19.05.04
I would have nothing to say today if the baby pic of my dog (the one I have uploaded in the Blog too) did not remind me of a few things. Of course I am not going to bother you with details over the life of a quadruped animal. My dog just kept me company almost from the start of his birth, at moments which I might have deleted from my memory if Bono was not there to remind them to me.
I would have nothing to say today if the baby pic of my dog (the one I have uploaded in the Blog too) did not remind me of a few things. Of course I am not going to bother you with details over the life of a quadruped animal. My dog just kept me company almost from the start of his birth, at moments which I might have deleted from my memory if Bono was not there to remind them to me.
First of all, the reason why he came was clear. He had come home a month after my sister’s wedding, who back then sneaked off to her new house in Ilioupolis, pushing me (without wanting to) to routes that led to a life that I was not ready to live. I would be alone, living in the same house with my parents. Me, myself and I.
Everybody agreed that it would be good to have a dog. Even my mother, who detests dogs, found it to be a proper solution for things to be put in place again. She said to me: ‘Nicholas, I can’t have a dog bugging me all the time now that your sister is getting married. We’ll get him in a month or two.’. But I was born stubborn and there was no way that I would respect this wish of hers. Neither did I believe what she said. If there was one thing that I wanted in my life, it was a dog. Until then, I had to stick to promises: Next year, on Christmas day, in 5 months, in 2 months and so on. My decision was irrevocable. I needed a dog urgently and I would everything in order to get one as soon as possible!
I had just come back from a trip to Belgium. I had gone there with my friend Fani. I could have a friend with me at the conference that I would attend. Fani and I got along well and I thought that she deserved a little gift from me. I had a nice time at the trip but my mind was stuck elsewhere. A wedding was expecting me at my final return to Athens and it would be unthinkable for this wedding to take place without me. A happy event in which I had to participate, calling forth all my enthusiasm and good mood. Tough stuff!
I would not feel so relieved had it not been for the presence of my friend Antonis, who came to pick me up from the airport dressed in a suit. I forgot myself a little and then imagined for a while that nothing would change my daily routine, that my sister and I would now get even closer, since our communication was becoming all the more free and direct. Someone had told me that, when two people stop living together, they have even more things to share with each other, each one from his/her side.
I whispered an off-key tone and ceased talking. I had no part to play in that movie and, even if I did, nobody had any reason to listen to me amidst the funny chaos that comes up with festivities and celebrations. I looked at Antonis, who was so relaxed (and why shouldn’t he be anyway). I was unbelievably grateful that he was with me at the time. Only Antonis; not anybody else. Damn, why hadn’t I ever told him about that day?
Back home, nobody pays attention to my arrival. Not a single question about my experiences at Belgium. My sister floats around the house in a light blue swimming suit. Amazingly beautiful, with her hair done up as if she is ready to go for a beauty contest. I hardly look at her. I want to tell her: ‘How on earth do you look like that? Why?’. My brother thinks that I am not well shaved. He obliges me to get shaved and wear clothes that fit me just enough (I always eat a lot when I am sad). So I get to wear my formal clothes (and my black sunglasses) but, what is more important, I put on my smile. This conventional smile that describes my joy and does not let a single sigh come out of my teeth, which I grit, as if they are stuck with a permanent glue. My sister puts on the official dress (all right, the wedding dress) and takes pictures.
We are going to the church. This mystery is pretty much a mystery! Beautiful wedding. Picturesque. As if it had taken place on an island. I can’t stand psalms. And yet, nothing has changed and it’s the same old story. Everybody wishes me: ‘May your turn come soon!’. You’re probably out of your mind, I answer, but I get to think that I would be happy to get married if this were the only way to leave my house and get rid of my parents.
The first psalms are over, and more are to come. And here I mean the boring sounds of Pop and Disco. Chairs fall down, as we, boorish-rockers enjoy saying! You should see how many people were present; and that they were dancing incessantly! They are all happy, because it is not their sister who is leaving but mine. ‘All right, come on, and where is she going?’, you will probably ask me. We will be living in the same old city. As if. And our significant other may be living at the opposite block of flats. But if we don’t live together, it doesn’t matter at all whether or not he or she is always going to be living far away from us and whether that person lives in Athens or Tijuana won’t make any difference.
I grab the chance to go to the men’s room. I let the water flow. God knows if this is how my days are going to pass without my sister. I look outside the window, with a view of the sea, and I wonder if this is a good moment to disappear. I want to sink in the water. I want to join the company of the little mermaid (who is definitely not little any longer. She will even be older than my grandmother, who has passed away unfortunately!), the little fish, the little octopuses and the little mollusces of the deep blue sea. I don’t want to see again any other human being. My sole consolation? That there is a puppy somewhere out there in the chaos waiting for me to adopt it. It’s Bono. My crazy Boxer that helped me remember all this and tell it to you. He went through a lot because of me.
He found me wound up with a horrible mess. He found me at a time when I couldn’t appreciate his coming to me. Nonetheless, I trusted him and gave him the time that he needed to bring me back to normal. I made him realize that his boss (I am this person) is actually crazier than he is. As for my mother, I haven’t understood yet if she loves him, even a little bit. Anyway, she puts up with him. I spend many hours with him and I have discovered something magical. Boxers snore. Really loud. And when they breathe, they make the same noise with an old broken-down clockwork. What a new way to count the seconds!
I whispered an off-key tone and ceased talking. I had no part to play in that movie and, even if I did, nobody had any reason to listen to me amidst the funny chaos that comes up with festivities and celebrations. I looked at Antonis, who was so relaxed (and why shouldn’t he be anyway). I was unbelievably grateful that he was with me at the time. Only Antonis; not anybody else. Damn, why hadn’t I ever told him about that day?
Back home, nobody pays attention to my arrival. Not a single question about my experiences at Belgium. My sister floats around the house in a light blue swimming suit. Amazingly beautiful, with her hair done up as if she is ready to go for a beauty contest. I hardly look at her. I want to tell her: ‘How on earth do you look like that? Why?’. My brother thinks that I am not well shaved. He obliges me to get shaved and wear clothes that fit me just enough (I always eat a lot when I am sad). So I get to wear my formal clothes (and my black sunglasses) but, what is more important, I put on my smile. This conventional smile that describes my joy and does not let a single sigh come out of my teeth, which I grit, as if they are stuck with a permanent glue. My sister puts on the official dress (all right, the wedding dress) and takes pictures.
We are going to the church. This mystery is pretty much a mystery! Beautiful wedding. Picturesque. As if it had taken place on an island. I can’t stand psalms. And yet, nothing has changed and it’s the same old story. Everybody wishes me: ‘May your turn come soon!’. You’re probably out of your mind, I answer, but I get to think that I would be happy to get married if this were the only way to leave my house and get rid of my parents.
The first psalms are over, and more are to come. And here I mean the boring sounds of Pop and Disco. Chairs fall down, as we, boorish-rockers enjoy saying! You should see how many people were present; and that they were dancing incessantly! They are all happy, because it is not their sister who is leaving but mine. ‘All right, come on, and where is she going?’, you will probably ask me. We will be living in the same old city. As if. And our significant other may be living at the opposite block of flats. But if we don’t live together, it doesn’t matter at all whether or not he or she is always going to be living far away from us and whether that person lives in Athens or Tijuana won’t make any difference.
I grab the chance to go to the men’s room. I let the water flow. God knows if this is how my days are going to pass without my sister. I look outside the window, with a view of the sea, and I wonder if this is a good moment to disappear. I want to sink in the water. I want to join the company of the little mermaid (who is definitely not little any longer. She will even be older than my grandmother, who has passed away unfortunately!), the little fish, the little octopuses and the little mollusces of the deep blue sea. I don’t want to see again any other human being. My sole consolation? That there is a puppy somewhere out there in the chaos waiting for me to adopt it. It’s Bono. My crazy Boxer that helped me remember all this and tell it to you. He went through a lot because of me.
He found me wound up with a horrible mess. He found me at a time when I couldn’t appreciate his coming to me. Nonetheless, I trusted him and gave him the time that he needed to bring me back to normal. I made him realize that his boss (I am this person) is actually crazier than he is. As for my mother, I haven’t understood yet if she loves him, even a little bit. Anyway, she puts up with him. I spend many hours with him and I have discovered something magical. Boxers snore. Really loud. And when they breathe, they make the same noise with an old broken-down clockwork. What a new way to count the seconds!
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