There comes a moment in life when you must accept that some of the people you love the most are absent from your life. What is absence, anyway? It’s a feeling of loneliness, of not being able to have the company of someone, to touch or hug him or her, to be away, parted from that person you love; to miss that person, so much that your heart aches and there is such a void inside you that, it seems, …
Tag: old age
It’s a Saturday morning of an Autumn that has suddenly turned cold but sunny! The sky is blue, and it’s so good to walk on the street and feel the cold, and the sun, on our faces. I’m walking side by side with my son Pedro; we are having lunch at a restaurant where I used to go often with Dad and Ilda (my stepmother) in the good old days of my youth, and I’m telling Pedro old stories about …
It’s a family reunion at Nuno’s home. I’m deep in conversation with one of his cousins, who was recently separated –we are sharing experiences– when the doorbell rings. The door opens and I see Auntie Cris and Uncle José coming in. It’s so good to see them. Now in their early eighties, when I met them ten years ago they were still in great shape; he, a tall, slim, straight dark haired man, and she a petite, pale skinned blonde …
We meet occasionally at birthdays and celebrations. I wouldn’t go as far as to say we’re friends, but we enjoy talking to each other. We have the same age and share quite a few interests so it’s always good to catch up. During this birthday dinner we don’t sit near each other so at coffee time I take my cup and sit down by her. I know her mother – in her eighties – took a fall and has …
