"The Man Who Lived in a Big City"

Some time ago, there was a man who lived in a big city- he lived for his work where others work to live their lives. He was cold to people and did not have any friends of his own- he would prefer to be alone.

Oh, but when he was young- he was kind, generous and open, something so foreign to him now. When 6 years-old, the boy lived with his grandmother- Every noon they would visit the beautiful garden full of flowers and different plants, in which he would pick flowers and arrange them for his Grandmother’s kitchen counter -as he knew she loved flowers and was not able to pick them herself anymore- His grandmother was kind and caring- a reflection of his younger self. The boy had a special bond to his grandmother, as she was his only family when young- he was happy when close to her and like every family it felt like home- a beautiful relationship that he would cherish very much like a flower growing each time and each time becoming more beautiful inside and out, and with those happy moments there came memories when his grandmother died, now she rests in peace in the cemetery, and everyday for many years the boy would place flowers on her garve to honor her memory and remember the loved that he had for her, there he was- a loving boy.

How happy and vivid he was- full of color and happiness, shining everyone around him and smiling all the way- all good -no worries to take- Now with time, color fades and reality enters, no more bright yellow suns or clear-blue-skies, the man became a hard core, and the traits of before faded with time. With all the joy and excitement gone, he works at a normal office job- at a normal building- every day he gets there at 7 and leaves at 7, everyday all week, all weeks all years. He never shared a smile, no emotions could be seen- He lived alone and felt alone in life- as much as he denied he could never lie to his own heart- as deep down he knew what it really felt like.

Now with this in mind- there is only left to tell you of a day that would change his life- the day they closed the avenue in which he would drive to get to work- Romanu Avenue was closed so with all the patience in the world he took the long way to work. He came across a traffic line where no one gets in or out- he would have to walk to work this time.

All grumpy and mad he took his briefcase and went out- he walked across the sidewalk with many people beside, he hated crows - he was in a rush to go to work and did not know what will do if his boss were to see that he was not in his seat. There came a stop sign in which all stopped- but in the darkness of the crow there was a shade of light- sitting down a light post, beside the stop sign- there was an old lady selling roses for a life. 

The woman was small and hard to be seen- she wore old rags as clothes and cardboard as floor- there she was, in the rapidness of the city with a tired face but surprisingly showing a warm smile, the kind of smile that feels contagious and familiar, the kind you never forget- A sweet old lady, selling roses on the sidewalk, she did not seem sad nor mad- with two buckets filled with beautiful red roses she looked happy and that was that. The man obviously paid no attention to the woman, he walked right past but before walking beside- the lady took a look at him in the eyes, he quickly looked away and continued with his affairs. The day passed and the morning flew- the man got to work only to be yelled at by his boss. 

It was the end of the day, no comments, no chit-chats, he went straight to home and remembered he had left his car at the parking lot, far away- He had to walk again. There was the man, walking through the sidewalks with his sight avoiding all contact- and finally a stop sign, a little rest from all the walk- it seemed easier in the morning -in such a rush he was, but now it all seemed quieter- less people on the streets, the sun was setting in and the stores were closing too, a tranquil evening ahead- The man stopped- but suddenly he felt a strange sensation on his arm- The old lady from the morning had touch him, reach out to placed a rose on his hands- the man was in shock and did not know how to act- quickly the road was open for walking and everybody else advance at once- he was pulled towards and the lady faded in the crow. With little knowledge of what had happened- the man ignored the event- he put the rose on his case and continued his path. 

When the man got home, he opened the door- no one awaiting for him- silence. The man refreshed himself and finally sat down the couch- he look straight to the Tv, but with the rose in mind, with so much curiosity the man decided to open his briefcase to found the rose, he held it in his hands and felt the smooth surface of the petals, the man was staring into the rose like it had remember him of something, not knowing what to do he took a vase and filled it with water placed the rose there and let it be- he went to sleep shut the door right in. And then quite moved in and there it was -the tall rose, sitting on a vase, quietly on a surface above. The next morning the man woke up- and while having breakfast he looked at the flower- it was still there for his surprise, in his mind he thought for it to be gone, but there it was sitting and decorating a gray surface.

For the rest of the day he mainly focused on work- For curiosity, he passed down the street where the old lady was the day before but he saw no one- so he passed through. When the man gets home he takes a quick look at the flower like the inexplicable event it is and realizes a petal has fallen off- he goes closer and takes the vase to changed the water -he then places the rose back on the vase to a place with more light than before,  he quickly past through the fact he took care of the flower and once again let it be. Every morning for that week he would wake up, change the water of the vase and trim the stem of the flower- thus making it live longer than expected- he started to take care of the flower everyday, and everyday he arrived to work late, the fourth day he got fired for being late- as punctuality was one of the most important things for is boss- But the man did not felt bad nor sad for being out of job, while walking through a sidewalk he saw a flower shop he never saw before- he hesitated to enter at first, but he quickly entered when a person held the door open for him and went away- The moment he entered the smells and memories came back to him- the essence of a flower rushing through his nose- the warm and welcoming aura of the store reminding him of an easier time, where happy was home. He wandered through the store looking for everything, for a moment he had forgotten everything- he felt happy inside, a sensation thought to be lost- The little boy dying to come out was able to see the world as a man one more time. “Looking for something special” said the vendor on the stored when she looked at the man searching between flowers and dust, The man shutter his head letting the vendor know he was just looking- And the man did that, wandered through the stores for hours, he cared not if people were looking or passing by- He was just happy to finally be at peace- home, where everything was alright. As the day finalized the man got home with many flowers and plants- he went to his backyard and planted many of the sames, now the lonely rose was no longer lonely no more- accompanied by many sprouts of plants and flowers -the light had return again. The man took great care of his garden- and with passing time his garden grew wider, bringing color and happiness to his life, and as it grew so did the light in his heart, he did not felt so alone anymore as every time he would go out to his beautiful garden his grandmother would always be with him.