Every night, I prayed fervently that God would bring me parents, too. When they took me from the Center, I knew my life was going to change. The red lit up hallway smelled damp. We were greeted by a fancy lady, dressed up in velvet and lace with a cigarette between her thick, lipstick covered lips, with a hoarse voice. She will be your mommy from now on, the gentleman that I believed to be a priest pushed me gently from behind, and I looked, frightened, at the lady that accompanied us. And that is your daddy, she told me, smiling coldly, pointing to a leather whip.
Florina Hegedüs
Mommy is school, daddy is the roll book. Mommy is the Homeland, daddy is her beloved ruler. Go forward, comrades. Mommy is Libertatea[1], daddy's a cell in the slammer. And rock, Riders On The Storm, man. Mommy is the wedding ring, daddy is, well, let me show you a Twist and Shout. Mommy is the immigrant, daddy is dor[2] . Come on, one two three, The Logical Song. Mommy is fear, daddy is the long-gone momentum. Oh, Words Don't Come Easy. You can find more mommies and daddies in movies, in books. Oh, lest I forget, of course they have children.
[1] A newspaper that appeared in Romania after the 1989 Revolution.
[2] The Romanian word "dor" is an untranslatable term that refers to a sentiment of deep longing for something or someone. The English \'longing' comes close in meaning.
After a year's absence they greeted me happily. I greeted them and told them about my asceticism. They didn't frown or ask anything; I only felt love from them. I was ashamed that I had been gone for so long, but the pace at which I lived and worked gave me the excuse not to have traveled the distance between us. When I lit the first candle, I burned my index finger badly. Then I did feel them scolding me, with love and warmth. From the picture on the cross, they both winked at me.
(Translated by Alina-Alexandra Șovar / University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I / Corrected by Silvia Petrescu, coordinator of the translations)
Versiunea în română a acestui text se poate citi aici, în rubrica Ficțiuni Reale.