Oh, but what a car you have!
It seems almost to be made for fun when looking at my 2005 two-door Audi A3, well maintained and always revised, but still twelve years old.
Begin with this consideration the first contact with Francesco Fortunato just before the meeting in Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia, Antonella Palmisano and her future husband Lorenzo Dessì in these two Trieste days.
She has curly hair with Mediterranean beauty loosened to the breeze blowing from the banks and he, as smiling as ever.
They are together with a common friend, who inform Lorenzo on local wines.
We talk about "Vitovska" local wine has a straw yellow color sometimes with golden reflections, (especially when choosing oak wood refinement) and a "glera white berry" which is the basic component of the "prosecco", a diatribe that divides on the name the local producers of the Carso from Trieste to Monfalcone from those of Veneto from Conegliano to Valdobbiadene.
It change almost nothing, I intervene, always good is.
The common friend, a well-known sports manager, accompanies us in one of the many small vinery of which the historic area is covered around the Piazza dell'Unità d'Italia and the tasting is a must.
She seems hesitant, but then she also accepts, even pushed by Lorenzo ("you haven't racing tomorrow") while he, the break hear of Puglia, insists on his mineral water. He doesn't know what's lost!
Then the plummed hat soldiers arrive, talk on the stage, the obligations with the organizers and away.
Tomorrow, in the hope that Colonel Mocio of the weather forecasts, will go wrong at least once.
Nothing more wrong: Colonel Mocio is not mistaken and unfortunately he is anticipating an infernal morning.
They're going to start the kids and she's the godmother Antonella is there with them.
A lap is gone next to a kid with a yellow shirt that remembers that of the Yellow Flames dressed up by Antonella. He smiles happy. When did he ever think of walking a day soulder to soulder to one that a month ago had been a bronze medal at the London World Championships. Sometime the dreams, even the strangest and bizarre ones, come true.
Let's go to the photo here below in the sense of this little boy dream: thanks to Antonella for making him dream.
He is not so lucky (although his last name would be different) our Francesco from Andria, for all Effe.
He must walk 10km in while the rain becomes flood.
Finally, we go to eat in six, in a beautiful place on the sea-beach of Trieste in that of Barcola where up to 20 days ago the girls of Trieste walked in bikini.
We had told you, dear Effe, that you missed the place to go for a holiday, it is not in Potsdam in Germany where you had to go, but here on the promenade of Barcola. Believe me it would be worth it!
Among the starters, spaghetti with fish and fried mixed or tuna carpaccio still consumes the wine rite, but now she is drinking water while Effe with Lorenzo and me withe wine. Our two companions of Belluno eating their risotto, which looks so good, they dring water. Scandalous decision, but unfortunately 220km and more, even though highway in the rain impose it.
And here, between a talk abour race walk and anoter abour personal items, Antonella relaxes.
He slides on the marriage
"Lorenzo does not lose too many hairs before": he hide himself, poor guy, but that's not what he decides.
and then on one of his strongest opponents: Liu Hong, today in pregnancy.
"Sooner or later it will be your turn, Antonella" I say.
"I'm just late" she replies.
The two ladies of Belluno jump in the chair.
"The problem", she adds with a smile, "is the contract I made with Patrick"!
"Patrick puts his heart and soul in my training. For two years, the blind ones of the accident, he helped me, and I'm grateful, I can not abandon him for a year.
I can not betray her expectations and our contract now.
Because I want to train with Patrick"!
Oh yes the gratitude, this misunderstood word (even in the small world of the Italian and Trieste race walk), is often used only when there is a personal interest, makes me cramp into the stomach recalling facts a year ago and little more.
I resist, but in my mind, I think of how many times I've been wrong in life believing in the existence of gratitude, and today, this champion of Mottola, squash it on my plate putting myself in doubt if it exists or not.
Perhaps today I also understood that the teachings of my father, Apulian as Antonella, were that of the the children of that land where words like honor and gratitude have an intimate and not only external weight.
But she with a smile on her lips she has already realized my difficulties as I turn my eyes on Lorenzo smiling and raising her glass of white wine.
"Pacta sunt servanda" was said by the Latins, and it has by no means become a fundamental principle of civil and international law, but to hear it say to her, this 26-year-old from Mottola who told us about her sporting growth and to hear that everything is eventually postponed to after Tokyo, makes me getting goose pimples.
Your style lesson, Antonella, is not just step by step in race walk.
I envy my friend Patrick lucky man!
Forty years less I would also envy Lorenzo.
Great land that of Apulia from Orta Nova, in the Apulian Tavoliere from where my father emigrated in 1939 to that of Andria and Mottola who gave us these jewels of race walk.
Said hallo to our common friends of Belluno and seeing that the rain seems to give us a pause let's immediately go towards the hill of San Giusto.
Visit the church, the bell tower, the castle view, rite photos.
Some explanation on the free Port of Trieste after the edict of March 18, 1719 by Charles VI, father of Maria Teresa of Austria, on the birth of the "great Trieste" and then go for a visit to the Foiba of Basovizza to explain what the exodus after Second World War meant for Trieste.
There is still time for a good craft beer at a farm in Bagnoli della Rosandra.
Dear friends, is good the live here in this border area.
And then back to Piazza Unità d'Italia where the van is waiting for us to the airport.
Last greetings and wishes to Antonella. In China, along with Brigita Virbalyte-Dimsiene (LTU), and Viktoria Madarasz (HUN) you are a great team. You can fight for the podium and dream.
And if you do not yet know the name to give to your team, I suggest one of them: Marcia dal Mondo team.
Let think about it, it will be appreciated by a lot of people there.