Intimacy in Old Age
... Florentino, on the other hand, lives day and night to deserve Fermina’s love. Once, Florentino sees Fermina in a church service and vows to himself he will outlive her husband and he will then win over Fermina’s charms once again. Finally, after fifty-one years, nine months, and four days, and 622 love affairs, Florentino has his chance for Fermina. Her husband has died and left her an unhappy widow. Overlooking the moral approach, he unwisely proclaims his love to her the day her husband was buried. She rejected him once again; cursing him for the desecration on her newly buried husband. However, while she lay at night thinking, her thoughts seemed to wonder to Florentino instead of her sorrow for her husband. Again, Florentino and Fermina begin exchanging letters. However, this time the letters show maturity. Fermina found Florentino’s letters to be comforting and “a meditation on life, love, old age, and death: ideas that had fluttered around her head” (Love in the Time of Cholera, pg. 299, para. 1). Over time, Fermina begins to appreciate his writings and his love. Florentino begins to visit Fermina on a regular basis and the two become friendly. Fermina becomes restless at home and decides to take advantage of an offer Florentino had suggested - a trip sailing the Magdelena River on a boat called New Fidelity. While traveling down the river of their dreams, Fermina and Florentino create no only a sexual relationship, but also companionship. Intimacy in old age is a topic most people try to steer clear of. “The zest about sexuality and love in old age, bothers many who are uncomfortable with the physical passion between people whose skin is no longer tight, whose hair no longer shines, whose bones may now creak with age, and whose eves can no longer see clearly” (Palencia-Roth, Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Labyrinths of Love and History, 54) However, I find love and intimacy in aging people to be sweet and sentimental. It is important in some relationships to continue a physical, loving relationship while aging. “It is essential to recognize that the personal and social meanings attached to erotic intimacy in earlier years have triple effects in later life. One may be aroused by the smells, touch, settings, or people who remind us of earlier passions” (Huyck, Romantic Relationship in Later Life, 9). Florentino is a prime example. His earlier fantasies and thoughts of Fermina contributed to the overall passion he based his entire life on. His letters and even his business letters reflected his passion for love and life. While on the New Fidelity, Florentino and Fermina partake in a sexual relationship. Fermina finally gives into the longing to make love to Florentino, but seems ashamed of her aged body. Florentino sees exactly what he had imagined: “Her shoulders ...