A very nice surprise

I cried a couple of hours, tears of joy and pain, then I found the thread of my thoughts and remember a convention on the shores of the Tirreno Sea and an alliance between the Klingon Empire and the Federation...

Thank you for the phone call, Antonio and your friendship. 

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E dopo un paio d'ore di lacrime miste di gioia e dolore, riesco a riprendere il filo dei pensieri e mi ritrovo a ricordare una convention in riva al Tirreno e un patto tra Impero Klingon e Federazione...

Grazie per la telefonata, Antonio, e per la tua amicizia. 

Personal Log, 198706.14 - Excerpt

... and I start from the moment when, once I bought my ticket, I was about to enter the movie theatre. I hear a voice behind me: "I know that insigna!" I turn around anda a guy is smiling staring at the Starfleet Captain symbol I wear on my black basque. "Starfleet, obviously!" I say and so I find out that he is Alberto Lisiero, admiral of the Star Trek Italian Club!! At last!! At last!! My mind exploded: I found the entrance door, I'm about to go in Starfleet! I am not alone anymore!! I take the chance to talk to him, about many things!

I feel privileged

Pardon me if I'll be brutal...

I've told these things before in this sparselly written blog of mine - I'm in a sort of "quarantine" since years now.
- my mum needs my attention 24/7 at home;
- I usually go out just for buying food, medicines or go to the bank or post office;
- I work from home the very few jobs I can find;
- basically I'm living with my mother's social allowance;
- it's been ages since I've hung out with friends regularly.

But... even if my situation has been like this for at least five year and this emergency will postpone the final chapter of my long trial tribulations, I feel highly privileged:
- my house is mine (thanks to my friends and family help), no mortgage, no rent;
- I have a huge private garden where I can go for a walk and two wonderful cats to keep me company;
- I am "officially" unemployed and poor, and although I cannot access any benefit, I have no impelling tax to pay.

But most of all...

Being labelled as "poors" because we have less than 5000 euro in our bank/postal accounts, my mother and me have access to some services:
- volunteers delivery food and medicines at home if we need it;
- my municipality gave us some food for free (flour, milk, canned vegetables, pasta, rise, jams and so on);
- my bills are reduced by a small percentage (not much, but it's welcome anyway).

Alberto always taught me to always see the bright side of things, so even if the Covid-19 pandemic is a terrible, terrible catastrophe, it somehow makes me feel pampered.

Personal Log, 201301.22 - Excerpt

I'm happy about the Inside issue dedicated to you, my Alberto. You probably would say it's too much, but I really believe you deserve it. Who, more than you, did so much for Star Trek? You devoted your life to STIC as I devoted my life to you!
I know it's easy to dedicate your life to something you love, just as it's been easy for me to dedicate my life to you.
Now I just have to be strong enough to "be you" and go on like you never left me.

Personal Log 201301.14 - Excerpt

I know it's a selfish thing to say, but I wish I could swap with Alberto: he would be in pain, but he'd carry on better than I do.

Alberto and I were one identity, one soul, one person... But burocracy wants to divide us at all costs, making us two estranged people, like our shared life never happened.

I feel rage, because Alberto had been betrayed by someone who told him he admired us. Our financial advisor never paid our taxes and now I have to pay it. I feel rage because someone betrayed Alberto's trust, his infinite goodness, his transparency.

Oh, my great love, you've been a miracle in my life and I hope - after all this - to be able to live as you wanted me to live...

Personal Log, 201301.07 - Excerpt

The thing that I wish more than anything is not let everything Alberto created fade into nothingness. I helped him, it was my life as much as his.

I realise now that there will be many things I'll have to do alone,  things that we planned to do together...
To plant the little Christmas tree...
To watch the new Star Trek movie to see if we were right about the villain...
To clean the new photocamera...
To make a voyage just me and him...
I will do all those things, for him, but it won't be the same. I feel so tired and empty...

Personal Log, 201301.04 - Excerpt

This is the first day of my life without Alberto - his body now rests in the cemetery in San Michele al Tagliamento.

This morning, as I was about to lay to rest the love of my life - the only man I ever had (and the only one I will ever have) - I thought I  could not smile, let alone keep on living. And yet... All our friends supported me just by being there, and they were so many!
Once I read that a shared pain diminishes, a shared joy multiplies. Today I had proof of that.

One last think I want to write lest to forget - thanks to Marcello, Alberto has been accompained out of the church on the notes of Amazin Grace. Wherever he is, Alberto will be glad!