RomanceEverAfter

Romantic Tales - Contemporary

The Last Rose
by Renie Burghardt
© 2003 Renie Burghardt

As soon as I opened my eyes this morning, I knew what day it was - October 25th, 1966, a day I had been dreading for weeks now. The first anniversary of the saddest day of my life, the day my darling husband of 49 years, Jozsef passed away and left me orphaned.

Jozsef was a nurturer, and his much loved, carefully tended plants benefited from his tender devotion the same as I did. He had the magic touch, when it came to gardens and his wife.

It is so strange to think now that I did not want to marry Joszef, that our marriage had been an arranged one, but it is true. Oh, I remember the year 1916 so clearly to this day. I had just turned sixteen, and Emperor Franz-Josef of Austria-Hungary had died. So our country Hungary, was in mourning that year, as was Joszef, because his first wife, my Aunt Anni, had passed away the previous year, leaving Jozsef with two young children to raise.

I remember what a shock it was when Mama came to me one day and told me that Joszef had asked for my hand in marriage.

"But I don’t want to get married, Mama," I said tearfully. "Besides, I loved Aunt Anni. I could never take her place."

"He needs a wife, Terez, and his children need a mother. Anni would want you to take care of them, now that she is no longer here," Mama said quietly. "But you don’t have to decide right away. You can think about it for a while."

As I sat there and did think about it, I remembered when Aunt Anni and Jozsef were married. I was eight years old, and a flower girl at their wedding. She was such a beautiful bride, too, and Joszef, so handsome in his Hussar’s uniform, took my eight-year-old breath away! 

Ah, the Hussar’s, those legendary horse soldiers of those times, how they did make the young girl’s swoon! And I remember thinking that one-day; I would like to marry a handsome Hussar, too. Then, when eight years later, Jozsef wanted to marry me because his children needed a mother, and he needed a wife, I told him tearfully that I wanted to marry for love, not for need.

"But I will do my best to make you happy. I will be kind and gentle, and maybe one day, you will learn to love me," Joszef had replied. "My children already love you, and I think you love them. We can have a happy family life together." Of course, he was right, I already did love his two children, and my decision was what it was because of them.

So I had agreed to marry Jozsef, and our wedding was quiet but nice. 

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