Red Roses For My Grandmother

Red Roses For My Grandmother

         Children always need to have a super-hero in their lives. For most children, their parents are their super- heroes, in my particular case it was my grandmother. My parents were always busy working, so my grandma was the one who was in charge of raising my siblings and me. My grandmother was a survivor, strong and hardworking woman regardless of her circumstances.

         My grandmother's life was very sad. When she was a little girl, in just four years her mother had two boys. My grandmother's father died when her mother was pregnant. My grandmother's mother had no money  or resources to support her three children; so she decided to give my grandmother up for adoption. The nightmare for my grandma started that day.

         My grandmother was given up for adoption to a rich family. It was family that promised to care and love her. Instead it was a miserable family who abused her, a helpless and innocent little girl, physically and emotionally; almost like a slave. Ever since my grandmother came to live in that house, she was treated like a servant not like an adoptive daughter. She never ate at the main table as the rest of the family. Her place to eat was always in the kitchen with the rest of the servants.

        When my grandmother turned seven years old, she was sent to work for the first time to the fields instead of going to school and learning like any other kid. For this reason she never learned how to read and write.  She was forced to wake up at four in the morning and work until seven P.M. For many years she worked in unacceptable conditions. When she was twenty-five years old, she was forced to get married to a unknown man who was about twenty years older than her. She had no choice and she married that man without any type of feelings, and she had three children, my mother and her two siblings.  If at any time my grandmother thought she  could get some freedom, she was wrong, very wrong. At that age  she was very ill. The last years of forced labor were paying off. This was the true reason that she was forced to get married; because her best years had been passed. 

        My grandfather turned out to be an evil man. He hit my grandmother every day. Her suffered body was covered with scars. My grandfather was an alcoholic who didn't work, so my grandmother had to continue working to support her family still even sick. When she was pregnant with her last child, one day my grandfather hit her so much that she gave birth to a premature baby boy with  serious brain damage. The baby died a few days later. My grandmother suffered so much, that she thought about suicide; but could further the love for her children more than despair and pain that she felt. Suddenly one day everything changed..........

        One day my grandfather didn't return home. My grandmother knew the reason months later, when he  came to home just to snatch the few belongings that she had. He told her very sarcastic that he was in love with another young woman. He wanted to know nothing more about  her and her children. My grandma didn't say anything,  just closed her eyes and held her breath until he left. That day she promised she would never allow abuses against her. Again she fulfilled it.

        Over the years, she raised her children alone, like many single mothers. She fought against her diseases. She never gave up, and she taught me never to do it. She took the right decision to move us, when she noticed that my siblings and I  really needed her care. She was my best example of courage and determination. She was like my mother. She was my counselor and confidant. Unfortunately, her life was running out.

                                                                                                                                        

          Long, long ago in Mexico my grandmother told me, "what wonderful flowers, are in my garden.""when I die, I want those same flowers in my funeral."I replied "please grandma, don't say that.""you will never die." Deep in my heart I knew that day was going to come. As a child my favorite flowers are the red roses, like my grandma. Until that day every year when it was my grandma's birthday I always bought a beautiful bunch of red roses for her. I still love red roses and think about her. 

        I still remember the day before my grandma died. I went to her house to visit. She was sitting in her favorite chair. I cooked a chicken soup for her. She was sleeping and I was standing behind her. I watched her with love and melancholy. I asked myself what I would do without her. She was my everything,  and there was nothing in the world I loved more than her. When she finally woke up, She smiled and said "when I die the image that I'm want to take in my mind is your face." At that moment I felt an immense cold in my heart. I answered "don't worry when this will happen I will be eighty years old. We both smiled. "I need to go grandma" "take care" I said. I walked few steps, suddenly I felt the  need to hug her, and I did.   "grandma I love you so much" "you never forget" I told to her.  She said "I love you too my lovely daughter" "I will love you forever, please don't forget my red roses" I said "no, I never would forget your red roses grandma, I promise." That was the last time that I spoke and saw her. She died the next day. That day was too dark and sad to me, the terrible and sad day when I lost my beloved grandmother. Even now I still hate the cloudy and dark days, but I still continue loving the red roses. I'm still loving and remembering my beautiful and suffered angel.