As another Valentine’s Day comes round, The Malta Independent sat down with Connie (89 years old) and Ludovico (Vic, 90 in March) Galea at Casa Arkati to hear about the secret to their 64-year-long happy marriage, and what these relationship veterans had to say about today’s young couples.

How did you meet?

“I barely remember,” Mrs Galea said with a smile.

“I used to work with her brother at a newspaper, we were friends, and he brought me down to Pieta where they lived. Her brother also took me to the park (il-bandli) where I believe we had our first date,” said Mr Galea.

She never received flowers from her husband.

 

What was it like when you first got married?

“I don’t remember too much, but I’ll never forget when Vic had to jump through our bedroom window. We used to live with my parents at first, and my father, wherever he went, he would lock the doors behind him. One day we (Mr and Mrs Galea) came home and found our bedroom door locked! So Vic had to climb in through our window, and open the door. That is something I will always remember.

The couple have five children, aged 62, 61, 59, 57 and lastly 52.

They got married in a church in Msida, however Mrs Galea curiously said that this was not accompanied by a proper Mass.

 

Do you often argue? And if so, what do you argue about mainly nowadays?

“We never really used to argue,” said Mrs Galea. “It is because Vic is a quiet man. People like to call me naughty (imqarba), but they can say what they like about me!”

Mr Galea, quickly jumped to his wife’s defence, saying that she cannot be an mqarba because she helps him get dressed each morning, and takes care of anything he is unable to do for himself.

“Without her, I just wouldn’t manage” he said.

 

Can you recall what the first gifts you brought each other were?

“A beautiful broach in the shape of a bird,” she said, however Mrs Galea began giggling innocently about how this got accidentally thrown away over the years.

They both said that they have never really celebrated St Valentine’s Day before, but prefer to celebrate their love on their anniversary on the 20 September.

This coming 20 September Mr and Mrs Galea will be celebrating 65 wonderful years together.

 

What is the secret to your successful marriage?

Mrs Galea dutifully shed light on the fact that when it came to the home, and duties surrounding their personal life, she was left to take decisions and manage their children.

“He used to work sometimes at night, sometimes during the day, but during those times we did not see each other anywhere near how we see each other today,” she said with a smile.

It would seem that the secret to a peaceful marriage is to not spend every waking moment together.

She added that whenever Mr Galea was not working, he would take the children out for an activity, stressing that he always took pride in spending time with them.

On young couples

Today, it is not so common to hear of young couples sticking it out together for the long haul. Unfortunately, separation and divorce have almost become the norm, which could be attributed to a vast number of reasons.

When asked how this veteran couple looks at their younger counterparts today, Mrs Galea quickly said that she feels people need to learn to bite their tongues.

“Every now and then Vic (Mr Galea) can get a bit frustrated or agitated, but I just let it pass,” she said, turning to a memory very early on, before they had children, where he got properly angry with her and how this terrified her (werwirni). It would appear that early memories such as these between the couple helped them to avoid arguments down the line.

Another problem identified by Mrs Galea is the fact that young couples seem to want it all, without patiently waiting.

“When we first got married, we started out living at my parents’ house, in a bedroom. My mother would cook for my father and herself, and I would cook for us (Mr Galea and herself), as well as carrying out any chores that needed to be done for us as a couple,” she said.

After all these years married, what does love mean to you?

Mrs Galea proudly exclaimed that she is “obsessed”, adding that she believes she is more obsessed with him than the other way around. She shyly joked about the last time she had jumped on her husband while they were on their sofa, and rather than the embrace she was expecting, he jumped out of his seat with the fright.

Mrs Galea shed light about her personality, stating that she “laughs very easily, cries very easily and gets offended very easily”.

“I was always like this”, she said.

 

Photos: Jonathan Borg