Elisabeta
From solitude to life in a quiet community
Elisabeta, born in Bacău as a single child in her family, did not have a happy life with her parents. In her early childhood, her mother’s words: “you’re so ugly” or “I don’t want you” have carved deep wounds in her soul, which haven’t been healed until her present age of 69. Her father also failed to give her the love she needed, and, although he used to tell her that he loved her and cared for her, his acts always suggested the contrary.
When Elisabeta was still young, her father died, her mother sold the house and got remarried. Elisabeta went to Constanța, where she found work, all the while completely losing touch with her mother. She also worked in Italy for 4 years, but only later in her life, when she was already getting old, a family welcomed her at their farm, offering her food and a place to sleep, in exchange for her doing various work on the farm.
Elisabeta never got married, because she couldn’t overcome the fact that her own mother couldn’t love her — she thought that it was even less likely that a stranger would love her, as “ugly” as she got used to see herself, ever since childhood. She never received any love from someone, but somehow the time spent at the farm helped her forget about her troubles. She was taking care of the lambs and dogs at the farm, “companions who stayed faithful to her and helped her face loneliness”.
After an incident at the farm, Elisabeta tried to commit suicide by medication overdose. She was admitted into the Psychiatric Hospital, but as she had no one to take care of her after discharge, she was sent to Tinca. Now she gets to live through old age in peace, having the shelter, nourishment and care she needed.