At noon on New Year's Eve 1989 I handed in the orderly room red armband, I made and I signed the minutes and dismounted from corporal to the day. That night, after my ride for contrappello eleven thirty, we toasted with champagne and cake that Perez had bought at the canteen of the barracks. Apart from the large windows of the dormitory shone the words "Las Vegas" in an amusement park that stood in the parking lot of the Hippodrome: the time seemed insignificant, yet it is branded in my memory, listed among the best feeling. I see the faces of those who was there, I see the bunks, cabinets against the wall, the backpacks on the wall. Resent a bang the plug at midnight, cries, greetings exchanged, the toasts with paper cups.
I changed quickly and I gathered the gang with whom I had an appointment: we went to lunch at Haisrainer Weinstube in Piazza del Duomo. Five soldiers, five friends meet to share that first day of a year that would have brought many changes in their lives, beginning with that leave long-awaited. When we left the restaurant, and endless cold afternoon, we took the road to Quarazze, where school buildings are located and where we went to some film club on Thursday. We entered a bar out of the way to warm a cup of hot chocolate and a slice of blueberry pie. After a lot 'of time between serious talk and the usual jokes, we paid. On a thousand pounds of rest is up to date and place him Ferrario wrote, "Merano, 1/1/1989" and signed it. Then he handed us the bill and each of us wrote something in the blanks and signed as well. We did this in silence, without saying a word, as if an invisible force guiding our actions. Ferrario finally folded a thousand pounds, those with the Montessori on one side and the other kids at school, I made a little square that rests in your wallet. Only then spoke: "You guys do not know that I remember is this. I'll keep with me forever. Who knows what you think in a few years when I will get in your hands ... "
I do not remember who wrote the other three sentences, Perego, cantons and Bettoni. Unfortunately we do not even remember what I wrote, and I regret it. But always remember that table littered with cups, saucers, cups and spoons, and the thousand lire all written with a red pen. I will always remember New Year's gang in 1989.
0 comments:
Post a Comment