Javier se acercó con mucho cuidado, las rosas eran sus flores preferidas, las cultivaba con mucha delicadeza y por eso pasaba mucho tiempo limpiando sus tallos.
Arrancaba las hojas secas con mucha precaución, aunque varias veces sus rosales herían sus manos, lo único que lamentaba era no tener a su vieja Hermelinda para que hiciera sus labores de enfermera y le fuera quitando los restos de espinas que quedaban en su piel.

—Esas rosas son malagradecidas, tanto que las cuidas y... ¡Mira cómo te pagan!
—Hermi, es su naturaleza, pero me dan su belleza y te acompañan los domingos a la iglesia.
—Pero, mira como tienes tus manos llenas de pinchazos.

Javier miró el cielo, no olvidaba aquella noche que Hermelinda cayó en sus brazos con un fuerte dolor, apenas si pudo sostenerla.

—¿Qué tienes Hermi?
Ella le sonrió y le apretó la mano.
—¡Mira, ahí vienen a buscarme!

Un cometa muy brillante pasó en ese momento, pero ella no lo vio, solo cerró los ojos y dejó que su alma volara con aquella luz.
Javier agarró una hermosa rosa blanca, la colocó en el pecho de Hermelinda, luego lloro en silencio.

Ahora, limpiando sus rosales y con sus manos todas pinchadas, veía hacia la ventana de la cocina, el lugar desde donde Hermelinda lo miraba y preparaba el café con los panes dulces, los acomodaba sobre la mesita del corredor y esperaba que Javier hiciera un alto en su trabajo de jardinero.

Él se sentaba solo y conversaba con ella, mostraba sus manos heridas, mientras miraba el horizonte, sabía que en cualquier momento el cometa pasaría y ella, con su sonrisa, bajaría para tomar sus manos, las revisará y empezará a recriminarle.

—¡Mira como tienes esas manos! Todas cortadas.
—Deja de hablar Hermi, ya es hora de irnos, aquí tengo un ramo de rosas para ti.
Ella sonrió y una luz muy brillante cruzó el cielo.

Roses for Hermelinda

Javier approached them with great care, roses were his favorite flowers, he cultivated them with great delicacy and therefore spent a lot of, time cleaning their stems.
He plucked the dry leaves with great care, even though his roses often hurt his hands, and the only thing he regretted was not having his old Hermelinda to take care of him and remove the remains of the thorns that were still on his skin.

—These roses are ungrateful, so much care you give them and ... See how they repay you!
—Hermi, it's their nature, but they give me their beauty and accompany you to church on Sundays.
—But look how your hands are full of holes!

Javier looked at the sky, he couldn't forget that night when Hermelinda had fallen into his arms in such pain that he could hardly hold her.

—What is it, Hermi?

She smiled and squeezed his hand.

—¡Look, they, are looking for me!

A very bright comet passed by, but she didn't see it, she just closed her eyes and let her soul fly with the light.
Javier picked a beautiful white rose, placed it on Hermelinda chest, and cried in silence.

Now he was cleaning his rose bushes and, with his hands all cut up, he looked out of the kitchen window, the place where Hermelinda watched him and made the coffee with the sweet bread, putting it on the little table in the hall and waiting for Javier to finish his gardening.

He sat alone and talked to her, showing her his wounded hands while he looked at the horizon, knowing that at any moment the comet would pass and she would come down with her smile to take his hands, check them, and start to reproach him.

—Look at your hands! All cut up.
—Stop talking Hermie, it's, time to go, I have a bunch of roses for you.

She smiled and a very bright light flashed across the sky.

Invito a @eleazarvo y @mazquel para que se animen a participar.
_{Ilustraciones realizadas con el Generador de imágenes Bing y editados con PhotoScape. / Illustrations made with Bing Image Generator and edited with PhotoScape
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)}