dust and you could see that he had probably worked outside most of his life...His walk was in minnie steps or as some would say a shuffle...
Sitting in the wheel chair he was pushing was a woman who was near his age. She had a very small frame and wet would weight no more than 85 lbs. Her hair was as snowy as the rocky mountains but every strand was combed and in place. She appeared to have on a go to church type dress which cling to her frail body as sheet wraps over a clothes line. As I got closer I could see the lite rosy blush of make up on her cheeks and lipstick that accented her mouth but matched the makeup. On her ears were ear rings that hung like too large nuggets. At one time I am sure they were perfect for her face, but the earrings that some of you would now call costume pieces were too big due to the shrinking of her body over the years.
As I got closer I noticed that there was a certain look of infancy in her eyes and she appeared to see but yet did not recognize things that played before her face. They had come up on a small rise in the concrete path of the park and he was having trouble pushing the chair over the hump. I asked if I could assist and he stepped back to allow me to take his place. As I moved her over the hump, she looked back at me and smiled as to say thank you, but I am not really sure of the jesture. As I pushed her up the incline, he and I begin to talk. He and his wife had been married for 69 years. She had been his first love in grade school and the only time they had been a part was during his military service.
About three years ago she had a stroke that had damaged her body to the point that she could not dress her self, put her makeup on, or walk.
He had been doing that now for three years and stated, he thought over the years he had got pretty good at it. He went on to state that his neighbors came over to help sometimes, but he did not mind doing those things for her, as this was just his way of taking care of her, as she had taken care of him over throughout their marriage.
They had made a pact many a year ago that as they got older they would not put the other who was down, in a nursing home until they could no longer take care of each other.As we stopped so he could take a breather from the incline, he bent down and kissed her on the cheek and asked if she was OK. She grasped his hand but never said a word.
He went on talking about how every weekend on pretty days he and his wife would to on hikes in the woods. She loved nature and the animals that lived there. So! while they could no longer go to the woods they use to journey into he could bring her to the park. She enjoyed the fresh air and seeing mother nature.
He stated, he was not sure if she could recognize any of this anymore...but that did not matter. When he brought her to this place it helped him relive the memories of the times they held hands and made love in the leaves, so it was good for both of them.
I noticed that time had caught up with me and I had to leave. Asking if I could help him get her back to the car, he stated, thank you but no! They still had a little walking time left.
I turned and headed to the parking lot and as I looked back, I observed the old man shuffling her along the path, not sure if he was pushing or using the chair to keep his balance.
But as I sit down in that car,it came to my mind that I had just observed a real marriage..and the phrase until death do us part...