DRAGOSTE DE CERNAUTI

CERNAUTI LOVE

TRANSLATION Patricia Popescu, Andrei Pielescu , Alicia Iortoman @ Ion Radu Bădescu

http://confluente.org/cornelia_paun_1431672608.html


andyhifi.ga/tass.ru/gazeta_uz_novosti_uzbekistana.htm

Sometimes your destiny can launch you to realms that you would never even dream to know.

Nicolae passed the ,,Filozophy”, but in the last year of college studies, a money and econonomy  crisis started wich affected the entire world with unemployment, bankcruptcy and social crisis. The world war has made all the people to get poor. Academics, the highly educated people were the most affected. But the university graduate had the worst situation as they  saw their wishes and dreams broken when finish the studies.  For a guard job they had to present to a contest a Medicin graduate, a Letter graduate, a builder and an Right graduate.

If he would listen to his father who is a churchman, Nicolae would had more chanses. But when he went t register to the college, he took his file in the Teology, where his parent registered him, and Nicolae applied at Filozophy.

…………………………………………………………..

 On the street Nicolae met a friend:

-We have one more chance! I heard that the military are making cast in the army. Let’ s try that! We don’t have a better option! Told the friend to Nicolae.

-And where are we gonna go?

-We meet tomorrow at ten in the front of the University. Be ready!

Nicolae went back home fast. It was the day before the born of Ioan. Involuntary, he started singing churcher songs, songs that remembered him about the old times when he was a child. Nicolae had a nice voice, also!

In the garden the proprietary, Ms. Matilda  was praying. The doctor, Emil started laughing:

-But what are you doing Ms. Matilda?

- It’s the born of Ioan and the churchman is coming! What, you don’t hear him?!

-That’s Nicolae, ms. Matilda, he’s my roommate!said Emil

-But… What…How ? He sings so well! He has a very nice voice!

-You don’t know that his father is a churchman? That’s why he knows all the church songs very well.

- But why he isn’t a church man, too?

-He didn’t want! Everyone  has his own talent!

Next day Nicolae has been accepted in the army because of his very worked  body. He solved his problem with the job in this mode! Not in the same way he wanted to, but in a crisis time was the only possibility for him. He could study the Flozophy in his free time. And when the crisis will stop, he will become a teacher, as he wanted to. Untill that time he could read a lot of books and write, as he was used to do from the time he was a child. He wrote even a monography of his village after he found important  informations about it. The place was built by Tudor Vladimirescu’s soldiers.  

The life in the army was hard for college man, like Nicolae. But his atlethic  body made him to pass these things.

The armymates talk much about him and what they spoke rich to the colonel of the unity, Berezoianu, who asked to see him:

-Bratu, is that true you studied  the Filozophy and you know the old greek language?

-Yes sir!

-In this afternoon you are invited at my place! You are invited at lunch! It is an order.said Brezoianu.

Very shy, Bratu showed at colonel’s place. After the lunch, the colonel asked for Nicolae in his office.

-So, I want to tell me about the new editorial apearance. What’s your opinion? What new book that appeared was interesting to you? asked Brezoianu.

And they talk a lot about filozophy.

-Bratu, don’t forget, here you are Bratu, the filozoph, but in the camp you are Bratu, the soldier. Good bye! I liked to talk with you!

In that summer Nicolae riched Cernauti with his battalion. The town was beautiful. The people called it the little “Viena”. It had a very interesting story. The sharming city represented one of the most important urban towns from Romania. The Cernauti has made bigger when the Habsburgic family controlled the area. With a commune past and traditions, the cechs and the austriac man transformed Cernauti into a modern city.

Nicolae was impressed by the city, wich was a modern city, full of sculptures, natural beauties, green parks and nice squares to visit. In Cernauti you can see all the architectural stiles that existed in the last centuries in Europe. As an old lover of art and beauty, Nicolae loved to walk to the wonderful streets of Cernauti, to watch the stiles, from Napoleon to the melody lines of the baroc.

He liked the buildings in exbrancovean stile- a continue of the austriac fashion-as the Sf. Nicolae church, the place which ornamental compose, this stile has complete nice with some of the elements of the italian Renaissance and specific romanian  procedures. The brancovean buildings and un roumanian ones were recognize  immediate from their beauty and decorations that remind him about the original roumanian stile, about the clothes of the boors from his village and after the big and half round crowns from the top of the buildings.

Nicholas was enchanted by the wonders Cernăuţi that could not be seen anywhere else in Europe. They were paraded in front of hundreds of Greco-Roman gods and goddesses in the form of reliefs, sculptures raised, mosaics etc. And as many lions, birds, snakes. It notes that the old center of Bucharest was only an attempt provincial buildings near imperial stature architectural Chernivtsi true fingerprint of fabulous history, even before the century of Habsburg rule, most markedly for him. Nicholas read that first documented the settlement represented a a charter issued by Alexandru cel Bun.

The first building in Chernivtsi, which he wanted to see Nicholas was University "King Carol I of Chernivtsi". The construction was a jewel built in the second half of the nineteenth century, one of the highest hills of the city. Since its establishment in 1875 called "University Franz Josef" and there was a higher education institution known throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nicholas knew from books the Austrian Parliament approved in 1872 the establishment of the Hungarian University of Cluj, and on March 20, 1875 It decided to set up a German university in the capital of Bukovina. the purpose of establishing the institutions of higher education in Chernivtsi was primarily spread of language, culture and science in this part of the German empire.

The man noticed that whenever you look away, streets Cernăuţi revealed the most unexpected architectural details. Former Orthodox Metropolitan of Bukovina and Dalmatia but was distinguished among historic buildings and religious Chernivtsi Catholic Church, the Jesuit Church, the Greek Catholic, Protestant church and synagogue or temple. In Chernivtsi, cosmopolitan city of a mix of cultures and religions, where people taught themselves how to live peacefully and respect each other, tolerance was not a mere word. Romanians, Jews, Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, Armenians and other minorities lived together peacefully. a spiritual atmosphere, and effervescent match. There were no preconceptions, ethnic or religious hatred among its people.

Metropolitan - like a castle because gates three meters high walls and its brick buildings with stepped gears and merloane - was the architectural jewel of the city. The ensemble consists of three buildings, a court official and a five-hectare park with rare trees, artificial hills, ponds with fountains, statues and cave, surrounded by a high wall three meters. Metropolitan residence was located in the center, chapel Saint John of Suceava. Seminar was left Synodal Church and the right tower building, which housed a school of icon painting and one deacon, a museum, being the guest house.

On the first night, Nicholas went with some colleagues in the film. The building of the cinema "Chernivtsi" was built in 1877 in the style of Mauritania, before the city's main synagogue. The next day, Nicolae Mircea out with a colleague at "Caffé Vienna".

- Let we the prom! Here are held Saturdays balls! Mircea proposed them.

Saturday night in the place of the cottage held a luxurious ballroom. Prominent families, daughters came to find them here chosen to marry them. Nicholas comes and look stylish crowd in agitation continues. Suddenly, in a corner, he saw a young blonde with blue-green eyes, petite and gentle. It was like an angel amongst others around him. Talk to a young woman, taller and brunette as beautiful and fascinating with the same eye. He went to them and invites blonde waltz.

- I have this waltz? Nicholas said tilting head and courteous.

- Ich bin schön, ich bin gebildet, bin ich wunderbar! jump up young brunette, strongly emphasizing the word "ich". Why do not you want to dance with me? I have no dance partner now!

- I like Miss, she said Nicholas decided, while reached out to catch the fingers, to lead to the young charming dance floor. Miss your name? I am Nicholas, philosophy graduate and son of a priest. Now I'm in the army. But in the future I will be a teacher, what I always wanted.

- Elisa, said voice gentle face.

- And the young woman next to you? Nicholas asked curiously. Why react so?

- Helga's older sister. It is very beautiful and proud every man his courtship. Expect anyone to like! Elisa said.

- But you are much finer, softer more gentle ... continued Nicholas.

- This is your opinion ... said quietly Elisa

- Welcome only sister? the man asked.

- I'm here with mom, dad and my three brothers Arthur and Anton Alwin.

- know several languages, is not it? I saw you speak German sister. I taught high school French, German, Italian, Spanish, Ancient Greek and Latin! said Nicholas.

- I speak Romanian, because I went to school in that language, the national language and German, I was of this ethnic group. German speaking Catholic school, but I learned French, as a foreign language. But when we were children, we were all from different ethnic backgrounds and we always play together. So we all learned to converse in Russian, and Polish, and Ukrainian, and even Yiddish. So we better understand each other, and parents all. We used this when I went to shop Jews, for we could address in their language, and barbershop Ukrainian to the Russian cinema for this is closer to us or a mail clerk was Polish. Chernivtsi is an international space from this point of view. We learned to respect each others language, ethnicity, and religion. Let us respect and love! explains the young.

The dance ends and Elisa Nicholas led her back.

- Dad, this is Nicholas, working in the army and has a degree in philosophy! Elisa said.

- Um, the army! My name is Heinrich Hensel is recommended man. She is my wife, Gertrude. I was an officer in the king's court in Vienna. When I retired, I retired here in Chernivtsi. I got married and now I have a small business, a factory of rubbing alcohol.

Nicholas noticed that Mrs. Gertrude was much younger than domnul Hensel. - My brother remained in Vienna. And his son, my nephew is there a prominent lawyer, continues domnul Hensel. But with this crisis, Gertrude complete ... my grandkids, and Johannis Peter went overseas just in Canada ... - May I visited your daughter? asked Nicholas. - Of course! accept old gentleman. - This is Michael! Helga said, quickly coming to the group. He invites us to sustain license and his sister Anastasia university. Come you, Mr. Bratu? Helga asked Nicholas. - Of course! I really enjoy! the man replied.

Nicholas was enchanted by the wonders Cernăuţi that could not be seen anywhere else in Europe. They were paraded in front of hundreds of Greco-Roman gods and goddesses in the form of reliefs, sculptures raised, mosaics etc. And as many lions, birds, snakes. It notes that the old center of Bucharest was only an attempt provincial buildings near imperial stature architectural Chernivtsi true fingerprint of fabulous history, even before the century of Habsburg rule, most markedly for him. Nicholas read that first documented the settlement represented a a charter issued by Alexandru cel Bun.

The first building in Chernivtsi, which he wanted to see Nicholas was University "King Carol I of Chernivtsi". The construction was a jewel built in the second half of the nineteenth century, one of the highest hills of the city. Since its establishment in 1875 called "University Franz Josef" and there was a higher education institution known throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nicholas knew from books the Austrian Parliament approved in 1872 the establishment of the Hungarian University of Cluj, and on March 20, 1875 It decided to set up a German university in the capital of Bukovina. the purpose of establishing the institutions of higher education in Chernivtsi was primarily spread of language, culture and science in this part of the German empire.

The man noticed that whenever you look away, streets Cernăuţi revealed the most unexpected architectural details. Former Orthodox Metropolitan of Bukovina and Dalmatia but was distinguished among historic buildings and religious Chernivtsi Catholic Church, the Jesuit Church, the Greek Catholic, Protestant church and synagogue or temple. In Chernivtsi, cosmopolitan city of a mix of cultures and religions, where people taught themselves how to live peacefully and respect each other, tolerance was not a mere word. Romanians, Jews, Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, Armenians and other minorities lived together peacefully. a spiritual atmosphere, and effervescent match. There were no preconceptions, ethnic or religious hatred among its people.

Metropolitan - like a castle because gates three meters high walls and its brick buildings with stepped gears and merloane - was the architectural jewel of the city. The ensemble consists of three buildings, a court official and a five-hectare park with rare trees, artificial hills, ponds with fountains, statues and cave, surrounded by a high wall three meters. Metropolitan residence was located in the center, chapel Saint John of Suceava. Seminar was left Synodal Church and the right tower building, which housed a school of icon painting and one deacon, a museum, being the guest house.

On the first night, Nicholas went with some colleagues in the film. The building of the cinema "Chernivtsi" was built in 1877 in the style of Mauritania, before the city's main synagogue. The next day, Nicolae Mircea out with a colleague at "Caffé Vienna".

- Let we the prom! Here are held Saturdays balls! Mircea proposed them.

Saturday night in the place of the cottage held a luxurious ballroom. Prominent families, daughters came to find them here chosen to marry them. Nicholas comes and look stylish crowd in agitation continues. Suddenly, in a corner, he saw a young blonde with blue-green eyes, petite and gentle. It was like an angel amongst others around him. Talk to a young woman, taller and brunette as beautiful and fascinating with the same eye. He went to them and invites blonde waltz.

- I have this waltz? Nicholas said tilting head and courteous.

- Ich bin schön, ich bin gebildet, bin ich wunderbar! jump up young brunette, strongly emphasizing the word "ich". Why do not you want to dance with me? I have no dance partner now!

- I like Miss, she said Nicholas decided, while reached out to catch the fingers, to lead to the young charming dance floor. Miss your name? I am Nicholas, philosophy graduate and son of a priest. Now I'm in the army. But in the future I will be a teacher, what I always wanted.

- Elisa, said voice gentle face.

- And the young woman next to you? Nicholas asked curiously. Why react so?

- Helga's older sister. It is very beautiful and proud every man his courtship. Expect anyone to like! Elisa said.

- But you are much finer, softer more gentle ... continued Nicholas.

- This is your opinion ... said quietly Elisa

- Welcome only sister? the man asked.

- I'm here with mom, dad and my three brothers Arthur and Anton Alwin.

- know several languages, is not it? I saw you speak German sister. I taught high school French, German, Italian, Spanish, Ancient Greek and Latin! said Nicholas.

- I speak Romanian, because I went to school in that language, the national language and German, I was of this ethnic group. German speaking Catholic school, but I learned French, as a foreign language. But when we were children, we were all from different ethnic backgrounds and we always play together. So we all learned to converse in Russian, and Polish, and Ukrainian, and even Yiddish. So we better understand each other, and parents all. We used this when I went to shop Jews, for we could address in their language, and barbershop Ukrainian to the Russian cinema for this is closer to us or a mail clerk was Polish. Chernivtsi is an international space from this point of view. We learned to respect each others language, ethnicity, and religion. Let us respect and love! explains the young.

The dance ends and Elisa Nicholas led her back.

- Dad, this is Nicholas, working in the army and has a degree in philosophy! Elisa said.

- Um, the army! My name is Heinrich Hensel is recommended man. She is my wife, Gertrude. I was an officer in the king's court in Vienna. When I retired, I retired here in Chernivtsi. I got married and now I have a small business, a factory of rubbing alcohol.

Nicholas noticed that Mrs. Gertrude was much younger than domnul Hensel. - My brother remained in Vienna. And his son, my nephew is there a prominent lawyer, continues domnul Hensel. But with this crisis, Gertrude complete ... my grandkids, and Johannis Peter went overseas just in Canada ... 

- May I visited your daughter? asked Nicholas. - Of course! accept old gentleman. - This is Michael! Helga said, quickly coming to the group. He invites us to sustain license and his sister Anastasia university. Come you, Mr. Bratu? Helga asked Nicholas. - Of course! I really enjoy! the man replied.

......................

In the second day, Nicolae took all the money, and he stopped by at tha flower shas from the center of Cernauti.

He entered and he said tu the boy who salles flowers.

-      I wish to order red roses !

-      How money ashed the young saller.

-      Als much as I can buy with this money, said Nicolae who give=honded the money . Please send the roses to the adress Wagnergasse no. 13, to Elise Hensel, with this envelope.

The seller sent in a hurry the delevary guy, at the adress. He arrived in ten minutes at the girl’s house, an imposing building and he  bnacked in the door.

Elisa’s mam, came immediately.

-      I recived an order to bring these flowers at your adress, said the boyand he started to unload the red roses from the carriage.

-      Where do I put them ? he asked.

-      In the living room ! said the woman .

In some minutes the room was full at roses.

-      Who sent them to me ? ashed Helga and she jumped for the envelope. En the envelope was written :” The beautiful and the delicate lady Elisa, from Nicolae”. Helga look the paper and watched verses writtes.

-They are for Elisa ? They should have been for me ! I am more beautiful !

No one= Nobody ever wrote me a poem! said the young woman angrily.
- Don’t worry Helga, don’t get bad ! You'll get roses too ! said Elisa in a soothing voice.
- What are you doing ! I don’t need you soothing me !  No other’s like  me !

Said Helga getting nervously and more angry and suddently started crying rivers.

From that day forward , Elisa got =received day a rosa from Nicolae every single day. The second day, Nicolae came over to visit Hensel family. The family’s house was surrounded, by elegant houses, sith two or three floars on a romantic paved street. It was known to be as  a popular place for mariages processions to take place at.

It was lunch, and the family invites him to dinner.

- Sr. Bratu, please, stay with us for dinner ! said Gertrude politely.
       In the huge living room with sculpted  wood furniture, a long table estood in the middle of the room. Before at, was a big painting, representing a beautifull couple. Can officer with an imposing costume gud a long sparking   ..... Sword.....  with a painting that was a pair - an impressive officer and costume officer with a long, brilliant sword and an elegant lady with a huge hat and a umbrella. It was Sir Heinrich and Lady  Gertrude when they were younger.
Gertrude prepared various food choses: chicken soup, pork steak with french potatoes fries and a salad with  tomatoes and cucumbers. For dessert, she made a huge chocolate cake , arrated with flowers made from whipped creams.

"We're shopping aus shopping at Elizabethplatz, the market near the Theater Square", said Gertrude.

"We're shopping at Elizabethplatz, the grocery bazaar near the Theater Square," Gertrude said. It was named this way in the honorer of the austrian queen Elisabeth, she said,  considering that she needs more of this kind of explanations.

-      What plans do yo have for the futur Heinrich asked Nicolae.

-      I want to be a philosaphy teacher. This is my vocation=dream job. The financial crisis tangled my plans.. But I’m young and I will reach my goal =I’m going to achevemy gools. Now, but have I’d like to marry Elisa, said the young man.

The parents also wanted their daughter, to marry, but now faring the proposal they were surprised. In this period, with the crisis, they were broke. Nat long agir the Iorga government cut the pensions, which affected their alchool business. The busissnes went doran and the pensions more the only source of money they had which now dissapeared.

-      But Elisa is so young, she just graduated the Catholic School of nuns, from Cernauti. There she was tought how to prepare for marriage, she barned foreign langewages, to sing, to to embroider, to sow, to cook ...sau and to cook.

-      She meat haw same savings for her wedlingwith an officer, said Gertrude. Me bought a haus near, which has a beautifuly garden this will do.

-      May I invite Elisa for a walk in the park ? I’m going to bring her back in less than an hour, Nicolae asked her parents.

-      Of course, Gertrude responded.

-      The park was close to Elisa’s house. It was pointed ingreen because of the abundent so get at ian and pure. White of the beaches and bins. Nicolae in his white costums of military and Elisa whit her dress wich soos like a smone drap very beautifully perfectly synchronized.

The young people sat on a lunch, under a very beautiful tree. In front of then sat a great tree with strange wooden formations, like trumpets of an elephant =when ycry look at it seems like it had something special.

You could see old frues with  no bams.

The birds song was full of melodious parts and frod a charm of its aran. From far  away a cuckoo song. The miraculous magnetism of the park was achived by the magnificant rasy which varied from red to white. Nicolae took a rose and put it in Elisa’s hair .

The leaves were maving wildly at the strabo at the wised. Nicolae thought that the hair transformed in a magical land. They said nothing .

Although usually they very sociable, Nicolae and Elisa didn’t talk much. They tolked only the necessary and when it’s needed. But, the mysterious tolk way their only reason at geting along. It banded their souls their heart forever. They same two was cherry trey which looked like a gate. Un the way home they passed by the Theatre of Cernauti, which was an impressive building.-      Will we go on Saturday at the show asked Nicolae was a culture man.
They soon arrived in the Central Square. In the center of it sat the Unification Monument built in 1924 at Cernăuţi.

*The wedding was quick, without many preparations. Nicolae was never the slave of formalities. Elisa was posh not smoke, like his sister Helga. For the two of them, love was the most important feeling. This whole facade show was of no value for them. Only the feelings were valuable ...
 They had stayed in Chernivtsi, at Elisa’s parents. In the  house with garden, that Elisa had received as a gift.
They visited her from time to time. Elisha's father soon died.

Nicholas was man of study and books. The military career was not for him, but he still did it without being a chore, because he was a sporty person who resisted physical effort.
Elisa got pregnant immediately, and after nine months of marriage she gave birth to a baby boy, Mircea, who got sick and died. After a year, she gave birth again  to a premature baby girl, thin and sensible, that resembled Nicolae very .

Elisa was good housewife. She had a practical intelligence. She liked to cook.

 - If you wash your teeth every day, you’re gave good tuth ! My grandmother died with aperfect mouth because she was washing daily with salt, she told for her daughter.

One day of late June in 1940, Nicholas was with his army near Prut, when the war began. They didn’t expect that. Everyone was running everywhere. They see anything, except of bullets, dust and desperate screams... When everything  was over, Nicholas was in a cave - like a room, which was near a  sheep keeper.
 - God, but how did you escape ! You passed the water on this place of wood. I've seen you when fire started. I could not believe my eyes. You went in speed, as if you had flown over the water. Look what the fear in man is! the shepherd exclaims.
Nicholas eyed=looked at the beam of wood and thought, now even he couldn’t pass with it. Just an acrobat of circus, after many exercises, could do something like this. His platoon =o small army was nearly distroyed, but they were pleased that they had escaped alive. Just some of them sure hart. He see their deaths with propres eyes. The commander said, immediately announces:

- The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was signed ! Bessarabia, Bucovina and Hercegovina aren’t Romania’s anymore. The Russians are coming=come over us ! We have an order to back off=retreat with the battalion immediately. So away as soon as possible ! Leave Cernauti !

Nicholas ran fast home. He was worried for Elisa and for his daughter. But they have already found out and packed.

- The Russians come=are coming ! He is a few miles away ! They already visible, desperately crying outside.

- But where we going ? asked Gertrude scared.

- Come to me, to Timisoara ! It's a cosmopolitan city just like Chernivtsi ! A harmonious mix=blending of different nationalities, religions. People are also nice just as good, sociable and tolerant to one another ! My village is a few miles away. And my relatives are very welcoming.
The luggage was almost ready. Though they had a many objects, that were family heritage=heritance, they represented their past... and they had to let go at them...

- Haideţi mai repede! Lucrurile nu mai au acum nicio valoare! Hurry up ! The things are warthless now ! The life is more important ! said Nicholas, especially that he was proved that not long ago.

Elisa had many memories with those objects.  It was difficult to select them. But he was so scared that she took all she had sun= what  was absolutely necessary.

În Timişoara ajunseră dimineaţa. Oraşul era deosebit de curat, cu multe zone verzi. Merseră întâi la Teodor, fratele lui Nicolae, care locuia pe bulevardul central. Nu se puteau caza însă aici. Cu Nicolae nu veniseră doar Elisa şi fiica. Erau şi Gertrude, mama acesteia, Helga şi soţul acesteia. Au plecat atunci cu toţii, la ţară.

They arrived in Timisoara in the morning. The city was clean, with lots of green areas=spaces. They first went to Teodor, Nicolae’s brother, who lived on the central boulevard. They couldn’t stay here though. With Nicolae wasn’t just and his daughter, with him also come Gertrude, her daughter, Helga and her husband. They all came along, in the villige. În sat era agitaţie mare. The village was a miss. was big agitation in the village.

- Vine Nicu-a popii cu nemţoaicele! se anunţau între ei sătenii. =- Nicu, son of the priest  with the german girls are coming ! the people = the villagers said.

They all watched them, to see the ladies. . Nu mai văzuseră până atunci îmbrăcăminte atât de elegantă, occidentală şi mobilă stil cu încrustaţii atât de frumoase. = They had never seen such elegant, stylish, western and fashionable dress before, with so beautiful inlays. The relatives with money thought they should, să posede şi ele pe viitor aşa ceva = at the sight of it, that they would have

something like this in the future. Şi viitorul, prin deportarea în Bărăgan, chiar le-a facilitat dorinţa de a ajunge curând stăpâni, peste mobila dorită. The future, through the deportation to Baragan, chiar even facilitated their desire to soon reach their master over the desired furniture.

It was hard for a man who lived his hole life in towen to marce at the country sile. But Elisa was a fighter. For her daughter she would have done anything sacrifice ! Soon, Nicholas found a job a philosophy teacher in Timisoara. They didn’t how munch time to relax because they had move from Timisoara with deportation order in=to Bărăgan, given  for refugees and landlords and they had to leave Timişoara.

Epilogue
After they left Cernauti, Elisa - like all the other tried her life to find the magic of  people and of the lost places. She didn’t find it. Elisa and Nicholas have been together tell the very last moment. Nicholasbecome a writer and resisted all the problems by writing. The writing gave him strenght It helped him through comunism. In his last years he worked as librarian like , "man of the book" like Lucian Blaga. He was a dailey rewiter and he liked it=as he consoled himself. and this kept his mind and heart always young, until the end of his life. Elisa, even thought younger than him foloowed him = Elisa, much younger than he, immediately followed him.

After all they geans spent with her husband even though  she lived with her daughter and

granddaughters, she didn’t live long. The death of her brother Anton left a dad scar in her soul = She was also marked by the death of her younger brother, Anton, whom she held the most because she was very good at heart, compared to Alwin, who was very selfish.

With Peter and Johannis, her cousins, she didn’t talk, she won’t allowed tel=not correspond with the cousins. The Comunist Security banned any letter received or received from overseas. She found out they had they own forms. The last letter announced her that the two had fulfilled their dream - they had every one of their own farms. But they worked too hard and they never didn’t marry and not to have descendants.

The uncle, lawyer in Vienna, was visited mony times by Anne, the daughter of Alwin, who had become a German teacher and sometimes also working as a translator, which facilitated travel abroad. He has never married and no children have ever had.

The cousins from Elsa left in Chernivtsi – she saw thirty years after when they came in Romania…

who are now in the Republic of Moldova - who did not want to leave their homes and gardens, once again visited them, when they came to visit with their wives after thirty-five years , in Romania...

DR. CORNELIA PĂUN HEINZEL: "THE SHOCK"

Translation : Iuliana Costache

A long heartbreaking whistle, like a desperate wailing penetrates the souls of those who wait on the wings of the boulevard in the center of Bucharest. Every bit of the body shivers. Cold thrills gradually go through you on every inch of the spine. If you were happy, quiet, dreamy, everything would colapse in a split second... It is, however, usual for the inhabitants who live nearby the main arteries of Bucharest. Fifteen minutes later you feel surrounded by a sound explosion. A fire truck, an ambulance or a police car... The intensity of the noise makes every bit of the human body to tremble. Maybe because of the painful, sharp sounds that mix together, that go through you instantly or by the cries that creep you out,that may predestinate something terrible? The sounds get more intense under the night's watch. At night, very few cars go by. However, some of the long car whistles will suddenly rip you out of the kingdom of dreams, to lead you to the real nightmares.

The telephone's ringing sounds seemed extremely harmonious, although it was the beggining of a frightening and real occurence.

- Carmen, is that you? the person from the telephone asks.

- Yes! I promptly responded.

- It's Isabela! I found a house worth buying! Actually, an apartment in a house! said the woman.

- Isn't it some kind of prank? I asked her, doubtfuly. It would be a real wonder for it to be alright! A notary told me he hasn't seen any good sale in the past few years! Some poor crooks only want to take the advance, but to remain in the house. I'm telling you without a shame, they have nowhere to go, means they won't sell you anything. But, mobs estate take the money for the house and don't give you anything in return. And you have no chance of getting it back!

- I hope it will be alright! Where are you? Isabela asks me.

- At the University! I told her. I just finished my classes.

- Get on a bus and I'll tell you where to get off! My husband has a lot of classes this semester and he can't come now. I want to see the house today. Please, come with me!

- Alright! I accepted without any further discussions.

And I didn't regret it at all. The tramway is surrounded misteriously by the history of the last two centuries, petrified chaotically in a strange picture.

Travelling with the 16 tramway is a journey on a boat in Archeon, the driver being a sad couchman.The road offers you the most fantastic experiences.

You barely walk o hundred metres and you enter another world, like a timeless Valey of Weep. A faded kingdom, like a grey painted cloth, the creation of a depressed artist. From the painted dark shades of the road to the blueish grey of the sky... Buildings built at the beggining of the century, almost colapsing on eachother, appear without any windows, with destroyed walls that let light on the brownish ancient bricks that once made up beautiful walls. Ruined....as if after a war or a natural disaster! They seem like images of the Beirut war! Through them, some new buildings appear: two intense blue iron glass giants support some banks and the office of a corporation! A new frightening skeleton of a building appears. But the feeling is similar to seeing a human skeleton. From area to area, fields of threadlike weeds spoil the ground... Among them, some weird looking plants blossom cheerfuly, each having an unique shape that only get simpler on the top of the plant, where they lean spirally, alligned in a circle. It's a returning of their begginging and at the same time a new start, the one of the magical flower. Because every flower has its miracle, if you watch it closely. Even if it's just a simple weed...

I notice that the tramway offers me an opportunity, which I wouldn't be having if I was just a simple pedestrian, through this course. Like an eternal seeker of beauty, I can admire through the piles of walls and dirt, the delicacy of the lacy details seen over the elliptical arches. I let myself enchanted by the mistery of the cold white marble statues, which eclipses with superiority on the small walls of the buildings, making the scenery look abstract. As a pedestrian, I believe I wouldn't be as calm watching the roman's soldier stone sword who looked ready to engage on a battle, protecting a building in front of me, surrounded by walls who sustain themselves through a wonder, because they could fly over me anytime. I would be disturbed by the wonderful head of the eternal Venus, suspended on the arch of a balcony, because it could throw me anytime, as a simple mortal, on other lands, out of the grey shadows kingdom... Are there any other strange places besides the one I walk through now?

It's like I'm in a tunel of time, in which I've been thrown instantly, in the first century Bucharest, however being fully conscious of the present. I think that, for the extreme sensations amateurs from the Occident it would be unique. But for us, who have this permanently, this kind of experience is usual, meaningless.

     There's a little park in the middle of it, a fire with orange-redish flames, surrounded by strange figures: A Hercules of our times and these places and some other miserable, ragged characters, with faces showing only evil smiles and mean eyes, like ripped out of Dickens novels...whom you'd never like to meet face to face.

Very few estates are however renovated. Those who may have been owned by an asociation or a corporation...These buildings are the most shocking ones, because of the mix-up between modern art and antique architectures.

     My eyes excited look is headed towards the fascinating architecture of the building that stands in front of me. I try to savour every little detail about it... My eyes go through this infinty of curvaceous figures, with their small pictures carved inside of them, the delicate columns that make perfect spheres all around. My iris becomes the centre of it all so I could easily analyze and calculate every inch on every surface. The moment has become a temporary universe and it flows just as the golden sand falls softly through the hourglass. However, you cannot lay in this eternal world forever... The cold name that stands vaguely above the wall awakens your eyes: „Social Store”. Although, on the left stands a little emerald castle which delightens your eyes. So now, you are entirely hypnotized by the details, the lining of each marble figures. But, the dreamy castle is soon turned into a nightmare because of the same bold ice sign above the castle: „Shop – WEAPONS and AMMUNITION” !

     I then look and wonder about all the passengers in the tramway, perfectly syncronized with the dull look from outside. With their clothes, with their thoughts… They all look empty. They all float in the same eternal ocean of personal thoughts, of their usual daily problems as if everything around was usual, normal. The world from outside means nothing to them…

Through collapsed walls, at the beginning of a typical deformed street, miserable figures, broken, with shady faces…

Your mind flies to Dante, travelling through one of Hell’s rings. One he did not find yet. An earthly Hell…

      A playful little girl is being chased by a mad dog, like a hellhound. His bark attracts other pack of dogs nearby. The dogs are surrounding her and jump at her throat, showing their white sharp teeth. They suffocate her with their huge paws. But then, suddenly a man throws a stick at them. He screams and they run away in fear…

      In front of them lays a church. And the same strange crowded architecture is distinguished, the sidedoors are newly painted but the walls are ancient, chaoticaly shelled, pierced violently by the modern central heating pipe, recently installed on which on a headboard says “HISTORICAL MONUMENT”.

      My thoughts runs nostalgically to the poor old people, who live in the old houses, still staying in one piece, which are probably filled with valuable books and art pieces, the same as the architectural elements which are carved on the outside, to the fear in which they live in daily, powerless in front of danger. Because Jean Valjean’s little group from the park seemed really courageous. They seemed to have a really big purpose…

      We arrived nearby the house for sale a half an hour earlier. We then decided to go look for it, after the clues that our salesman gave to us: its age, the type of architecture, the aspect. Assuming the information corresponded with the reality.

          Two huge houses looked liked in the description. We studied them from afar. Especially because in one of them, because someone was watching us from behind some lacy yellow curtains. We couldn’t tell who it was. We thought it’s an older person.

       Isabela was thoughtful. Her thoughts traced back yesterday. How much she wanted for everything to be real! For her o buy the apartment. She daydreamed about everything that happened.

            …………………………………………………………………………………..

       Paul was waiting for her at the hospital. He saw Isabela rushing out and nervously greeted her telling her the news:

-       I found out something amazing! I found a house to buy!

Isabela didn’t reply and stared coldly at him, absent.

-       Isabela, did you heard me? I found a house! Paul repeated.

As if she woke up, she finally replied:

-       A huse? You found something to buy? But can we afford it? She asked.

-       Yes! It has a fair price! He said gladly.

-       And where is it? Isabela asked doubtful.

-       Here, a few blocks away. I talked to the real estate man and he said we could go see it on Monday. I only know the name of the street.

-       Let’s go check it out now! She impatiently said. We’ll figure it out!

-       Alright! Paul agreed. We’ll go now if you want!

They strolled around a few streets, went across the boulevard and got on a little street.

-       Look, an older house! Could this be it? But, isn’t it too big? The ground floor and the first floor are empty. Although, look, there’s an old woman in the attic watching us? Paul said.

They both looked to the window, studying carefully at the same time, the building. On the ground floor the windows were recently attached and they were strongly in contrast with the rest of the building. It was recently painted, but the floors were covered with peeling plaster, in a degrading state. If you looked at the attic, you didn’t need much imagination to see it being crushed by any move. It just freaked you out! You felt as if in the next moment it could fall on your head! The old woman ran away scared from the window.

-       Let’s see other houses. Maybe we’ll guess which is ours! Isaela said. It couldn’t be this one!

After they left the street, the house resembled more and more the description they were given.

-       We’ll find out on Monday which one is it, Paul said. We should be a little patient!

-       Alright, she agreed.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

       The real estate agent called us instead and he suddenly appeared with his car at the meeting point. We drove away home together. In front of the house, we saw a corpulent woman around her fifties, with olive skin and a long dyed black-bluish hair waiting for us. She was with a young fat boy, with features that implied he was mentally retarded.

       The woman aggressively introduced herself s a stomatologist from a village around Bucharest, where she said she lived with her son. We felt a little trustful because of her shady-looking face.

-       We have a villa in construction! Said the woman. And this is my son. He studied medicine, in a private institution, she said. While he was a student, we bought this apartment from the house, which I now want to sell.

       We entered the yard. The exterior of the house looked pretty well for its passing through ages.

-       It would’ve been better if it was near the street! Isabela pointed out.

       In the yard, pieces of some sideway and garbage was thrown around.

       We each climbed on some narrow spiral stairs, to the first floor of the house. A glass door, recently installed appeared in front of us. The real estate agent opened it.

       The apartment was relatively small, compared to the rooms we were used to and in which we lived. But they were our parents houses. The old interior was packed with windows, new ceramic tiles, modern sanitary installations. The price was however acceptable.

-       The lady upstairs wants this apartment. But we don’t want to sell it to her. Don’t talk to her! She’s sort of insane, the shady lady said.

-       What about the notary? Isabela asked.

-       You could choose it. We have our own. And lawyers, and connections… We could do the paperwork at them. If you want, of course!

-       No, no! We’d better choose the notary! Isabela said, so she could know for sure that the transaction would be made correctly. Many of the people she knew said they got into trouble with the notary men. Even a friend who worked as a notar told her about other situations where other notaries made false paperwork.        

When they wanted to leave, the curvaceous lady gave them a CD with some music on it.

-       This is the CD with my recordings on it. I am very passionate about music. I sang at a TV show once, the woman said to us.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

     After three days, Isabela calls me again:

-       Hello! Tomorrow I’ll buy the house! I already paid in advance! I signed the precontract, she told me in a rush.

-       Is everything okay? I asked. Better be careful, you could easily get tricked!

-       Yes, I saw some of these scamming cases on TV.

-       Were you careful about the notary?

-       We were the ones who chose her, she replied.

-       A colleague from university told me how he and a friend made an estate company, immediately after the Revolution and stole each house from the people who called them. People trusted them and gave them the contracts to sell their proprieties. They didn’t even think about being scammed! They only saw this in movies! I told Isabela.

-       And now I suppose your colleague is very wealthy, she replied.

-       No way! His friend ran away with all the money and my friend got stuck with all the debts, I clarified to her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Paul and Isabela got back from visiting the house. The next day they had to sign the contracts.

-       Isabela, we need to talk to the neighbors, to analyze the situation. With the only neighbor we saw, we can’t talk. And even the owners told us not to talk to her. Let’s see about the others. Because, every time we wandered around here, we never saw anyone, except that weird neighbor. Isn’t it strange? Paul said.

They entered through the front door. They got up the ground floor stairs and they found an iron door newly installed. An identical door to the one they first saw, shown by the real estate agent. Some blue pieces of plastic that were used to wrap it were on its surface, the same as on the other one. They knocked and ringed at the door but no one answered. At the first floor, there was a door that looked exactly the same! They knocked on it, ringer, called at the door. Again, no results. Paul and Isabela were so shocked, they didn’t even say a word. They didn’t even confess their thoughts, as they usually did. Maybe because they really wanted a house for themselves… And far until now they only found scammers. Paul’s mother tried buying him an apartment in Bucharest from when he was a student. But she didn’t succeed. She either found teenagers who wanted to steal the house and the money and agents who were the same. “How can some people find some real house to buy, or even an apartment?” Paul always asked himself. “Maybe you have to buy it from people you really know or have serious connections with the real estate agents”, he thought. Some really could make some transactions. But how many are those who got scammed! An older colleague from university told him that an old student, married to someone who worked at a television program were tricked and couldn’t solve anything. Even their neighbor, headmistress at a high-school got scammed. She bought an apartment in a residential complex and pays a large amount of money. When she saw she didn’t have any chance of ever moving into the apartment, she wanted to solve the problem through justice. But the whole process was useless because the contract was so well made by the society’s lawyers who sold the apartment, so they weren’t forced to pay back anything, although they got the money for the building.

Paul and Isabela put the thought of owning an apartment away. And still, now they seem to have the chance of getting a right transaction. Paul searched again for real estate sales, forced by the circumstances from the secondary home in which they lived in, because some people were renovating it. “So, this chance”, Paul thought, seemed at the right moment.

Isabela and Paul went down and then went in the second part of the building in which their apartment was at…

-       Let’s try in the neighborhood, Paul said.

They bought got out on the street and saw the school nearby the building.

-       Could we try here? Paul asked. And they bought headed to the entrance. At the door, there were two middle-aged women.

-       If you don’t mind, do you know the history about that building next door? Isabela asked politely. We’ll buy an apartment there. We even paid in advance, she joyfully said, not capable of hiding her happiness.

-       I’ve been working in this school for many year – one of the women said. The building was an issue but it was won by an old man who seemed to be the previous owner. The tenant filed a trial against him, but it’s known she lost. The old man had two girls. The first one got the front side, I don’t know what the other one did. The thing I know it’s not right is that, the old man lives and they declared him dead, to do the contracts on their name. The apartment from the back is actually empty. In reality they had him hospitalized in an asylum near Bucharest.

Paul and Isabela immediately thought she talked about their apartment.

-       The empty apartment is ours! They both said.

-       Tell me, please, the owner is the one who legally owns the house? Isabela asked curiously.

-       Oh, no! the older woman said. The owner was a big communist! When the communists gained the power, he only had the first four grades. He was only a carpenter. But the government needed people like him. The man helped them punish the higher class enemies. As a reward he was made a colonel. For his services he got this house, after it was nationalized. Not anyone owned a house this big! About its real owner, no one knows anything. He’s most surely dead…

-       Didn’t he have any children? Maybe they’ll claim the house, Paul asked.

-       Ah… They’re an old story. The owner had a son for whom he cared about a lot. When he was in university he fell in love with a colleague, the daughter of a priest and wanted to marry her. His parents didn’t agree at all! They said he should choose a countryside girl, if he wants a good future. Maybe this is how they could also save the house as well. The daughters of workers and countryside men were going to university even without finishing high-school. They went to university to learn how to work better. The daughter of the priest was very intelligent but it was for nothing. There were only a few places at university for people like her. Children were rushing to take a place, ten on a single spot. Even if she graduated it, he would’ve had a hard life. The young man didn’t listen though. She loved Alina too much. They married without waiting for their parents consent. And then, in the first night they announced their parents about the marriage, something terrible happened. At night, when the two lovers were asleep, they were killed in their sleep with a hammer… Since then people say the house is haunted by ghosts. You can always hear terrifying weeping sounds during the night.

-       Such a tragedy! Paul and Isabela screamed. Thank you a lot for the informations! They both said.

“So strange” Paul thought. Why was the story such a shock to him? A shock which sort of woke him up from an amnesia. Why did he have the feeling that he knew the story from a long time ago? Maybe because it happened to him? His parents didn’t agree to his marriage to Isabela. They wanted a communist’s daughter, a neighbor. But she wasn’t as pretty nor as smart as Isabela. Plus, before 1989, the daughter of the communist didn’t study after the 8^th grade and she couldn’t go to school after that. However, after the Revolution, the communist made her go to night classes and she got an university diploma, a private one, opened in a small apartment by another communist he worked with. After that, with money, his daughter was employed at the Prosecution. 

Paul thought that his friend Michael, has a pretty good life because he has a different affiliation. And because his affiliation boss didn’t bring his family. He clarified to him that Michael wasn’t happier than him. The professor, the head of the department has other weaknesses. He brought his loved ones whom he promoted. He can’t even stand Michael because he was the head of the promotion. Paul once curiously asked, if his loved one were single. And he found out something surprising! They were all married, with children, as the professor, just for façade! No one should’ve suspected anything. However, many know the truth…

His thoughts were interrupted by Isabela’s melodious voice

-       What is life interest? She asks.

-       Let’s ask the notary lady, we found her after all, he said.

-       Let’s ask her through the phone! She said.

-       But first, let’s talk to the real estate agent. Then we’ll go to the Town Hall to see if the death of the old man is recorded in there. Paul took the phone and dialed the number.

-       Hello, we are the couple with the selling house. We found out the old owner isn’t dead. We’ll go to the Town Hall to find out.

-       Yes, he is alive! But don’t you dare follow the tracks! The real estate agent said threatening them. If you check something, we’ll get really pissed! We’ll talk tomorrow at the notary, when we’ll meet! And she hung up angrily. Paul stared at the phone surprised.

-       Let’s talk to the notary lady too, Isabela encouraged him.

-       Hello, we’re the apartment buyers, scheduled for tomorrow. We found out someone has life interest on the propriety. What does this mean? The first owner still lives, although he was declared dead, by the daughters.

-       If there is a life interest, the contract has no value anymore. But I think the old man is dead. And even if he’s not, if they have the deceased contracts, why would it matter? We’ll meet tomorrow to complete the paperwork, the woman said forcefully. I will not accept any rejection! But who told you?

-       The real estate agent himself! Isabela answered.

I think the notary woman will call the real estate agent and tell him we know that the old man lives and teaches him how to lie. Not to admit he is alive, Paul said.

Paul and Isabela got back to the apartment. They already brought a lot of things, because the owners told them that they could move in. They already paid in advance. Paul had a crazy idea that night.

-       Let’s stay here tonight! We have the armchairs and other things we brought in. It’s a good thing that the son of that lady let us bring these in here! I’m pretty tired from today! I had a rough day at university! What do you say? Paul suggested.

-       Alright, if you want, Isabela agreed. At least we could check what we bought. But is it alright? Wait a minute, let’s look over the pre-contract. What was the name of the on the old man sold the apartment to the first time? Look, his wife Madelene. Didn’t the lady at the school told us that one of the daughters was called Mady? He sold the apartment to the son-in-law! Isabela said.

-       Let’s see who made the selling contract. For sure he is dead, Paul said while opening his laptop to find out.

-       Yes, the notary man is deceased! The next contract? The second notary man couldn’t be dead, the one who completed the selling contract from the son-in-law to the woman with the olive skin, he screamed in excitement.

-       The second one is surely dead, Isabela said. It’s very clear. The contracts aren’t alright.

-       Isabela, the second one is dead too! It’s a notary woman actually! Paul exclamated.

-       We got scammed again, Isabela said disappointed. Tomorrow morning we’ll get our things out of here. And we’ll call off the sale! I’ll call the driver who helped us get these things here, right now to get them out.

They fell asleep, sad about the stressful day they had. At 1am they wore awoken by some terrifying screams. Isabela began trembling.

-       Don’t worry, you’re with me, paul said. But he felt the cold shivers through his body as well. His eyes rapidly headed to the hammer he saw thrown on the floor the first time they came here, as a solution…

-       What is it? Isabela whispered, scared.

-       Maybe it’s a mad woman nearby, Paul tried to calm her down.

But the screams started to sound louder, creepier. They didn’t believe the ghost story, but now…

-       Maybe there’s someone in the attic! There where the iron door was at, the same as ours and the ones around the house.

-       But it’s a horrible story…Isabela whispered, trembling out of fear.

-       Ah, do you still believe in stories? Paul tried smiling. But his grin was forced, limited by fear.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

     In the morning, at 10 am the phone rings.

-       It’s me, Maria! I’m sorry, do you know anything about Isabela? I can’t find her since last night, neither her nor Paul. I went to their house in the morning and none answered! They don’t even their phone! Not one or the other! The woman said worrying.

Maria was Isabela’s mom, a doctor, like her daughter.

-       I understood that they remained in the apartment they wanted to buy! Isabela called me last night, I answered.

-       Yes, but why don’t they do now? The woman asked.

-       I don’t know, try again! I’ll try too! I told her.

-       Do you have a little time, though? Maria asks me desperately.

-       I have classes with my students from 11, I told her.

-       Please, come with me to the apartment! She begged me.

-       Alright, I agreed.

After an hour we were on the little street. The strange house seemed impossible to defin geometrically in x, z, y coordinates, accessible only through introducing a certain code that only some people know. And the strange iron doors, identical… However, I soon saw the front side of the house. Maria was waiting for me at the entrance. I got in the small yard and I opened the door to the inside of the building. We climbed the spiral stairs to the first floor and in front of us was the iron door. We knocked on it, we rang…plain silence. Then, Maria touched the handle and the door slowly opened. A hammer covered in a liquid as red as blood was thrown in the way. On the couch, Paul and Isabela were engulfed by a sweet endless sleeped. The white sheets seemed covered in red rose petals that lit up like fire. They seemed painted in a dreamy red purplish colour, as blood…

Maria fainted in front of me. I then took my phone and rang.

A long heartbreaking whistle, like a desperate wailing penetrates the souls of those who wait on the wings of the boulevard in the center of Bucharest. Every bit of the body shivers. Cold thrills gradually go through you on every inch of the spine. If you were happy, quiet, dreamy, everything would colapse in a split second...

 

 

Cernauti love

 

 

Sometimes your destiny can launch you to realms that you would never even dream to know.

Nicolae passed the ,,Filozophy”, but in the last year of college studies, a money and econonomy  crisis started wich affected the entire world with unemployment, bankcruptcy and social crisis. The world war has made all the people to get poor. Academics, the highly educated people were the most affected. But the university graduate had the worst situation as they  saw their wishes and dreams broken when finish the studies.  For a guard job they had to present to a contest a Medicin graduate, a Letter graduate, a builder and an Right graduate.

If he would listen to his father who is a churchman, Nicolae would had more chanses. But when he went t register to the college, he took his file in the Teology, where his parent registered him, and Nicolae applied at Filozophy.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 On the street Nicolae met a friend:

-We have one more chance! I heard that the military are making cast in the army. Let’ s try that! We don’t have a better option! Told the friend to Nicolae.

-And where are we gonna go?

-We meet tomorrow at ten in the front of the University. Be ready !

Nicolae went back home fast. It was the day before the born of Ioan. Involuntary, he started singing churcher songs, songs that remembered him about the old times when he was a child. Nicolae had a nice voice, also !  

In the garden the proprietary, Ms. Matilda  was praying. The doctor, Emil started laughing:

-But what are you doing Ms. Matilda?

- It’s the born of Ioan and the churchman is coming ! What, you don’t hear him ?

-That’s Nicolae, ms. Matilda, he’s my roommate!said Emil .

-But… What…How ? He sings so well ! He has a very nice voice !

-You don’t know that his father is a churchman? That’s why he knows all the church songs very well.

- But why he isn’t a church man, too?

-He didn’t want! Everyone  has his own talent!

Next day Nicolae has been accepted in the army because of his very worked  body. He solved his problem with the job in this mode! Not in the same way he wanted to, but in a crisis time was the only possibility for him. He could study the Filozophy in his free time. And when the crisis will stop, he will become a teacher, as he wanted to. Untill that time he could read a lot of books and write, as he was used to do from the time he was a child. He wrote even a monography of his village after he found important  informations about it. The place was built by Tudor Vladimirescu’s soldiers.   

The life in the army was hard for college man, like Nicolae. But his atlethic  body made him to pass these things.

The armymates talk much about him and what they spoke rich to the colonel of the unity, Berezoianu, who asked to see him:

-Bratu, is that true you studied  the Filozophy and you know the old greek language?

-Yes sir!

-In this afternoon you are invited at my place! You are invited at lunch! It is an order.said Brezoianu.

Very shy, Bratu showed at colonel’s place. After the lunch, the colonel asked for Nicolae in his office.

-So, I want to tell me about the new editorial apearance. What’s your opinion? What new book that appeared was interesting to you? asked Brezoianu.

And they talk a lot about filozophy.

-Bratu, don’t forget, here you are Bratu, the filozoph, but in the camp you are Bratu, the soldier. Good bye! I liked to talk with you!

In that summer Nicolae riched Cernauti with his battalion. The town was beautiful. The people called it the little “Viena”. It had a very interesting story. The sharming city represented one of the most important urban towns from Romania. The Cernauti has made bigger when the Habsburgic family controlled the area. With a commune past and traditions, the cechs and the austriac man transformed Cernauti into a modern city.

Nicolae was impressed by the city, wich was a modern city, full of sculptures, natural beauties, green parks and nice squares to visit. In Cernauti you can see all the architectural stiles that existed in the last centuries in Europe. As an old lover of art and beauty, Nicolae loved to walk to the wonderful streets of Cernauti, to watch the stiles, from Napoleon to the melody lines of the baroc.

He liked the buildings in exbrancovean stile- a continue of the austriac fashion-as the Sf. Nicolae church, the place which ornamental compose, this stile has complete nice with some of the elements of the italian Renaissance and specific romanian  procedures. The brancovean buildings and un roumanian ones were recognize  immediate from their beauty and decorations that remind him about the original roumanian stile, about the clothes of the boors from his village and after the big and half round crowns from the top of the buildings.

...

In the second day, Nicolae took all the money, and he stopped by at tha flower shas from the center of Cernauti.

He entered and he said tu the boy who salles flowers.

-       I wish to order red roses !

-       How money ashed the young saller.

-       Als much as I can buy with this money, said Nicolae who give=honded the money . Please send the roses to the adress Wagnergasse no. 13, to Elise Hensel, with this envelope.

The seller sent in a hurry the delevary guy, at the adress. He arrived in ten minutes at the girl’s house, an imposing building and he  bnacked in the door.

Elisa’s mam, came immediately.

-       I recived an order to bring these flowers at your adress, said the boyand he started to unload the red roses from the carriage.

-       Where do I put them ? he asked.

-       In the living room ! said the woman .

In some minutes the room was full at roses.

-       Who sent them to me ? ashed Helga and she jumped for the envelope. En the envelope was written :” The beautiful and the delicate lady Elisa, from Nicolae”. Helga look the paper and watched verses writtes.

-They are for Elisa ? They should have been for me ! I am more beautiful

No one= Nobody ever wrote me a poem! said the young woman angrily.
- Don’t worry Helga, don’t get bad ! You'll get roses too ! said Elisa in a soothing voice.
- What are you doing ! I don’t need you soothing me !  No other’s like  me !

Said Helga getting nervously and more angry and suddently started crying rivers.

From that day forward , Elisa got =received day a rosa from Nicolae every single day. The second day, Nicolae came over to visit Hensel family. The family’s house was surrounded, by elegant houses, sith two or three floars on a romantic paved street. It was known to be as  a popular place for mariages processions to take place at.

It was lunch, and the family invites him to dinner.

- Sr. Bratu, please, stay with us for dinner ! said Gertrude politely.
       In the huge living room with sculpted  wood furniture, a long table estood in the middle of the room. Before at, was a big painting, representing a beautifull couple. Can officer with an imposing costume gud a long sparking

Sword
 with a painting that was a pair - an impressive officer and costume officer with a long, brilliant sword

and an elegant lady with a huge hat and a umbrella. It was Sir Heinrich and Lady  Gertrude when they were younger.
Gertrude prepared various food choses: chicken soup, pork steak with french potatoes fries and a salad with  tomatoes and cucumbers. For dessert, she made a huge chocolate cake , arrated with flowers made from whipped creams.

"We're shopping aus shopping at Elizabethplatz, the market near the Theater Square", said Gertrude.

 

It was named in the honor of the Austrian Empress Elizabeth, she added, considering that such an explanation is needed.
- And what do you think of the future? Heinreich asked Nicholas.

- I want to be a professor of philosophy. This is my vocation! The crisis has tangled my plans a little, but I am young and I will reach my goal. Now, however, I would like to marry ... I would like to marry Elisa, "the young man shyly said.

It was quiet. Parents also wanted their daughter to get married, but now, in front of the request, they were taken by surprise. During this time, with the crisis, they were also in a deadlock. Recently, the Iorga government had cut pensions as well, which had a powerful impact on it. The alcoholic drug business had gone to waste and the pensions were the only current income. Which was no longer ...
- But Elisa is very young. She just came out of the Catholic School of Mothers.

In Chernivtsi, family girls attended this school to learn to prepare for marriage - to learn languages, to talk, to sing, to embroider, to sow, to cook ...
- She's gotta get married to an officer! Gertrude said. We have a garden house bought near Chernivtsi. That's what we'll give her like that!
- May I invite you to Elisa on a walk in the park? I'll bring her back in an hour, "Nicolae said to the girl's parents.
"Of course," Gertrude replied.

The park was close to Elisei's house. A fascinating park, painted in greenery, fruit of abundant and pure white vegetation, benches, garbage bins, buildings and annexes, painted all in immaculate whiteness, inertia statues. And Nicholas with his military suit and Elisa with her spring-colored gown was perfectly synchronized with the frame.

It was named thys way in the honorer of the austrian queen Elisabeth, she said,  considering that she needs more of this kind of explanations.

-     What plans do yo have for the futur Heinrich ashed Nicolae.

-     I want to be a philosaphy teacher. This is my dream job. The financial crise tangled my plains.. But I’m young young and I’m going to achevemy gools, but have I’d like to marry Elisasaid the shy boy. The parents also wanted their daughter, to marry, but now faring the proposal they were surprised. In this period, with the crises, theyware broke. Nat long agir the Iorga government cut the pensions, which affected their alchool bussiness. The busissnes went doran and the pensions more the only source of money they had which now dissapeared.

-     But Elisa is so young, she just graduated the chatolic school of nuns, from Cernauti. There she was tought how to prepare for marriage, she barned foreign langewages, to sing, to sau and to cook.

-     She meat haw same savings for her wedlingwith an officer said Gertrude. Me bought a haus near, which has a beautifuly garden this will do.

-     May I invite Elise for a wolk in the park I’m going to bring her back in less than an hour, Nicolae asked her parents.

-     Of casse, Gertrude responded.

The park was close to Elisa’s house. It was pointed ingreen because of the alundent so get at ian and pure. White of the beaches and bins. Nicolae in his white costums of military and Elisa whit her dress wich soos like a smone drap very beautifully synchronized.

 

The young people sat on a lunch, under a very beautiful tree. In front of then sat a great tree when ycry look at it seems like it had something special.

You could see old frues with  no bams.

The birds song was full of melodios parts and frod a charm of its aran. From far  away a cukoo song. The miraculos magnetism of the park was achived by the magnificant rasy which varied from red to white.

Nicolae took a rose and put it in Elisa’s hair .

The leawes were maving wildly at the strabo at the wised. Nicolae thought that the hair transformed in a magical land. They said nothing . Although usually they      very sociable,Nicolae and Elisa didn’t tolk much. They tolked only the necessary and when it’s needed. But, the mysterious tolk way their only reason at geting along. It banded their souls their heart forever. They same two was cherry trey which looked like a gate. Un the way home they passed by the Theatre of Cernauti, which was an impresive building.

-     Will we go an Saturday at the show ashed Nicolae was a cultular man.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         By dr. Cornelia Paun Heinzel

Translation : Ion Radu Bădescu

Sometimes your destiny can launch you to realms that you would never even dream to know.

Nicolae passed the ,,Filozophy”, but in the last year of college studies, a money and econonomy  crisis started wich affected the entire world with unemployment, bankcruptcy and social crisis. The world war has made all the people to get poor. Academics, the highly educated people were the most affected. But the university graduate had the worst situation as they  saw their wishes and dreams broken when finish the studies.  For a guard job they had to present to a contest a Medicin graduate, a Letter graduate, a builder and an Right graduate.

If he would listen to his father who is a churchman, Nicolae would had more chanses. But when he went t register to the college, he took his file in the Teology, where his parent registered him, and Nicolae applied at Filozophy.

…………………………………………………………..

 On the street Nicolae met a friend:

-We have one more chance! I heard that the military are making cast in the army. Let’ s try that! We don’t have a better option! Told the friend to Nicolae.

-And where are we gonna go?

-We meet tomorrow at ten in the front of the University. Be ready!

Nicolae went back home fast. It was the day before the born of Ioan. Involuntary, he started singing churcher songs, songs that remembered him about the old times when he was a child. Nicolae had a nice voice, also!

In the garden the proprietary, Ms. Matilda  was praying. The doctor, Emil started laughing:

-But what are you doing Ms. Matilda?

- It’s the born of Ioan and the churchman is coming! What, you don’t hear him?!

-That’s Nicolae, ms. Matilda, he’s my roommate!said Emil

-But… What…How ? He sings so well! He has a very nice voice!

-You don’t know that his father is a churchman? That’s why he knows all the church songs very well.

- But why he isn’t a church man, too?

-He didn’t want! Everyone  has his own talent!

Next day Nicolae has been accepted in the army because of his very worked  body. He solved his problem with the job in this mode! Not in the same way he wanted to, but in a crisis time was the only possibility for him. He could study the Flozophy in his free time. And when the crisis will stop, he will become a teacher, as he wanted to. Untill that time he could read a lot of books and write, as he was used to do from the time he was a child. He wrote even a monography of his village after he found important  informations about it. The place was built by Tudor Vladimirescu’s soldiers.  

The life in the army was hard for college man, like Nicolae. But his atlethic  body made him to pass these things.

The armymates talk much about him and what they spoke rich to the colonel of the unity, Berezoianu, who asked to see him:

-Bratu, is that true you studied  the Filozophy and you know the old greek language?

-Yes sir!

-In this afternoon you are invited at my place! You are invited at lunch! It is an order.said Brezoianu.

Very shy, Bratu showed at colonel’s place. After the lunch, the colonel asked for Nicolae in his office.

-So, I want to tell me about the new editorial apearance. What’s your opinion? What new book that appeared was interesting to you? asked Brezoianu.

And they talk a lot about filozophy.

-Bratu, don’t forget, here you are Bratu, the filozoph, but in the camp you are Bratu, the soldier. Good bye! I liked to talk with you!

In that summer Nicolae riched Cernauti with his battalion. The town was beautiful. The people called it the little “Viena”. It had a very interesting story. The sharming city represented one of the most important urban towns from Romania. The Cernauti has made bigger when the Habsburgic family controlled the area. With a commune past and traditions, the cechs and the austriac man transformed Cernauti into a modern city.

Nicolae was impressed by the city, wich was a modern city, full of sculptures, natural beauties, green parks and nice squares to visit. In Cernauti you can see all the architectural stiles that existed in the last centuries in Europe. As an old lover of art and beauty, Nicolae loved to walk to the wonderful streets of Cernauti, to watch the stiles, from Napoleon to the melody lines of the baroc.

He liked the buildings in exbrancovean stile- a continue of the austriac fashion-as the Sf. Nicolae church, the place which ornamental compose, this stile has complete nice with some of the elements of the italian Renaissance and specific romanian  procedures. The brancovean buildings and un roumanian ones were recognize  immediate from their beauty and decorations that remind him about the original roumanian stile, about the clothes of the boors from his village and after the big and half round crowns from the top of the buildings.

Nicholas was enchanted by the wonders Cernăuţi that could not be seen anywhere else in Europe. They were paraded in front of hundreds of Greco-Roman gods and goddesses in the form of reliefs, sculptures raised, mosaics etc. And as many lions, birds, snakes. It notes that the old center of Bucharest was only an attempt provincial buildings near imperial stature architectural Chernivtsi true fingerprint of fabulous history, even before the century of Habsburg rule, most markedly for him. Nicholas read that first documented the settlement represented a a charter issued by Alexandru cel Bun.

The first building in Chernivtsi, which he wanted to see Nicholas was University "King Carol I of Chernivtsi". The construction was a jewel built in the second half of the nineteenth century, one of the highest hills of the city. Since its establishment in 1875 called "University Franz Josef" and there was a higher education institution known throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nicholas knew from books the Austrian Parliament approved in 1872 the establishment of the Hungarian University of Cluj, and on March 20, 1875 It decided to set up a German university in the capital of Bukovina. the purpose of establishing the institutions of higher education in Chernivtsi was primarily spread of language, culture and science in this part of the German empire.

The man noticed that whenever you look away, streets Cernăuţi revealed the most unexpected architectural details. Former Orthodox Metropolitan of Bukovina and Dalmatia but was distinguished among historic buildings and religious Chernivtsi Catholic Church, the Jesuit Church, the Greek Catholic, Protestant church and synagogue or temple. In Chernivtsi, cosmopolitan city of a mix of cultures and religions, where people taught themselves how to live peacefully and respect each other, tolerance was not a mere word. Romanians, Jews, Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, Armenians and other minorities lived together peacefully. a spiritual atmosphere, and effervescent match. There were no preconceptions, ethnic or religious hatred among its people.

Metropolitan - like a castle because gates three meters high walls and its brick buildings with stepped gears and merloane - was the architectural jewel of the city. The ensemble consists of three buildings, a court official and a five-hectare park with rare trees, artificial hills, ponds with fountains, statues and cave, surrounded by a high wall three meters. Metropolitan residence was located in the center, chapel Saint John of Suceava. Seminar was left Synodal Church and the right tower building, which housed a school of icon painting and one deacon, a museum, being the guest house.

On the first night, Nicholas went with some colleagues in the film. The building of the cinema "Chernivtsi" was built in 1877 in the style of Mauritania, before the city's main synagogue. The next day, Nicolae Mircea out with a colleague at "Caffé Vienna".

- Let we the prom! Here are held Saturdays balls! Mircea proposed them.

Saturday night in the place of the cottage held a luxurious ballroom. Prominent families, daughters came to find them here chosen to marry them. Nicholas comes and look stylish crowd in agitation continues. Suddenly, in a corner, he saw a young blonde with blue-green eyes, petite and gentle. It was like an angel amongst others around him. Talk to a young woman, taller and brunette as beautiful and fascinating with the same eye. He went to them and invites blonde waltz.

- I have this waltz? Nicholas said tilting head and courteous.

- Ich bin schön, ich bin gebildet, bin ich wunderbar! jump up young brunette, strongly emphasizing the word "ich". Why do not you want to dance with me? I have no dance partner now!

- I like Miss, she said Nicholas decided, while reached out to catch the fingers, to lead to the young charming dance floor. Miss your name? I am Nicholas, philosophy graduate and son of a priest. Now I'm in the army. But in the future I will be a teacher, what I always wanted.

- Elisa, said voice gentle face.

- And the young woman next to you? Nicholas asked curiously. Why react so?

- Helga's older sister. It is very beautiful and proud every man his courtship. Expect anyone to like! Elisa said.

- But you are much finer, softer more gentle ... continued Nicholas.

- This is your opinion ... said quietly Elisa

- Welcome only sister? the man asked.

- I'm here with mom, dad and my three brothers Arthur and Anton Alwin.

- know several languages, is not it? I saw you speak German sister. I taught high school French, German, Italian, Spanish, Ancient Greek and Latin! said Nicholas.

- I speak Romanian, because I went to school in that language, the national language and German, I was of this ethnic group. German speaking Catholic school, but I learned French, as a foreign language. But when we were children, we were all from different ethnic backgrounds and we always play together. So we all learned to converse in Russian, and Polish, and Ukrainian, and even Yiddish. So we better understand each other, and parents all. We used this when I went to shop Jews, for we could address in their language, and barbershop Ukrainian to the Russian cinema for this is closer to us or a mail clerk was Polish. Chernivtsi is an international space from this point of view. We learned to respect each others language, ethnicity, and religion. Let us respect and love! explains the young.

The dance ends and Elisa Nicholas led her back.

- Dad, this is Nicholas, working in the army and has a degree in philosophy! Elisa said.

- Um, the army! My name is Heinrich Hensel is recommended man. She is my wife, Gertrude. I was an officer in the king's court in Vienna. When I retired, I retired here in Chernivtsi. I got married and now I have a small business, a factory of rubbing alcohol.

Nicholas noticed that Mrs. Gertrude was much younger than domnul Hensel. - My brother remained in Vienna. And his son, my nephew is there a prominent lawyer, continues domnul Hensel. But with this crisis, Gertrude complete ... my grandkids, and Johannis Peter went overseas just in Canada ... - May I visited your daughter? asked Nicholas. - Of course! accept old gentleman. - This is Michael! Helga said, quickly coming to the group. He invites us to sustain license and his sister Anastasia university. Come you, Mr. Bratu? Helga asked Nicholas. - Of course! I really enjoy! the man replied.

Nicholas was enchanted by the wonders Cernăuţi that could not be seen anywhere else in Europe. They were paraded in front of hundreds of Greco-Roman gods and goddesses in the form of reliefs, sculptures raised, mosaics etc. And as many lions, birds, snakes. It notes that the old center of Bucharest was only an attempt provincial buildings near imperial stature architectural Chernivtsi true fingerprint of fabulous history, even before the century of Habsburg rule, most markedly for him. Nicholas read that first documented the settlement represented a a charter issued by Alexandru cel Bun.

The first building in Chernivtsi, which he wanted to see Nicholas was University "King Carol I of Chernivtsi". The construction was a jewel built in the second half of the nineteenth century, one of the highest hills of the city. Since its establishment in 1875 called "University Franz Josef" and there was a higher education institution known throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nicholas knew from books the Austrian Parliament approved in 1872 the establishment of the Hungarian University of Cluj, and on March 20, 1875 It decided to set up a German university in the capital of Bukovina. the purpose of establishing the institutions of higher education in Chernivtsi was primarily spread of language, culture and science in this part of the German empire.

The man noticed that whenever you look away, streets Cernăuţi revealed the most unexpected architectural details. Former Orthodox Metropolitan of Bukovina and Dalmatia but was distinguished among historic buildings and religious Chernivtsi Catholic Church, the Jesuit Church, the Greek Catholic, Protestant church and synagogue or temple. In Chernivtsi, cosmopolitan city of a mix of cultures and religions, where people taught themselves how to live peacefully and respect each other, tolerance was not a mere word. Romanians, Jews, Germans, Poles, Ukrainians, Armenians and other minorities lived together peacefully. a spiritual atmosphere, and effervescent match. There were no preconceptions, ethnic or religious hatred among its people.

Metropolitan - like a castle because gates three meters high walls and its brick buildings with stepped gears and merloane - was the architectural jewel of the city. The ensemble consists of three buildings, a court official and a five-hectare park with rare trees, artificial hills, ponds with fountains, statues and cave, surrounded by a high wall three meters. Metropolitan residence was located in the center, chapel Saint John of Suceava. Seminar was left Synodal Church and the right tower building, which housed a school of icon painting and one deacon, a museum, being the guest house.

On the first night, Nicholas went with some colleagues in the film. The building of the cinema "Chernivtsi" was built in 1877 in the style of Mauritania, before the city's main synagogue. The next day, Nicolae Mircea out with a colleague at "Caffé Vienna".

- Let we the prom! Here are held Saturdays balls! Mircea proposed them.

Saturday night in the place of the cottage held a luxurious ballroom. Prominent families, daughters came to find them here chosen to marry them. Nicholas comes and look stylish crowd in agitation continues. Suddenly, in a corner, he saw a young blonde with blue-green eyes, petite and gentle. It was like an angel amongst others around him. Talk to a young woman, taller and brunette as beautiful and fascinating with the same eye. He went to them and invites blonde waltz.

- I have this waltz? Nicholas said tilting head and courteous.

- Ich bin schön, ich bin gebildet, bin ich wunderbar! jump up young brunette, strongly emphasizing the word "ich". Why do not you want to dance with me? I have no dance partner now!

- I like Miss, she said Nicholas decided, while reached out to catch the fingers, to lead to the young charming dance floor. Miss your name? I am Nicholas, philosophy graduate and son of a priest. Now I'm in the army. But in the future I will be a teacher, what I always wanted.

- Elisa, said voice gentle face.

- And the young woman next to you? Nicholas asked curiously. Why react so?

- Helga's older sister. It is very beautiful and proud every man his courtship. Expect anyone to like! Elisa said.

- But you are much finer, softer more gentle ... continued Nicholas.

- This is your opinion ... said quietly Elisa

- Welcome only sister? the man asked.

- I'm here with mom, dad and my three brothers Arthur and Anton Alwin.

- know several languages, is not it? I saw you speak German sister. I taught high school French, German, Italian, Spanish, Ancient Greek and Latin! said Nicholas.

- I speak Romanian, because I went to school in that language, the national language and German, I was of this ethnic group. German speaking Catholic school, but I learned French, as a foreign language. But when we were children, we were all from different ethnic backgrounds and we always play together. So we all learned to converse in Russian, and Polish, and Ukrainian, and even Yiddish. So we better understand each other, and parents all. We used this when I went to shop Jews, for we could address in their language, and barbershop Ukrainian to the Russian cinema for this is closer to us or a mail clerk was Polish. Chernivtsi is an international space from this point of view. We learned to respect each others language, ethnicity, and religion. Let us respect and love! explains the young.

The dance ends and Elisa Nicholas led her back.

- Dad, this is Nicholas, working in the army and has a degree in philosophy! Elisa said.

- Um, the army! My name is Heinrich Hensel is recommended man. She is my wife, Gertrude. I was an officer in the king's court in Vienna. When I retired, I retired here in Chernivtsi. I got married and now I have a small business, a factory of rubbing alcohol.

Nicholas noticed that Mrs. Gertrude was much younger than domnul Hensel. - My brother remained in Vienna. And his son, my nephew is there a prominent lawyer, continues domnul Hensel. But with this crisis, Gertrude complete ... my grandkids, and Johannis Peter went overseas just in Canada ... 

- May I visited your daughter? asked Nicholas. 

- Of course! accept old gentleman. 

- This is Michael ! Helga said, quickly coming to the group. He invites us to sustain license and his sister Anastasia university. Come you, Mr. Bratu? Helga asked Nicholas. - Of course! I really enjoy! the man replied.

 .......................

 

No one= Nobody ever wrote me a poem! said the young woman angrily. - Don’t worry Helga, don’t get bad ! You'll get roses too ! said Elisa in a soothing voice. - What are you doing ! I don’t need you soothing me !  No other’s like  me !

Said Helga getting nervously and more angry and suddently started crying rivers.

From that day forward , Elisa got =received day a rosa from Nicolae every single day. The second day, Nicolae came over to visit Hensel family. The family’s house was surrounded, by elegant houses, sith two or three floars on a romantic paved street. It was known to be as  a popular place for mariages processions to take place at.

It was lunch, and the family invites him to dinner.

- Sr. Bratu, please, stay with us for dinner ! said Gertrude politely.        In the huge living room with sculpted  wood furniture, a long table estood in the middle of the room. Before at, was a big painting, representing a beautifull couple. Can officer with an imposing costume gud a long sparking

Sword

 

 with a painting that was a pair - an impressive officer and costume officer with a long, brilliant sword

and an elegant lady with a huge hat and a umbrella. It was Sir Heinrich and Lady  Gertrude when they were younger. Gertrude prepared various food choses: chicken soup, pork steak with french potatoes fries and a salad with  tomatoes and cucumbers. For dessert, she made a huge chocolate cake , arrated with flowers made from whipped creams.

"We're shopping aus shopping at Elizabethplatz, the market near the Theater Square", said Gertrude.