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Fallen but Raised
The walled garden is filled with enormous camellia trees, whose white, red and pink flowers generously extend their symbolic message of love and affection. Almost blending in with the abundant foliage, an old man, Armand Germont, is patiently tending the plants, although the crisp autumn chill is biting his fingers. With 48 years of persistent, daily care, he has singlehandedly turned the garden into an impressive sanctuary for camellias.
While pruning, weeding and fertilizing, Armand is smilingly talking to his flowers, “Unworthy?” he says, “Fallen? No, darling, you are pure perfection!” “I will always love you.” Like mantras, he keeps repeating the same words. His devotion is revealed by them, as well as by each one of his gentle movements.
-o-o-o-
When Armand was a young man, Violetta Valery entered his life. With a beautiful camellia flower decorating her coiffure, she instantly became his “Lady of the Camellias.” Her past as an escort for rich, older gentlemen didn’t matter to him. Once their souls entered the same orbit, time gracefully yielded to the present moment.
Both of them instinctively knew that they were created for each other. Still, Armand’s father soon convinced Violetta that her past would destroy the future of his family. Because of her love for Armand, Violetta stepped back, sacrificing her happiness for the honor of her beloved. Armand was unaware of the reason for her disappearance until rumors about her sickness reached him. With a bouquet of camellias in his hands, he rushed to her bedside, only to meet a pale and weak Violetta, violently coughing.
After her death, Armand never again cared for women. Instead, he became obsessed with camellias, studying them, cultivating them, communicating with them; trying to understand their wordless, hidden messages.
-o-o-o-
In the late afternoon, as the sun connects with the anticipating horizon, Armand keeps working, happily unaware of time and space. Just like all other days, a woman appears in the brick building’s garden door and calls to him, “Monsieur Germont! Supper time! Sister Genevieve is waiting for you with your pill and your evening tea.”
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A beautiful and perfect story, Christer! You’ve woven literary and operatic references seamlessly into your own unique tale of the eternal nature of love. I’m so glad to meet Armand/Alfredo again, as an old man “happily unaware of time and space” in spite of all the drama of his youth. The title is also perfect, with its multiple references, including joyous redemption and perhaps even a reunion of sorts.
It makes me especially happy and humble to see that you liked the story, Fuji. Thank you so much for your nice words! And, of course, I enjoyed very much that you observed the references to Alexandre Dumas’ book and Verdi’s opera. I’ll let you in on a secret: until I was ready to send the story, both names, Armand and Alfredo, were still in the text. Still after having read it several times, I hadn’t noticed my mistake. Luckily, I caught it in time!
With the reference to a possible reunion, my story has something in common with your last, beautiful one, with the bridges of Ronda.
Such an emotional story Christer. How sad the sacrifice Violetta chose to make when Armand loved her unconditionally. All those lost years when they could have lived happily together. Such a bittersweet ending. Their story went straight to my heart.
I’m glad to hear that my story touched your heart, Linda. Yes, at that time (and maybe still today), social rules and preconceived ideas could make it difficult for true love to prosper. But it can be the source of great art. And, sometimes, nice gardens 🙂 !
What a sad but beautiful story Christer. True love never dies, and this comes across in your story well as we see Armand in his latter years, still talking to the love of his life through the camellias they’d both loved. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank you, Carrie! I am glad you enjoyed the story. Thanks for your nice words.
Hello Christer, I have not been able to read or comment of late because my computer has been in for repair, and there has been so much activity that I feel I have been away for years – so much to catch up on. I feel like I have been thrown into the deep end with so many excellent stories to read. When Love makes a sacrifice it stirs in us feelings of heartfelt regret, for there can never be enough love in this world. The past is what it is – the past. If only we could all live in the Now!
Beautifully written and expressed, Christer.
Hi Eric – Really glad you are back, we have all missed you! I am also trying to get back to writing, especially hope to return to my favorite art of handwriting script. I just read this story from Christer which ignited some renewed inspiration. When I read above that “time gracefully yielded to the present moment”, it seemed unfortunate Violetta could not be truly present with Armand. You are correct Eric, this bittersweet tale above reminds us to live in this moment, and not be haunted by the past.
Thanks for your comment, Culture Dragon. It sounds very inspiring to work with handwriting script. I’m sure that it’s beautiful and wish I could see it!
It makes me happy to see that my story sent some feelings of inspiration in your direction. Yes, of course, it is sad that Armand and Violetta couldn’t stay joined for many years during their life time. At the same time, unhappy love stories like this one (all Romeo and Juliet stories) are what often inspires art and literature. We try to express our emotions, diverging the chaotic, volcanic energy within us into something visible, instead of passively letting time consume us.
Please, Culture Dragon, come back to us with new stories to enjoy!
Yes Christer – you are wise to remind us that the loss Armand and Violetta experienced may have been the necessary fuel for Armand’s future obsession. “After her death, Armand never again cared for women. Instead, he became obsessed with camellias, studying them, cultivating them, communicating with them”.
So the study of language is my obsession, haha, and handwriting is something I lost, which I hope to find again in this digital age. This is why I volunteered to hand write our Voice Club community Haiku submissions. At the moment, I am just learning handwriting again using a “Digital Pen”, so my script is quite messy and uneven. Maybe with practice my digital pen can closer replicate the old, authentic, pencil and paper. You can have a look here at some script samples where I used a digital “apple pencil” : https://voice.club/haiku
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I’m glad to see you back, Eric. Thanks for your nice comment. I appreciate it.
What you say about Love is so true – we should always try to make the effort of letting go of the past and stay in the present moment, extending the Love we all share within.
What I imagined for Armand (and Violetta) was an insight in the difficult fact that sometimes, when forced to give up something precious, we discover something richer and greater, deeper within us. If we bypass the temptation of staying in feelings of regret, sadness and sorrow, we can transform the experience of love as a need, into Love as something eternal and universal, deep within: something that connects us with each other.
As an old man, I imagined, Armand is now living in his own world, happy and creative, oblivious of the outer world, connected with Violetta’s spirit and with the idea of extending his Love in his daily work with his camellias.
Hello Christer. This is an exceptional story, made even more so by some of your responses to readers’ comments. I could not agree more that unrequited love is the basis for much of our great literature, music, art. The Tristan-Isolde theme, the love/death legend, has inspired Shakespeare, Messiaen, Wagner, and countless others. Your take on the Dumas Camille, however, is even more profound. There is a love, as you said, deeper and truer than romantic love or physical attraction. Your hero Armand has found that kind of love, and is indeed a happy man. I find this story celebratory rather than bittersweet. Your Armand is more highly evolved (and older!) than my nameless husband and wife in “When the Bough Breaks”. I purposely did not give them names, because they are very young, and only beginning their combined journey. They haven’t earned their names yet, as some Native American traditions would suggest.
Dear Juma, thank you so much for your comment, so full of generosity, insight and understanding. You give some good examples of what love lost has offered us from some creative minds.
I love it that you see the story as celebratory rather than bittersweet. Armand is a happy man.
The situation for the young heroes in your story is still in its first stage. They still have a long night’s darkness to go through before they can reap benefits from their suffering. But one day they will earn their wisdom – and their names.