What it means to be old

Ricky and Gerald Gross

After losing their mates, Ricky Caminetti and Gerald Gross discovered that it's never too late to fall in love. "When we went down to get our license, they couldn't believe that a 1914 was marrying a 1918," says Gerald. "I lost my wife a year ago. I called Ricky and asked her if she'd like to have dinner. We had dinner. And two weeks later, I was engaged."

"He didn't ask me," adds Ricky.

"I didn't ask her, I just told her," he says.

Ricky, a religious woman, refused to sleep with her fiancé until they married. "There's a big spark there," admits Gerald, three days before their wedding. "We hug, we kiss, we squeeze. We do everything ..."

"Except," she cuts him off. Gerald shrugs his shoulders.

"For nine months, I used to go to bed at night and say, 'Why do I have to wake up in the morning?' I didn't care to. I didn't want to," says Gerald, tears welling in his eyes. "Now I go to bed and I say, 'Give me some life, I've got a new life now.' I'm 86, don't forget. How much can I live? Five years, I'll be lucky. I'll pray for five years. But now I've got someone to do it with."

Next Page: "I'm still moving and that's what counts"

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