“TOngelina, he told me from behind the curtain. Angelina, like Jolie.” The book of the year is The cure by Concita De Gregoriopublished by Einaudi. «I didn’t want to talk. I had pain, fear and a tiredness that makes you want to sleep for two days but can’t, because the drainage in the side hurts beyond words. But she does. She wanted to talk a lot, like all people who live alone.”
Concita talks about her recovery from the disease and addresses a topic that we have been addressing for many years in this column: treatment. It says some very profound things that lend themselves to discussion, and in fact I would like to discuss them with you next week. This week I want to mention one of the stories that struck me the most: Angelina.
«As soon as she heard the wheels of the bed with the new guest on board, she said “I’m Angelina, like Jolie. I’m your neighbor”, and started talking. I wasn’t well disposed. After a while she noticed the silence. He said “It’s good for you to sleep, rest well little girl. Sleeping cures you”. Little girl, he said. We hadn’t seen each other yet because of the white curtain, but from her voice she didn’t seem old to me.”
Aldo Cazzullo (photo by Carlo Furgeri Gilbert).
«After a few hours I explored. “Nice to meet you, Angelina, my name is Concita. How old are you?”. He said his age: the same as mine. So she was a “little girl” of affection, a “little girl” who quickly transformed into a “queen”. In his language: “reina”». A friendship begins. “Tomorrow we’ll tattoo our eyebrows.”
“The cure” by Concita De Gregorio (Einaudi)
Alessandro, Concita’s husband, arrives, brings flowers for Angelina, and she is happy, “you are the man of dreams”. We grow fond of Angelina. One day they take her away. Concita will hear from him the same day he closed the drafts of his book. Angelina reappeared. The author will explain how, if she wants. We readers are left with the feeling of having known her, and of having loved her. Let’s hope this can be saved.
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All articles by Aldo Cazzullo.