Este unul dintre cei mai noi locatari ai Casei Betania din Haţeg. De când a ajuns la Betania a început să planteze trandafiri. De la distanţă. Dă indicaţii celor mai tineri decât el. Aproape întreaga viaţa şi-a dedicat-o florilor. A fost grădinar şi cu multă pasiune a început să ne povestească despre lumea florilor. „Florile, ca şi oamenii, suferă. Unii pomi ajung să facă şi cancer la rădăcină, ştiaţi?”.
După ce am admirat ultimii trandafiri plantaţi în curtea Casei Betania, domnul Ion ne-a împărtăşit necazul lui. „Nu credeam că ajung aici. Am luat o nevastă cu doi copii, pe care i-am crescut eu. Cu soţia m-am împăcat tare bine, dar ea a murit de 20 de ani. Tot ce mi-a dorit sufletul, mi-a făcut soţia mea…După moartea ei, am stat eu singur cât am putut, dar acum nu mai pot. M-am dus la un copil, dar nu mi-a plăcut cum m-a tratat. Am înţeles că nu am loc la el. M-a pus să stau în bucătărie şi hainele mi le-a băgat în baie. Am plecat acasă, dar mi s-a făcut rău. Am 90 de ani. Sunt bătrân”.
Interlocutorul nostru este extrem de mulţumit că a ajuns la Betania. S-a instalat în noua cameră de unde admiră grădina de flori. Cunoaşte limbajul florilor care „sunt mai bune şi mai înţelegătoare decât unii oameni. Unde sunt eu acum este foarte bine. Mai bine şi mai bine ca aici e doar sus…la Dumnezeu…”.
He is one of the new comers at “Bethany Home.” Since he has arrived here, he started planting roses. From the distance. He gives directions to those who are younger and better fit than him. He devoted his whole life to flowers. He has a gardener and, with a lot of passion, he started to tell us about the world of flowers: “Flowers, just like people, can hurt. Some trees even get root cancer – did you know that?”
After admiring the last roses planted in the front yard of the “Bethany Home,” Mr. Ion shared the story of his troubled life with us. “I never thought I’d end up here. I married a woman who already had two children. We raised them together. I got along very well with my wife, my she passed away 20 years ago. Anything I ever wished for, she indulged me. After she was gone, I lived on my own for as long as I could but not anymore. I stayed for a while with one of the children I raised, but I didn’t like the way I was treated there. I realized that I was not welcome there: I was sleeping in the kitchen and my clothes were all in the bathroom. I went home but then I got ill. I am 90 years old. That’s old.”
My conversation partner is very happy for having come to “Bethany.” He has settled in his new room and he can admire the roses from his window. He speaks the language of flowers. “They are more kind and compassionate than some men are. I am doing well here now. It doesn’t get any better for me here on this earth; only when I get to Heaven.”
