Following problogger’s advice to build on a previous post, I am posting a sequel on my previous posts on May-December Affair (parts 1 and 2).

Here’s one story worth mentioning. But no, it is not about Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. This story was originally posted in the WeirdAsianNews website.

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Fifty years ago in China, a 19-year-old boy fell in love with a 29-year-old woman. At that time, it was immoral and unacceptable for a young lad to fall in love with an older woman. They eloped and lived in a mountain cave (Jiangjin County in Southern ChongQing area) away from the prying eyes of civilization. For 50 years, the man handcarved 6,000 steps on the face of the mountain so his wife can go down easily. His inspiration was his love for his wife, and the 6,000 handcarved steps were testament that true love really does survive even after years and years of marriage. The man died just this month, and his wife uttered the following words: ?You promised me you?ll take care of me, you?ll always be with me until the day I died, now you left before me, how am I going to live without you?? ? ?

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Reading the comments, so many people were impressed by the story (there’s a video at the end featuring the old couple and their life together), which has been in Chinese Women Weekly’s top 10 love stories from China. I was also touched and even wept at the effort of the man to be considerate. But my inner cynic was shouting a few choice words at me: “Romantic fool, Is there another angle to this? Think.”

A few visits later, other comments began to appear and these confirmed my suspicions that other people are echoing what I was secretly thinking. Maybe this man had OCD? Was he compelled to carve those steps for want of something else to do in that mountain? Was he perhaps using the step-carving to at least have time alone away from his family? They had 7 kids, and when you have that many children to discipline, teach, prevent from trampling on each other and just tell to please shut up, you’d be sure to want some time away too.

How unromantic, callous, jaded and cynical! Bad, Woobie, bad!

I dared not comment for fear of the love-mob on that site. If they do mob me here, at least they’d be contributing to my traffic. The “detractors” got mobbed, and stoned, and asked to die. But I have to admit, they (we) have a point.

Nonetheless… NONETHELESS…

Love that is pure will always prevail and conquer all. Romance will stay with couples despite normal bickerings and stress, because their love for each other is true. Married life has its ups and downs, but this story is proof that after 50 years, the original flame that brought 2 people together will still be there.

After all, I do believe that hundreds of Ifugao men carved these rice terraces by hand on the face of mountains so that they can feed their families. So, yes, perhaps it is not too-good-to-be-true that a single man will be driven by love to carve 6,000 steps for his wife.

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