The Spanish Language department has faculty from Spain. Their tenure is for three years. So every three years we get a new Spanish Faculty. Maria's tenure got over this year. She was my neighbor and a very friendly person, who for some reason liked appa. She spent considerable time chatting with him, once made him Spanish omelette, and invited him for Spanish plays.
Maria had a small garden but was an unorthodox gardener. When she finally left, she gifted her plants to me. There were two roses with droopy leaves and fleshy thorns, couple of evergreens, and a spider plant.
Nanku Ram, my gardener, and I stared with horror at the plants and then got down to rescuing them. Ruthlessly, we pruned the roses so that only short stumps were left and then moved them into sunshine. The treatment worked. Very soon we saw small tendrils coming up. The peacocks mercifully left them alone, the rains did their job, and I was pleased to small a see small bud coming up.
Today there was a broad smile on Nanku Ram's face.
"See, Madamji, even that rose has bloomed."
And both of us, besotted, stared at that beautiful Orange Rose.
PS. Nanku Ram has some plans. He wants to put up two poles, create an arch with bougainvillea, and finally cover the entire area with net. That way, he tells me, the peacocks will not be a nuisance and we can have winter flowers. I am keeping my fingers crossed for I do not trust the peacocks.
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