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| "Cigarettes,
whisky
and
wild,
wild
women"
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The world's oldest man has died. It's a touching obituary for a man who was remarkable mostly for his unremarkableness. He was an ordinary guy who went off to war like everyone else his age. He would become one of very few who would be privileged enough to see 90 years since its cessation.
But what really struck me, for reasons I can't quite articulate, was his wife. When you vow "til death do us part" there's no way of knowing how long that will be. I think we all secretly, selfishly hope to go first. Not to have to be the one who lives on missing the other half of your soul. And, of course, that there will be many happy decades between now and then. Henry Allingham was married (happily, I choose to assume) to his wife for 51 years. He then lived as a widower for another 39. They must have celebrated a ruby wedding together, back when he was still just one name amongst many. One can hardly imagine they ever considered that he, and he alone, would live to see his 90th wedding anniversary. I wonder, after 39 years, whether he still missed her. Did he still feel the pang of his absent wife.
I really have no idea what I'm trying to say here. Just feeling a bit pensive.
Requiescat in pace.
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AUTHOR OF THIS MESSAGE
admin
MESSAGE TIMESTAMP
18 july 2009, 21:21:35
AUTHOR'S IP LOGGED
77.86.2.64
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