The rose water

I remember with nostalgia the afternoons at my wise grandmother's house, that woman with a sweet and kind gesture towards everyone.

With her fine hands she used to prepare rose water, a concoction she used to gladden hearts and soothe ailments.

For three days and nights the water was left to macerate among crimson rose petals. Then she secretly added a drop of a special elixir from an enchanted vial.

-A smile for joy -she used to say.

Years later I found that vial among her things, and holding it between my fingers, her memory was strongly reborn.

I can still smell his cigarette smoke and see his long braid dancing.

He shared his knowledge with whoever asked him, how to prepare dishes with rose water to conquer a loved one.

Her expert hands would expertly chop the aromatics: sweet chili with a sweet and sour taste, onion with a white pulp and coriander with a lively aroma.

In a pan he put oil to heat, and when it bubbled, he brought the fragrant additions to fry.

Then I put the beans in and stirred them with care, then I added salt to taste and rose water.

I let it burst and when it was dry, I covered it with a lid over a gentle fire for a quarter of an hour.

The rose water could be used in any food and according to her, feeding her beloved one of these culinary delights would make him fall in love with her.