C10 / 01

La compañía con la que volaba de vuelta a casa era una de ésas de low-cost. Junto al mostrador había un paraguas tumbado un tanto desorientado. Lo había visto desde la sala de espera (waiting room) del aeropuerto, mientras mataba el tiempo, antes de embarcar. I had booked my flight with a low-cost company. Just besides the service counter there was an umbrella knocked over on the floor, a little bit lost. I had saw him from the waiting room of the airport, through the window, spending time, just before taking the plane.

Lo cierto es que había sido abandonado, aunque por su gesto, cabizbajo, algo apesadumbrado, creo que había empezado a encajarlo, había empezado a asimilarlo. No es algo que deba causar extrañeza; es algo habitual en los aeropuertos. No porque no hubiera sitio para él en la maleta, sino porque – supongo – su dueño se había pasado de peso al hacerla, según la báscula; por otra parte, infalible en su medida, eficaz, exacta, imparcial, ecuánime en su juicio - eso dicen -. Dejar allí el paraguas, o lo que fuera, era una forma de perder lastre y garantizarse el ok de aceptación del equipaje; al menos, desde la distancia de la mampara, eso es lo que parecía. The only true was that it has been abandoned, nevertheless I must say, in some way, because of its face, and its distressed look, I think that he had started to accept it, he had started to take on it. This is not something strange; this is something quite usual in the airports. The reason it is not because there was no place for him into the suitcase, but because – I suppose – the owner had fill up too much the wallet, from what the scale says, on the other hand, infallible measuring, efficient, exact, impartial and equable in its judgment – it is said -. Leaving there the umbrella, or whatever, was the normal procedure to lose weight and get the ok for the luggage checking; at least, from the distance of the screen, that is what it seemed to me.

Desafortunadamente, como en tantas otras repetidas ocasiones, sencillamente es la prisa lo que le hace a uno olvidar un objeto tan valioso. De camino al mismo aeropuerto, en el tren, había visto una de esas escenas. Unfortunately, as so many repeated occasions, it is the simple rush what makes one to forget something so valuable. By the way to the same airport, on the train, I had seen one of this scenes. Esta vez fue una chica. Estábamos aproximándonos al andén, el maquinista empezó a reducir la velocidad paulatinamente. La gente ya de pie, se apelotonaba junto a la puerta esperando para desembarcar. Sonó un teléfono. La chica dejó el paraguas de mano que llevaba sobre uno de los asientos para poder atender la llamada. Las puertas se abrieron, una marabunta de gente comenzó a abandonar el tren; fin de trayecto. Nadie miró hacia atrás. Ni siquiera yo me percaté en aquel momento de lo que acababa de suceder. Ojalá hubiera podido reaccionar de otro modo. No entendía la ternura con la que aquel paraguas miraba aquella mano. En fin; uno más… At this time it was a girl. We were approaching to the platform, and then, little by little, the driver started to brake shortly. Everybody was stood up, the corridor was full up, the passengers were to the door waiting for landing. One ring. A mobile phone started to ring. The girl left the hand-umbrella which she was holding on one of the seat in order to receive the call. Suddenly the doors were opened, and a crowd of people (a multitude) started to walk to there to get off the train; end of the line. Nobody looked back; either me, I did not realize at that moment about what was happening. I wish I had reacted in other way. I was not able no understand the tenderness with what that umbrella was looking at that hand. It is a pity, one more else…

Las esperas en el aeropuerto son (se hacen) infinitas, a veces se prolongan durante horas, pero para ser sincero; con los vuelos he aprendido a sacar provecho de ello, es sólo cuestión de tener un poco de paciencia. Waiting at the airports seems to me an eternal thing, sometimes it takes hours… but to be honest, the more flights I am taking, the more advantages I learn to take from this, It is just a question of having a little patience.

Haciendo tiempo para embarcar caí en la cuenta de que nunca vi a nadie llegar con paraguas al restaurante donde trabajé a mi llegada a la ciudad, hacía ya casi siete meses; y eso que el local contaba con un exclusivo paragüero, más bien para los clientes. Wasting time for boarding I realized that never ever I saw nobody arriving with umbrella to the restaurant where I was working when I arrived to the City, just seven months ago; even although the local had an exclusive umbrella-stand, only for clients.

Allí aprendí lo complicado, si no imposible, de que a pesar de lo difícil que resulta mirar hacia otro lado que no sea el suelo cuando llueve con fuerza, uno ha de mirar siempre al frente. At that place I had the chance to learn how difficult, if not impossible, that it becomes to look forward, to look all straight when it is raining hard, and the only thing that you can do; - apparently – it is look at to the ground.

…

hoy suena bajo el paraguas: I´ ll drown / soley (en) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt0B3oYgmaA&feature=related