The train

I'm boarding a train. I intend to make a trip to nowhere. This is a modern train and it reaches speeds of vertigo but you can't enjoy the scenery from the train.
While I try to put my suitcase in its place, come to my mind memories of when I was very small, and my father took me to a big city. The trip we did in a rickety old train and agonizing, with wooden seats which were very uncomfortable, and smoke from the locomotive and left a trail of soot on the faces and clothes of travelers. But the discomforts, even though many especially for the elderly, did not matter, because almost everything was fun and excitement for a child my age.
In front of me a shy girl, clutching her mother's hand and trying to hide her face behind her mother's hand.
It was fate. For over sixty years she has made my life the paradise.
Three months ago she died and left me in complete darkness.

El tren

Estoy subiendo a un tren. Pretendo hacer un viaje a ninguna parte. Este es un tren moderno de los que alcanzan velocidades de vértigo y no te permiten disfrutar del paisaje.
Mientras trato de poner la maleta en su lugar, vienen a mi mente recuerdos de cuando, siendo muy pequeño, mi padre me llevó a conocer una gran ciudad. El viaje lo hicimos en un destartalado y agonizante viejo tren, Los asientos de madera eran muy incómodos, y el humo de la locomotora dejaba un rastro de carbonilla en los rostros y en las ropas de los viajeros. Pero las incomodidades, aún siendo muchas sobre todo para las personas mayores, no importaban, pues casi todo era diversión y entusiasmo para un niño de mi edad.
Enfrente de mí se sentaba una niña tímida, que agarraba la mano de su madre y trataba de ocultar su rostro detrás de ella.
Fue el destino. Durante más de sesenta años, aquella niña ha hecho de mi vida el paraíso. Hoy hace cien días que murió y me ha dejado en la más absoluta oscuridad.

Magic Christmas

That morning, like every morning for years, I was begging at the parking entrance of the Plaza Mayor. It is Christmas Eve. Came to my mind memories of my childhood, when on Christmas my father took my sister and me by the hand, and we walked the stalls scattered around the square showing all kinds of toys. Upon returning home my mother received us with open arms, it filled us with kisses and made us feel great. How different my life now!

Someone broke into my thoughts and dropped a coin in the blanket with which I protected against cold. I thanked him for the gesture at him and he said something I did not understand.

Since the previous day he had been unable to eat anything, and suddenly I started to feel sick. A feeling of dizziness forced me to lie down on the blanket. I do not know how long I was unconscious. Then I heard distant siren of the ambulance and someone grabbed my arm. I do not remember anything else.

When I regained consciousness in a hospital bed I found a deep blue eyes watching me with concern.

- How are you?

- Where I am?

- They have brought you here in an ambulance. It is the Doce de Octubre Hospital.
You have fainted.

- I feel good, but it hurts a little head.

I'm Angela, her nurse. Now rest, please. In a few minutes the doctor will come to see you.

After a while, which it seemed to me endless, Angela came accompanied by the doctor.

- The results of the tests reveal nothing abnormal. Only it is anemia.
Since when do not eat?

- A couple of days ago someone bought to me a sandwich and fruit.

- You should go to a shelter. There could eat better and surely someone take care of you.

- Thank you very much doctor. Sometimes I go to the soup kitchen of the Sisters of Charity in Street Martinez Campos, but after a while I always come back to the Plaza Mayor.

The doctor greeted me and left. It was noon. I was lonely and dejected. I wanted to leave the hospital as soon as possible, although I found consolation with people who is attending me. Consolation, shelter, something to protect me from my own existence.

Shortly after Angela came very determined and she said:
- You will be discharged. Today is Christmas Eve. You want to come home for dinner?

I could not hold back tears. Gesturing I said yes. In recent years he had not had anyone with whom to be on a night so endearing.

- Thank you. I do not want to disturb. You have family and they will not want to share tonight with an stranger.

- I'm alone. My husband died in a car accident and I do not have anyone, so since it happened, I have to pass Christmas alone.

We dined at home. Angela was an exceptional cook. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Table with tablecloth, wine glasses to enjoy wine and exquisite dishes I will always remember. She began to tell the story of her life, the tragic moments of the death of her husband and about how lucky he was to exercise the vocation of his life in the hospital.

On Christmas Day I got up after having been fortunate enough to sleep in a bed with clean sheets. After breakfast, Angela asked me:

- Do you want us to attend Mass?

- Yes, but I do not wear appropriate clothing to enter the church.

- I have suits in the closet Alberto, my husband. I am unable to destroy them. He was high like you. Do you want to try on some of them?

He left and returned with several suits, underwear, shoes ....

I tried on a suit, and it seemed made for me.

- You look good. If you want, I can prepare these costumes and put them in a small suitcase. I am sure Alberto would be glad that you can use them.

We went to Mass and out she told me:
- Today we will celebrate that we met each other and I'd like to invite you to eat in a good restaurant.

We enjoyed a nice chat after lunch. The conversation revolved around people like me who are homeless, but also told me about the joy of living, and helping others. Already getting dark when we returned home.

- Would you help me in the kitchen to prepare a nice dinner?

- Angela, I know not help in the kitchen.

- Do not worry. It is very easy. You help me to chop onions, garlic and parsley. With these three ingredients we can truly cook prodigious dishes.

The dinner was frugal but delicious. I thanked him for everything he was doing for me. And when I was alone in my room I knelt down and prayed for the two days that he had been lucky to meet an angel.

Day 26 I woke up in a hospital bed. I rang the bell and immediately several nurses were presented.

- Please, can you tell Angela I am here? I do not know why I'm here.

- I am sorry, but there is no nurse to call Angela.

- You are in the Hospital October 12?

-If. From the day 24. You fainted, and you have been in a coma.

- It's not possible. I was discharged on 24 and I've been with a nurse who works at this hospital since that day.

-I am sorry. You've been in a coma since Christmas Eve until now. It has been feared for his life. He suffered a heart attack that fortunately had no consequences.

It was not possible. There had to be some mistake. Angela made me the gift of living a happy Christmas and I wanted to believe that those days had not existed.

I stayed for several days. When I was discharged, someone told me that I had left a small suitcase. It was into my locker .... It was the suitcase with Alberto's suits that Angela had prepared me.

I left the hospital shocked and amazed.

I returned to my corner of the parking entrance of the Plaza Mayor, and I couldn't thinking about the miracle of Angela. We never used the familiar tú form of address, nor do I revealed her my name.

Order

Order is water the plants when needed, making beds every day, greet the neighbors, clean the house, take the kids to school.
Order is have a healthy breakfast, get to work with already scheduled tasks, solve problems.
Order is to anticipate the future, be sure to stay living .....
But there is an order that comes from chaos, the result of crossing two random circumstances, two ideas, two lines of thought. And this is known as creation.

Orden

Orden es regar las plantas cuando lo necesitan, hacer las camas todos los días, saludar a los vecinos, limpiar la casa, llevar a los niños al cole.
Orden es desayunar sano, llegar al trabajo con las tareas ya programadas, solucionar problemas.
Orden es prever el futuro, tener la seguridad de poder seguir vivo.....
Pero hay un orden que nace del caos, del resultado de cruzar aleatoriamente dos circunstacias, dos ideas, dos líneas de pensamiento. Y eso es la creación.

Loneliness

I just discovered I've always been alone. So frightened of loneliness, and it turns out that I have lived the fiction of being accompanied all my time. Friends, family, acquaintances, coworkers ...
So frightened to die alone, to be alone to facing life, to  be alone to fight diseases, when loneliness is the closest reality, the only reality.
That pitiless discovery has been presented alone, without mercy or any form of consolation. But it did not cause any feeling of rejection or frustration, but a rebirthing of things. Reborn to old things that no longer are not the old things. To find the new into the old in an endless round.

Soledad

Acabo de descubrir que siempre he estado solo. Tanto miedo a la soledad, y resulta que durante todo mi tiempo, he vivido la ficción de estar acompañado. Amigos, familia, conocidos, compañeros de trabajo...
Tanto miedo a morir solo, a enfrentarme a la vida solo, a las enfermedades solo, a reconocerme solo, cuando la soledad es la realidad más cercana, la única realidad.
Ese descubrimiento inmisericorde se ha presentado sólo, sin ninguna piedad ni forma alguna de consuelo. Pero no ha originado ningún sentimiento de rechazo ni de frustración, sino un renacimiento a las cosas. Renacer a lo de siempre que ha dejado de ser lo de siempre. Encontrar lo nuevo en lo viejo en una rueda sin fin.

The legacy

He was a singular character. From an early age he had the ability to discover the weaknesses of the people who lived with him  and he learned to make the most of their relationships with others.
One day, he was on a terrace with a friend he was duping to make for him a dirty job. Suddenly he realized that someone was watching him from across the street. He became livid when he recognized a former partner who had swindled. Not knew what to do. He turned his head, mumbled something to his friend and quickly rose to try to escape in the opposite direction that had seen his former partner. He had no time. He had reached his height and calledhim by his name. Terrified he turned and his former partner with a happy face embraced him warmly.

-My dear friend, you do not know how happy I am to see you again. Do you remember those lands that sold me at a very cheap price? Due to a clerical double error, these lands were not registered in your name in the registry of property, but of an official who had died without family, and also its extension was ten times that had sold me. The owner had given instructions that his testament should be opened if someone appear asking for those fields. It surprisingly in his will he declared that these lands would pass into the hands of the person concerned. These lands are urban lands, so thank to you, I am rich.

La herencia

Era un personaje singular. Desde muy pequeño había tenido la habilidad de descubrir las debilidades de las personas con las que trataba a menudo, y aprendió a sacar el máximo partido en sus relaciones con los demás.

Cierto día, estaba en una terraza con un amigo al que trataba de embaucar para que le hiciera un trabajo sucio. De repente se dio cuenta de que alguien le observaba desde el otro lado de la calle. Se quedó lívido al reconocer a un antiguo socio al que había estafado. No sabía qué hacer. Volvió la cabeza, le balbuceó algo a su amigo y se levantó rápidamente para tratar de escapar en dirección contraria a la que había visto a su socio. No tuvo tiempo. Él ya había llegado a su altura y le llamaba por su nombre. Aterrado se dio la vuelta y su socio con una sorprendente cara de felicidad le abrazó efusivamente.

-Querido amigo, no sabes lo feliz que soy al verte de nuevo. ¿Te acuerdas de aquellos terrenos que me vendiste a un precio muy barato? Debido a un error burocrático, esos terrenos no estaban inscritos a tu nombre en el registro de la propiedad, sino al de un funcionario que había muerto sin familia, y además su extensión era diez veces la que me habías vendido. El dueño había dado instrucciones para que se abriera su testamento si aparecía alguien interesándose por esos terrenos. Sorprendetemente en el testamento se declaraba que esos terrenos pasaran a manos de la persona interesada. Esos terrenos son urbanizables, así que gracias a ti soy rico.

Suffering

Two weeks ago I left my country. I never thought my life would change this way. Now I neither have anyone or anything. Last night, after suffering the unspeakable we  reached Vienna. The police directed us to a center where we regained strength, and this morning an official has informed us of the possibility of seeking asylum.
My memories haunt me. My dear Aleppo, where I lived my childhood, happy with my parents and my brothers. Aleppo city in which I fell in love with a woman who has been the center of my life, and she is no longer exist. The University, where I lived some intense years and many exciting experiences, now bombarded by this collective suicide of my beloved people,
Where will I rebuild my life? Where will I rest?