Visits from the other side

Visits from the other side a Love story

Visits from the other side : when I was young, one of my loves, my personal rock climbing trainer, with whom I had some unforgettable excursions through rocks, mountains, “miles long slopes” on rocks, among the blue chamoises, on the 2nd of November of many years ago, following a slip, together with another of his students, on the Gran Sasso mountain glacier, he plummeted down, and during his fall he hit his head on a peak of the glacier and tumbled down all the way to the valley, his body lifeless; I remember that Sunday as if it was today, when in reality it’s probably been half a century since it happened.

I used to live around Rome, he lived in the Marche region.

That morning, I was on an excursion with one of my girlfriends at a lake near the Castelli Romani area, I was young, full of love and health, when suddenly, at a specific time, I felt as if my stomach had just been hit, I turned white and vomited my breakfast etc.

My friend took me back home where I got some rest in peace, on the Monday morning my mother, not managing very well to hide her sadness, told me that she had heard on the radio that on the Gran Sasso Mountain a grave tragedy had taken place, I did not let her finish her words and I exclaimed “I am sorry to hear that, I am sure G will be suffering even more than me at the news, in fact we are going to speak to each other a little later”.

My mother turned pale and with her eyes brimming with tears, with a thread of voice, she said “be strong”, and while she was hugging me with emotion, she managed, I don’t remember how, with what words to make me understand that I was not going to physically hear from HIM again, I pulled the bed sheet over my eyes, she understood right away, and after having kissed me on my head, she let me externalize, crying copiously, all my pain “we are with you, call me when you want to”.

G and my mother had created a beautiful relationship, very unique and rare.

On the 31st of January of the new year, as with every birthday of his mother, the entire family would gather to celebrate, it had only been three years from the departure of my G, at my workplace I had obtained permission to leave early to be with his family, I arrived at their house and, as I waited for the appointment, together with all the rest, to go to the restaurant, I laid down in her bed, everyone had arrived, when I turned to my mother and said “mother, forgive me, but TODAY I really cannot follow you”, she understood, and I remained laying in his bed.

SUDDENLY I smelled a scent very dear to me, I turned toward the door, and I swear, I SAW G. IN HIS CORDUROY PANTS THAT HE WORE WHEN HE WENT HIKING, DRESSED IN HIS FAVORITE SWEATER, BOTTLE GREEN COLOR, HIS FACE PEACEFUL, although a little chiding, HE TOLD ME “DON’T UPSET YOUR MOTHER, TODAY OF ALL DAYS, GO AND HUG HER FOR ME AS WELL, MEET UP WITH HER”; everything happened in a fraction of “timeless”, I ran down the stairs and found a place in a car with some relative, I don’t remember who it was, before I walked into the restaurant, I walked up to my mother and told her “G. sends you a hug, he asked me not to disappoint you, today of all days”, she, not at all flustered, gave me a huge “360 degrees smile”, answering “yes, I know”.

Visits from the other side a Love story are the words from Anna Maria

Visits from the other side a love story

Visits from the other side