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 attracted curious glances from 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 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 their colourful arrangement, but in the beauty of the one who cared for them. His neighbour wore gloves to protect her hands that covered their delicate fingers while she removed weeds from the garden.
Hidden among his flowers, he admired his pretty neighbour without the confidence to talk to her, smile at her or a simple glance. When she appeared on the balcony, he could feel her presence, seeing her shadow covering his carnations as she was dominating them. Despite of taking care of his garden, he caressed her shadow as if it were 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 became the most beautiful of them. The hands of his neighbour took care of it with affection. Then, he stared at the rose with admiration. However, his older carnation was still strong and vigorous, balancing with the wind above the others, its partners made 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 saw his neighbour’s rose, the queen of her garden, in his garden. He imagined that the wind cut it down, 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 were his neighbour with her beautiful black eyes to take care of his sleep.
The following morning, his neighbour went out to her balcony. He woke up and went out to take care of his garden, and acted as if nothing had happened.
At night, he took advantage of the dark to cut off 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 he could do was open more and more his orange petals like eyes, full of happiness. Then, he felt immobilized as his feet were wrapped like a flower branch.