That was the worst day of his life. Don Florentino wanted to convince his children not to take him to an asylum. He gave them several reasons to let him stay with them. He even offered to serve them without any salary, but they left him abandoned. So he gave them a mysterious photograph and when they saw it, they went back to look for him immediately.
They got up early and the old man thought they would take him for a walk. But when he saw that his sons were looking angry and arguing with each other, he knew immediately that nothing good was in store for him. His daughter-in-law, the one who never loved him and made his life impossible, came to his room with a huge smile on her face, which made the old man fear the worst they didn’t give him breakfast. They didn’t even greet him. They just forced him to take a bath and get dressed quickly.
The daughter-in-law had prepared a suitcase for him and as if out of pity, she threw him a sandwich in a bag and did not remove that malevolent, laugh from her face don florentino grabbed the bread and put it on the seat. He did not feel like eating because he was scared. John florentine and donya carmeza were an exemplary couple. They were married very much in love and eager to raise a large family. The gentleman earned his living as a letter carrier, but after falling on the road from the bicycle on which he made deliveries, he suffered a knee injury.
So it was difficult for him to work so he resorted to working in carpentry. The couple lived in complete harmony and the years began to pass, but they didn’t conceive children that made the lady very sad, although he told her not to despair because they married to enjoy each other and, of course, also to have children. But he stressed to her that it was not the priority and that the divine designs had to be respected. However, she tried to hide her pain and dedicated herself to taking care of the children in the parish, dining room. She prepared delicious meals for them and baked cakes when one of them had a birthday.
The children loved her very much, and some of them called her mom, which filled her with many feelings. Her husband supported her in everything and when they finally had carlos and her nan, they thought that they would be completely happy, but destiny had a surprise for them. She was sick with cancer and only lived the joy of motherhood for a couple of years when she passed away don florentino continued working alone, so their children wouldn’t lack anything. He carved chairs benches tables and any wooden object he was commissioned to make in order to guarantee the necessary money for his boys. The children were sweet and tender in adolescence.
They weren’t typical, rebellious kids, but their behavior was exemplary for his good work and for being an upright citizen. The mayor of the city decided to give scholarships to don florentino’s children, so they could go to university. The elderly man was happy and continued to work, so they could buy their books and have enough money for their expenses. Those good children when they were already professionals and working, began to change. They did not contribute anything to the household, so their elderly father continued to work to feed them and when he told them to shop, he was verbally abused when carlos married, he went to live in a beautiful house and hernan stayed with his father.
However, a year later, hernan sold his father’s little house and bought a luxury residence which he would pay for. An installment hernan got married and, as he did not give the old man a penny from the house, he took him to live with him and made him a little room at the edge of the doghouse. Some years passed and the man grew tired of his father. So, together with his brother, they planned to get rid of him. That morning, don florentino was almost dragged by his two sons to a nursing home, but on the way when they were in the car he began to bemoan my children, my children.
Maybe i can help you by taking care of my grandchildren. You know that i am very responsible, but one of his sons replied dad. We already have a nanny who does her job very well, you’re already old. Sometimes you confuse things. You can’t even take care of yourself the old man continued, but children.
Maybe i can mow the lawn or repair wooden things that need a little sprucing up. I was a carpenter for more than 40 years. These wrinkled and calloused hands are witnesses that i never shied away from hard work, but the other of his sons replied dad when a chair or table breaks we throw them away because it’s already finished like you, and it has nothing more to do in our house. Now calm down and be thankful you’re going to a good home, but don florentino was not satisfied, so he continued saying. Dear children, i had you in my arms since you were innocent children.
I raised you by myself with my work as a carpenter. Maybe i can run errands at your house and go shopping whatever, please. I don’t want to go to that place, it’s horrible to be in a nursing home. I want to be with you, my children, but the two sons were already furious. Dad calm down already be a man for god’s sake, stop whining that’s the life running errands and going shopping, but you forget to put on your pants that are numb don florentino no longer said anything to his children.
He wept in his soul. He knew that at 75 years old he would only be a burden to his children, but even so he thought he would end his stays with them and his grandkids. But now reality was imposing itself. His children would take him to an asylum and there he would live his last days while he was meditating on what was happening to him. Suddenly, don florentino saw that they were leaving the city and entering a wooded area, so he spoke to them.
Children. Where is this asylum? I don’t know this area, i think we got lost calm down dad. We know the way very well answered carlos, but after several hours on the road well into the forest, they finally stomped into don florentino’s great surprise. His sons got him down and told him.
This was as far as he could go that this was his destination. Dad you stay here. Nature will do the rest sentence hernan, who is the harshest sons? I don’t know what wrong i have done to be treated like this, but i understand i just want you to take this with you. Please, don florentino took out of his old code a crumpled, an old photograph.
The two sons reluctantly took it got into their car and left don florentino abandoned out on that road in the middle of the wood miles from nowhere i knew the old man would get sentimental. I told you we had to bring him here and leave him without saying anything to him said one of the evil sons. After a couple of hours, don florentino was alone in the middle of the forest, cold, hungry and disoriented. He started to call his children, but they were already miles away heartbroken and said. Don florentino took refuge in a hollow tree and spent the night there, his stomach ached with hunger, and he could only remember his children when the men returned home.
One of them said to the other and look at the picture the old man gave us. I don’t even know these people are, but the other son noticed something strange in the picture. There were two children barely four or five years old in an orphanage. Suddenly, a tumult of memories came back to their minds. The children in the picture were the two of them.
They had been taken to the orphanage by court orders, since their biological parents were physically and psychologically abusive, so the authorities sent them to that orphanage. Don florentino and his wife carmenza adopted them, but soon after carmenza died of cancer and florentino became father and mother to them. He worked hard as a carpenter and raised them, but they didn’t remember that when hernan and carlos remembered everything they started to cry and soon went out to look for their father when they reached the forest. The old man was not where they had left him, so they feared he’d fallen victim to some wild beast. They walked around looking for him and after several hours they found him asleep in the hollow tree his eyes, swollen from crying so much.
They woke him up and asked for forgiveness, took him home where they prepared a special dinner for him with his favorite foods during the meal, carlos and hernan thanked their father for adopting them and for having worked hard, so they could study. They promised him that they would make him happy and they kept their promise.