Sicily, part A

---

We met the most interesting character at lunch in Cefalu, Sicily today, eating lunch in the sidewalk space of the next restaurant over, causing a big stir with his loud protestations, long political discussions with everyone at surrounding tables and good-natured but aggressive flirting with all the girls.. He was probably in his 70s.

When he stood up to leave, he stopped as he came to our table and looked as if he recognized me. He asked if we spoke English, and when we affirmed, he told us that he had been a lawyer in Sweden for years, and had come back to Palermo to live. His wife died almost four years ago, and his only companion was a cat. He told us of a trip he had taken to the US just after Sept 11 in 2001, when he traveled to San Francisco, then to Denver and Pueblo to visit a cousin. He was surprised that he was the only one on the plane to Pueblo -- but his cousin told him it was not safe to fly. His face took on a look of astonishment.

"Life is not safe! It is happy and it is sad but why should it be safe? You know, I miss my wife every day, but I am looking for a new one. She must be over 50, because I am no baby. Yes, life is worth living, and do you know why? Because the world is full of women!"

I am a stickler for accurate use of quotation marks, so I must confess this is not transcribed from a recording. It is, however, as close as I could come to reconstructing his words.

---

Comments

[John Starrett]

Why no photo?
I loaded a photo, but it has not showed up. I guess I will upload it again, but how can I associate it with the blog post?