This Couple's 53-Year Love Story Will Leave You Wiping Away Tears
With a nostalgic glow on his face, Andrew Augustus proudly shared the story of his marriage, a beautiful tale that has left viewers feeling simultaneously uplifted and brokenhearted.
Augustus met his wife more than 50 years ago. He came to London from Dominica in 1956 to work, and that’s when he first laid eyes on Doreen.
It was the start of a lifelong romance between a black man and a white woman, a love story that endured prejudice, hardship and exclusion.
Augustus told his story on the television program, “24 Hours in A&E.” The show documents stories as they unfold inside an emergency department at a London Hospital.
Augustus came to the hospital because Doreen, 87, had sepsis. He never left her side, comforting her, holding her hand and trying his best to communicate with her through her dementia.
“She was a very good looking girl and she had very lovely, wavy hair,” Augustus said. “She was like a model.”
The two secretly began dating, and within six months, Doreen was pregnant. When Doreen finally told her parents about Andrew and the baby, they were outraged.
“We didn’t tell her mum until after Penny was born, and it was chaos,” Augustus recalled. Doreen’s parents pressured the couple to place their mixed-race baby in adoptive care, but they refused.
Eventually, Doreen’s parents softened to Andrew, recognizing his impeccable work ethic and faithful commitment to their daughter.
When Doreen tried to return to work, the couple could not find a soul who would agree to care for a mixed-race child. Doing so was considered deplorable work, and so Doreen decided to stay home and raise their daughter, Penny, herself.
Through decades of hard work, careful spending and faithful saving, the couple was able to buy their own home in London. They had a second child, a boy, and ended up sending both to private schools.
The Augustus family became accustomed to being stared at while on outings, and sometimes, rude comments would be hurled their way. But Andrew and Doreen didn’t care — they held fast to their love for one another.
Doreen’s health began to fail, and Augustus promised he would take care of her until the end.
“I told her I loved her,” Augustus said, as he watched his wife slip away.
“She was a wonderful wife and I miss her terribly. She’s in Heaven somewhere. I gave her my love. I gave her all I had.”
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