Para A.A., por todo lo que me inspiró y no pude decirle.

Lo vi llegar caminando por la plaza; la americana azul marino, la camiseta blanca, el foulard alrededor del cuello como si nada llevase, las gafas de montura negra, el pelo peinado con estilo, una enorme sonrisa en lo labios. Y con sólo una mirada pude hacerme una imagen y sentirlo como una persona íntegra y divertida. El abrazo a medio camino entre el desconocido apenas vislumbrado alguna vez; el interrogante sobre el nombre, pues no se acuerda si es éste o aquél, tan parecidos…Y las Pink Nike, aportando ese toque simpático y aún más natural al atuendo encantador.

Y la voz de bacante, profunda y sensual, con cierto deje norteño pese a los años pasados y el ánimo presto y el esfuerzo por ser agradable al extremo.

Con sólo una mirada pude dibujar los trazos de sus ademanes, el baile de su mirada, los reflejos, los gestos eléctricos al encender un cigarrillo y dejarlo por otro a medio acabar; un café; un saludo, otro más, y la eterna sonrisa y cierto pudor. Todo atractivo.

Y me hubiese gustado decirle muchas cosas: hablar del tiempo, de lo que llevaba puesto, de su reloj, centelleando a la luz del local; de lo agradable del café, todo lleno de gente que iba a su rollo, y de que él formaba parte de ese rollo. Me hubiese gustado comentarle lo muy cercano que era, lo cariñoso y espontáneo; que me gustaba su bufanda como su cinturón, y que me encantaba ese toque sincero y nervioso al mismo tiempo. Yo, que estaba como un flan y con las palabras, las oraciones, las frases que morían sin salir de mis labios.

Y me hubiese gustado comentarle lo mucho que disfrutaba de ese encuentro precipitado, entre sus muchos quehaceres; el detalle más que tierno de atenderme y de soportarme; y lo agradecido que fue y lo amistoso y abierto. Yo que lo observaba fijamente con una mirada que me revelaba una mente despierta, agitada, siempre en actividad, siempre alerta y abierta a todas las posibilidades.

Y hubiese deseado que aquella sensación de eternidad no hubiese tenido fin, y me hubiese gustado tener la oportunidad, y el valor, para decirle todo aquello que me inspiró con apenas una mirada.

¡Qué suerte tropezar con gente a la que vale la pena conocer y mantener cerca! Personas a las que podemos comprender con sólo una mirada, porque su mundo interior brilla más allá de sus ojos, de sus gestos y de su voz…, porque son libres.

To A.A., for all that he inspired me and I didn’t tell to him.

I saw him walking down by the place, all dressed up in a navy-blue jacket, the glowing white T-shirt; a dark scarf around his neck so eased and abandoned, the dark eye-sight glasses; the styled comb hair and his enormous smile crossing his face with a welcome glaze. And with just one look I could portrayed him as honest and funny as he really is. The half-parted hugh with this stranger coming from another and an outer world; questioning the air about the real name of that man he had in front of him: how was it?… And those Pink Nike’s, contributing to the charming attire.

And the voice, so dark and masculine, deep and sensual,with this remaining accent from the North, though many years have passed since he lived in that city street. And the quick spirit, so intense and so open, effortless and magic.

With one look I just built the lines of his gestures, the deep ocean of his sight, the electrifying gestures of his hands enlightened a new cigarette though the last one was still burning; a coffee; a greeting, another regard, the ever lasting smile and some kind of shyness coming from the bottom of his soul. All attractiveness.

And I would like to tell him many things: to talk about weather; about what he was wearing at that moment; about his watch, glowing in the steam room; and about the crowded Café, full of people like him, so eased and welcoming. I would like to say to him how charming and wonderful he was being with me, how tender and spontaneous without an effort; I would like to share with him how much I liked his scarf or his belt or his attitude. I would like to thank him, and to drown him with so many words, so many sentences that never came up from my mouth. And then the time flew by.

I wish I could tell him how delighted I was at that moment just to hear him and to watch him saw back at me; I wish I could told him how grateful I was about those moments, that hour he took away from his schedule just to be with a complete stranger coming from the outer world just to meet him, and how marvelous he was, so touched, so tender, so open and so himself. I just watched him to talk, to smile, to salute to other people, to smoke and making jokes, and I was being a witness of this extraordinary mind, busy, shameless and brilliant.

And I would have wished that sensation of eternity never vanished in time, and I would have like I was have the chance, and the bravery, to say to him all these emotions I just felt with just one look at him.

It’s a real luck to find such an extraordinary people and it’s a challenge to have them close and near! People with we connect just with one look, because their inner world shines beyond their eyes, their gestures and their voices…, and because we already known, with just one look, that they’re really free.