The small corner office on the first floor of that building was a mess as usual. Outside the window that looked out on one of the busiest squares, people on the wide sidewalks abundant circulating during rush hour, as every day. He had the windows ajar to let some 'air, then had a look at the mail and more urgent things to attend to. It was on one of his cigarettes with all the calm listless that gave him the start of another day's work certainly heavy, then all that one had opened the window of the room and stayed there motionless, near the sunny window sill, to observe the city that neurotically play its role. A man was stopping
started to observe it from the sidewalk, then he assisted another person who had raised her nose and stayed there, that, too, stopped watching. Others were added, as if anything would evoke magnetically attention to the window where he was facing. Many continued to stop and look at him, and he was at first paralyzed by the strangeness of what was happening, but later the situation had seemed so unnatural as to make it even unable to think of something. He remained there, at that window sill, to be observed by all, almost breathless, unable to move any, so that continued to smoke his cigarette in the ashtray of his own scrivania, e intanto lui cercava di capire che cosa si fosse verificato per attrarre tutta quell’attenzione.
Le cose andavano avanti, le persone arrivavano, si accalcavano agli altri e si fermavano con lo sguardo rivolto all’insù, verso di lui. Il sole gli faceva scottare la faccia e lui con gli occhi ridotti a due fessure per via della luce non riusciva neanche a guardare qualcuno o qualcosa; infine si accorse che del sangue gli era colato dal naso, come altre volte era accaduto per una normale allergia di stagione, e lui non volendo e non accorgendosi di niente si era impiastricciato con la mano quasi tutta la faccia. Chiuse velocemente i vetri e si allontanò dalla finestra, ma ormai era tardi, tutti avevano preso a salire lungo the stairs, knocking on the door of his small office, to besiege, curious, eager, to assist with the anxiety of people to what was happening there. Following the day took place just like any other.
Bruno Magnolfi
