My special place

Everybody has a special place, the place where they feel comfortable and safe, and where they always want to return. My special place was my aunt Victoria`s house. During my visits, I could feel the warmth spreading in my soul. I have such fond memories of my aunt, her stories and our last meeting.

I graduated from school that summer and still had two more weeks before college, and I couldn`t leave aunt Victoria without saying good-bye. It was a nice and warm evening, so we decided to have a cup of tea in the garden where we could watch the sunset. There was a white pergola in the heart of the garden with a small table and two benches. Enjoying aunt`s fragrant tea I looked around.

- Aunty, you have a very unusual garden. You grow only one type of flowers. They are beautiful though, eye-catching. I always wanted to ask you the name of these flowers.

Victoria looked at this bright orange carpet covering the entire garden and said:

- It`s a marigold flower. Usually women prefer roses, lilies or orchids, but I have always loved this simple and modest flower. When I was a child, my mother used to tell me stories about the creation of marigold. Legend says that the Sun had many golden coins. One day it decided to sit on top of the hill to rest a little bit, and so it happened that one coin fell out of its pockets on to the ground. Next morning a bright orange flower appeared at that exact spot. Moreover, the flower itself resembled the sun.

- Such a beautiful story! – I said with admiration.

- My mother also said that her mother, my grandmother, believed that if you put marigold flowers under your bed, evil spirits will not be able to enter your dreams. – continued Victoria – I know it sounds ridiculous, but I truly believe that these flowers play an important role in my life. Do you remember my husband?

I just nodded. My uncle Frank passed away when I was five. Aunty never remarried, she barely mentioned him. I think she was still hurt; my uncle was her first and true love. The day he died a part of Victoria`s soul died with him.

- For our first date he brought me a small bouquet of marigold flowers. I was so surprised, tried to figure out who could possibly tell him that those flowers are my favorite. As it turned out Frank picked these flowers because he read somewhere that they symbolize faithfulness.

My aunty smiled, but that smile was bitter. We finished our tea in silence. Both of us were deep in our thoughts. Victoria was thinking about all those beautiful moment she shared with uncle Frank and I was thinking about their love, how powerful it is. I wanted to feel something similar with all my heart. The love that is pure, true and sincere.

That evening, when I was about to leave, I got a strange impulse. I firmly hugged my aunt and gave her a kiss on the check. It`s weird because I`m a cold person who never expresses emotions. That was our last meeting; I started a new chapter in my life, became an adult and started to deal with adult problems. First, it was college, than work, and finally I started to build my own family. I kept in touch with my aunt. We called each other from time to time. Ten years went by, flew, to be precise. Aunty Victoria passed away two months ago, now she`s finally reunited with her beloved Frank. And once again I stay here on the doorstep of auntie’s house after so many years. Honestly, all I see is decay, chipped paint and slanting windows. I headed to the garden entrance. Even from far away I noticed bright orange gleams, the entire garden was covered with marigold flowers like ten years ago. Suddenly somebody pulled the end of my skirt.

- Mommy, what is the name of these flowers? – asked my 6 year old daughter.

- It`s marigold flower. Do you know the story how this flower was created?

- No, mommy, how?

- Legend says that the Sun had many golden coins…