½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

[B][CENTER]Two Ships Passing In The Night[/CENTER][/B]
[CENTER](As remembered 5/12/2005)[/CENTER]

During our 2002 three weeks stay in Italia, we also went to see the ‘Island of Lipari’, which we really enjoyed. Already on our crossing we made friends with members of the crew, who treated us like old friends and gave us a mini tour of the ship, showing us places where normally passengers are never allowed to go. On our return trip from Lipari later in the day, we were standing in line with all the other passengers, waiting to board, when some member of the crew called us by name and ushered us VIP style onboard ahead of all waiting for boarding. By the time general boarding was allowed we had already enjoyed our first cocktail. A number of the crew were from the island, giving us some idea as to how friendly the natives were.

Days later we took the train to Roma to meet some old friends who organized their trip to meet us for a few days before they returned to Canada. On the train we occupied a first class cabin, and found ourselves alone for a few stops, until an ½ûÂþÌìÌà couple, who just boarded, asked if we would mind that they shared the cabin with us. We welcomed their company, it gave me a chance to show off with my limited ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ. It turned out that the couple live on the island of Lipari. Well, we had to tell them of-course that we had visited their lovely island and made friends with the ship’s crew, and fondly remembered this experience. We chatted for a while talking about unimportant things for the most part. After a while the husband excused himself for he needed a smoke, and he left the cabin. As soon as he closed the cabin door from the outside, the woman had tears in her eyes and she told us that their trip to Roma was for medical reasons, her husband had brain cancer, and probably will not see Lipari again. She was a brave woman holding her feelings in front of her husband, not showing him how hopeless she thought his condition actually is. We hugged her and gave her words of encouragement. A while later the husband returned and we resumed our earlier small talk. They invited us to visit them during our next trip to Italia, and we felt that this was not an idle, meaningless invitation, they meant every word of it. When it was time to get off the train the poor man actually wanted to help us with our luggage, we insisted that a porter will take care of it. We hugged and kissed, probably never to see one another again. We were like ships passing in the night, and yet we shared for a brief moment the grieve of a lovely, brave woman and experienced the innate friendliness of most ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs.