Carnations and roses

11/04/2022 Nilson Lattari

He took care of his carnations on his balcony. There were carnations of different colours and one of them was more beautiful and opulent. It was higher than others and had an orange colour, lots of petals like a great coppery hair on top of a strong green stalk. It made a difference among the others and it attracted curious looks from the people who looked at the building with its flowery balconies. But there were only two balconies more beautiful than the others. One with carnations and one with roses.
For the owner’s carnations there was beauty only in the balcony with roses that filled the air with their perfume and colours. The balcony with roses was close to him and he could touch it with his hands. Maybe, the charm didn’t exist only in the flowers with its colours arrangement but in the beauty who took care of them. His neighbour had her hands protected by gloves that involved her delicate fingers while she removed weeds from the garden.
Hidden among his flowers, he admired his pretty neighbour without confidence to talk to her to say some words, smile at her or a simple look. When she appeared on the balcony, he could feel her presence when her shadow covered his carnations as she was dominating them. Despite taking care of his garden he caressed her shadow as if it was the object of his desire.
While he took care of his flowers he dreamed with the pretty gardener and from his carnation garden he looked at her, lifting his eyes to try to contemplate her while she worked.
One of the roses bloomed and it became the most beautiful of them. The hands of the neighbour took care of it with affection. Then, he stared at the rose with admiration. His carnation however older was still strong and vigorous, balancing with the wind above the others, its partners to make it more beautiful and higher.
He could try to talk to her neighbour because both loved their flowers. But he was shy and he felt intimidated to approach her. Then, he was happy watching her behind the camouflage of his carnation garden.
One night he went out to his balcony because the weather was hot and he noticed his neighbour’s rose, the queen of her garden, was in his garden. He imagined that the wind cut down it or his neighbour forgot it on top of the wall.
He took the beautiful flower and took it to his room. He put it on the pillow beside him and slept admiring it as if it was his neighbour with her beautiful black eyes to take care of his sleep.
His neighbour went out to her balcony in the after morning. He woke up and went out to take care of his garden and it seemed as if nothing had happened.
On that night, he took advantage of the dark and cut the long branch of his favourite carnation and put it in his neighbour’s garden.
He lay down with the rose, intact, brand new on the other side of his bed. He slept happy, with his fingers touching the rose. The next day, he woke up in a different room, with perfumed linens and he saw his neighbour’s beautiful eyes admiring him. He tried to stand up and smile at her. But the only thing that he got was open more and more his orange petals like eyes lots of happiness. Then, he felt immobilized as his feet were compressed like a flower branch.