Aunt Rose...by Dr. Hadi El Tonsi

That traffic officer asked her for the driving license and the car documents and about the reason of overpassing the speed limit on the highway leaving to Budapest after he found out from the license that she had already passed 80 years of age a while ago, Dr. Hadi El Tonsi wrote,

Then he let her pass when she told that she wanted to arrive in time to a classic music concert in the capital after a long day that she spent arranging the house, removing snow from the garden and shopping for the week in addition to hosting friends from same village at her home for a tea party that they left late.

The strictness of the officer didn’t forbid him to tolerate the traffic law in fracture appreciating her vitality and motivation.

Lady Rose worked as a teacher early in her lifetime practicing her faith in idealism through offering a good example to her students; she has values that flourished by high culture and gave her motives and energy that empowered her in a life of struggle at the start of which she met her life partner, an accountant whose merry spirit and love for life added more vitality to common values that supported them together facing obstacles.

When the Nazi army swept over Hungary, they obliged some of its teenagers to be recruited. The husband was one of them, a Hungarian boy who was captured by the allies and sent away to a camp in Belgium where he was taken with his country fellows as refugees with a condition of forced work in the mines, hard years when he spent much time underground; so he preferred to come back to his homeland to follow his studies, a grown-up strengthened by suffering till he became an accountant.

Being young and forced to be recruited and the hard life later in Belgium were not enough reasons to prevent the local authorities from doubting his patriotism or to forgive his military past and to forget his years of life in a free country so he was frequently detained in Hungary.

An unstable, unsecure life facing the couple early in age till the anti-communist revolution was launched in Hungary 1956 and the borders were open to the western countries.

He was surprised by a call from an old friend in Belgium offering him help to be given the status of political refugee if he speedily travels to Belgium.

Nothing much was to be lost in Hungary if he decided to leave, and the immigration was an expression of hope deserving a calculated risk that he can face with the strength he gained from experience and his values that deserve suffering and perseverance.

In the new homeland, it is no problem starting from zero whatever qualifications he had; manual work is respectful and all are equal in front of the law.

He started working at a gasoline station. With time, he became the manager then the owner. Lady Rose became a nurse; the couple had a life offering the basics and allowing Rose the chance to offer her service, loving care, and a good example.

The couple had three children who were taught how to fight for the common values to achieve success and self-respect until they finished high education.

The ambition led one of them to immigrate to Canada and be a University Professor after he tested his ideas, priorities, and convictions through the Tourism of the youth in various countries.

Now as the parents were sure about the future of their siblings and with the communist era ending they revived the dreams of the youth even after they passed 70 years of age; back to the free homeland to the life in a beautiful country house surrounded by the warm feelings of their citizens and the cozy calm country life; a safe life without oppression or fears.

However, destiny had no time for the husband to enjoy the life dream so he died 2 years after leaving Aunt Mooky, as her school mates in their yearly meetings like to call her, to enjoy her loneliness as an able confident independent character, loving values, life, and culture, and living in harmony with her country people.

The neighbors call her Aunty considering her wisdom, age, affinity, and sympathy, she is keen on following a life of moderation with food and effort and enjoying a notable mental and physical activity, wanting nothing much form others and life.

So in addition to seasonal visits from her siblings and residents in other countries are proud of her active life, warm feelings, self-respect and peace of mind fill her of enough happiness and needlessness.

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