The declination of a moment. Short Story.

This evening, I was tidying up some old thoughts written here and there and found this short story.

He talks about coincidences, encounters that seem random. Often we do not realize the good we can do with a simple gesture until, years later, we go back and reflect on many episodes in our lives and realize that what we did may have made a person smile or given them a moment of serenity in their life.

August 05, 2010. Bologna train station, 7:34 a.m.

“Excuse me do you have a cigarette?” and I “No sorry, but I don’t smoke. I like drinking wine better.”
“Ah, that’s not bad.”
“Well yes, I much prefer it. In my opinion, there is much more pleasure in a nice glass of wine than in smoking a cigarette that also hurts…”
“Yes I do not blame you. It’s just that I really feel a biAbsolute dream-I’m in crisis. I know it hurts, I want to stop but I can hardly do it, I can’t find a way.”
“Well it’s simple, you could try candy or Chewing gum. I did that at the time and stopped.”
“Come on, really?”
“Yes, I’m not kidding I have succeeded in this way. Of course now the downside is that I consume at least one pack of Chewing gum a day ahahahah”
“Well come on, it’s better than smoking a pack of cigarettes.”

The fellow continues his desperate search for a cigarette. She tries it with a gentleman in his 50s; then with some German guys, with a girl–but nothing. This cigarette doesn’t want to come.

“Well what do you do in life?” I ask him.
“Nothing, I am wandering. I am now on the road“
“Ah cool, are you doing an Interrail?”
“No, I left from Palermo and now return to Trent. I’ve been visiting some friends.“
“Beautiful Palermo and all of Sicily…some friends have been there and have spoken very highly of it…I hope to visit soon, it fascinates me.”
“Yeah, not bad.”
“And what do you do for a living?”
“Actually, I don’t have a job, I told you, I’m wandering … I’m searching.”
“Ah, I see. And arrived in Trent?”
“Well, I don’t know…in the meantime I’ll stay with a friend who is hosting me. Then we’ll see, I think I’ll go back to Cagliari.”
“Ah, are you Sardinian?”
“Yes, from Cagliari.”
“Sardinia must really be a great place!”
“Yes it is very nice. What do you do instead?“
“Me? I work and play.”
“What do you play?“
“The piano.”
Small laugh and glint in the eyes.“Come on, I played the piano once too!“
“Come on great! So I found a colleague.”
“But I haven’t played for years, I was a fool, I quit…”
“How so?”
“I’m not having a good time, sorry.”
“No, don’t worry.”
“No it’s just that I just lost my parents and my son in an accident…”

Tears on her eyes tell me of a drama that needs no description; there are no words that can hold, no words that can best render the idea of what your mind can imagine. This lonely man at 7 a.m. outside the Bologna train station without a goal and a destination. He finally managed to find that famous cigarette, two girls from the east offered it to him.

“Look I have to go I’m going to miss my train. I want to give you a present, though.”
“A gift, for me?“
“Yes yes, a gift. Open the backpack on my shoulder, there are books in it. Take one, I give it to you as a gift. It’s called
Dreaming…
“

In an instant I receive an embrace full of inexplicable joy. Unknowingly I had done something for this person, I cannot tell you what exactly but his eyes spoke very clearly. His face had changed. He was happy because someone had considered him.

Years later I later discovered that this person had managed to find his life purpose despite everything that had happened to him. He had also resumed playing piano and stopped smoking. With this, what do I want to say?

It doesn’t matter where you’ll be, what you’re doing or with whom-it only matters what you leave behind in your wake.

This post is dedicated to every small gesture that each of us can do for ourselves and others, so as to increasingly enrich our souls so thirsty for peace, harmony and love.

What about you, do you remember any gestures that made your day better? Did you improve someone else’s?

Write it below the article in the comments, even anonymously to talk about it together and share our feelings.