A Glade of Tulips
In between the two “floral” holidays (Valentine’s Day and March 8), The Day asked some women who traditionally receive the most flowers about their most memorable bouquet.
Ada ROHOVTSEVA, actress:
The bouquet that I will forever remember was presented to me by Viktor Khalatov [a popular Ukrainian actor of the 1950s-1970s]. It was a huge bouquet of gladioli. Another memorable bouquet was from my husband Kostiantyn Stepankov, after I gave birth to our son. He couldn’t buy flowers anywhere, so he asked a saleswoman to cut some from the pots in the store window. But I love daisies and bachelor’s buttons most of all. Some of my former students visited me recently and before coming into the room, they said ‘sorry, Mrs. Rohovtseva, we couldn’t find daisies or bachelor’s buttons anywhere.’ Instead they brought me some sophisticated orchids. Actually, all flowers are beautiful, especially when they’re presented from the bottom of one’s heart. Even blades of grass can make a bouquet.
Let me tell you something funny. When I performed in the theater, our home was packed with flowers. Then I quit and my husband said, “Now we’ll have to buy flowers!”
Maria STEFIUK, singer:
In Munich I received the most original bouquet made of artificial flowers. It’s so beautiful that I still have it. The most precious flowers are the ones I receive from my fans after performances, roses in most cases. I love roses, although I love all sorts of flowers, especially wildflowers — and those are the most expensive ones, maybe because they are rarely delivered to cities.
Inna BOHOSLOVSKA, businesswoman:
Do you know what a wild leek looks like? It has a long stem and a small lilac-shaped head. My husband once gave me this flower, but the head was the size of a human’s! It was so big we spent quite a long time looking for a container for it. Fortunately, there was no onion smell. I love all kinds of flowers, especially freesias.
Nina KORPACHOVA, Parliamentary Ombudswoman:
I adore tulips, so whenever I receive a bouquet it’s a special occasion. The most original present I’ve ever received was a glade of tulips. Believe it or not, this really happened.
Nina MATVIYENKO, folk singer:
The most original bouquet was presented to me by People’s Deputy Oleksandr Yemets (he died in a car crash, God rest his soul). Those flowers were absolutely unusual. I’d never seen anything like them. Another bouquet I’ll always remember was from Viktor Yushchenko, when he was the head of the National Bank. He visited me at the studio and caught me totally by surprise. You see, my passport says I was born on the tenth day of the month, but the actual date is the thirteenth. Naturally, he visited me on the tenth day. I was sitting in my studio, wearing a gown. The studio was a mess and I wasn’t in the best of moods. And then I saw Yushchenko with a bouquet of yellow and blue flowers. I still don’t know how he managed to get his hands on such a combination. Everybody at the studio remembered his visit. Imagine: a tall handsome man, wearing an expensive raincoat, carrying a yellow and blue bouquet. Our families were good friends, but still I was surprised that he found the time to congratulate me. As for Oleksandr Yemets, his flowers were a real surprise. We were never friends. He was a very tense man, the situation was very difficult. He seemed to sense that his end was near. He had watched one of my programs and came to thank me for the performance, saying it had restored him to life. It was as though he had come to say goodbye, ask my forgiveness, and leave — never to return. I’m still disturbed by that visit. Remembering him makes my lips twitch, like from a burn. I still have his bouquet.
Maria BURMAKA, singer:
Something very unusual happened to me several years ago. It was March 8 and my friend and I had agreed to meet by the Central Post Office. As I was walking out from the underpass, he called out to me from above. I raised my head and he emptied a basket of anemones over me. I love dark red roses with long stems, but I am fond of all kinds of flowers. For example, I was singing at European Square last Monday. It was very cold and my hair was wet with snow and my fingers were numb from plucking the strings. After the performance a young fellow approached me and gave me a bouquet in a basket. Flowers are not presented during concerts on public squares. But his bouquet was a very pleasant surprise. Valentine’s Day was on Monday, but for me Valentine’s Day began on Sunday with that bouquet.
