Florentino Ariza has had 622 serious relationships (combo pack with sex) apart from numerous fleeting liaisons before he is able to embrace the only woman whom he loved with all his heart and soul. And that embrace happens “after a long and troubled love affair” that lasted 51 years, 9 months, and 4 days. Florentino is in his late 70s when he is able to behold, and hold as well, the very body of his beloved Fermina, who is just a few years younger than him. She now stands before him with her wrinkled shoulders, sagged breasts, and flabby skin that is as pale and cold as a frog’s. It is the culmination of a long, very long, wait as far as Florentino is concerned, the end of his passionate quest for his holy grail. “I’ve remained a virgin for you,” he says. All those 622 and more women whose details filled the 25 diaries that he kept writing with meticulous devotion have now vanished into thin air. They mean nothing now that he has reached where he longed to reach all his life. The
Lovely pic and precious memory.
ReplyDeleteThe picture remained in a book all these years!
DeleteNice one
ReplyDeleteVery spiritual and pure. What we believe in matters! :)
ReplyDeleteThe picture is captivating and evokes nostalgia.
Each person creates his heaven/hell...
DeleteI will agree with the sentiment on one condition - no claim that all stairs get you to the same place, the Vivekanandaesque assertion, ampere assert ion, neither provable nor dis provable; an analytic.
DeleteRE
The inscription is right. To climb to heaven we have to build our own stairs. Nice text.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Easwar ji.
DeleteTrue indeed. We all follow the paths architectured by our deeds. Great thought.
ReplyDeleteExactly. We are the architects of our heaven. Or hell!
Deletenice one.
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a wonderful reminder .. call it karma, call it architect .. you reap what you sow ...
ReplyDeleteYes, Sangeeta. Simple truth but a profound one.
DeleteLovely picture and Lovely quote . I Loved it.
ReplyDeleteTravel India
Glad you loved it.
Deletehow true..!and we have to climb it all by ourselves....
ReplyDeleteI know .. my bit ..I am building the staircase .. step by step and with utmost care !! encounter with reality :)
ReplyDelete