In a corner bar in their town, there is an event. It is the presentation of a new novel. Barbara, the waitress of the bar, has begged her friend Gloria to come. She fears that not many people will come, since the author of the book announced it with little notice. Jacopo, instead, a guy who is not fond of reading, found himself there by chance. Given the low turn-out, he had not realised there was an event going on and, on time as always, he went inside to take his usual five o’clock coffee. At the entrance, he had realised the real situation and he was ashamed to have interrupted the presentation. The author, convinced or perhaps simply hoping to find another person interested in her book besides the limited audience in the room, invites him to sit down. At this point of the story, Jacopo sips his coffee next to Gloria, who is drinking a glass of wine instead. The two do not exchange any glances.
August 12, 1995
Jacopo gets married. He gets married on Saturday, exactly as his parents had done. The ceremony is very intimate. The bride-to-be, Bianca, comes down the aisle with a long, train-like dress. Her hair is tied-up and among the curls pop out some daisies, their favourite flower. Jacopo, on the best day of his life, cannot know that Gloria is sitting in the last bench, next to one of the church pillars.
July 9, 2006
World Cup Final. Italy beats France on penalties. In the town’s square, giant screens rise above people dressed up in blue. People weep with joy, dance, sing and celebrate together. While Jacopo holds his son, Luca, on his shoulders, rejoicing and waving the tricolour flag; Gloria, in her car packed with boys and girls, honks her horn and sings the anthem at the top of her voice.
Today
At terminal 2 of the airport, several passengers complain about the delay of the plane. It will be a long journey: from Brazil to Italy. Jacopo is also late. He wasted time arguing with a taxi driver. Gloria, on the other hand, waits patiently on a chair, near the gate marked on her ticket. She has only a suitcase. In her hands, however, she holds plane tickets and an envelope. On its cover we can read in capital letters: MEMORIES. On the monitor screen, hanging on the grey wall, the words -On boarding- appear. Gloria gets up and walks down the corridor that will take her, after twenty years, out of South America. Jacopo is the last one to arrive. He still manages to get impatient about the too slow queue and the airport wi-fi not working well enough. Eventually, on the plane, Gloria and Jacopo are seated next to each other. Jacopo mumbles, loosens his tie, settles down and only after a few minutes does he notice her. Gloria has opened her envelope and is looking at the cards and memories from her long mission in Brazil. There is the receipt of her first lunch, the day she had arrived. There are the photos of the first children who came to her classes, of the families who welcomed her. Always smiling faces with the favelas behind them. In one picture, Gloria plays football and exults at her own goal. Jacopo keeps his gaze fixed forward, but his eyes seem to stretch to see all that precious content. Gloria notices it and stretches a few pictures out to him. She explains to him a few memories, a few moments. And that is how Jacopo bursts into tears, thinking of his son Luca, whom he has not seen for some time after his divorce with his wife Bianca, and the long business trips. And he confesses, because he feels protected by this nun, whose name is Gloria, and whom he does not know he has already met three other times in his life.
