ROSARIO AND SIMONE

Rosario speaks first. He has an Italian accent, which makes the –r difficult to understand. His hands clasped together, he tells us that he spent a few years in prison before he was admitted to the emergency shelter.

Rosario used to work as a truck driver; in those days, he spent his nights and weekends on the road. However, one night he came back earlier than usual. He was surprised and horrified to find his wife making love to another man.

This very night, Rosario was carrying a firearm on himself. Its sole purpose was to protect the goods held in the truck, but he could not resist shooting the couple that was staining his bed sheets. He made a quick escape; he thought he killed his wife and her lover. He drove to Greece but the police caught up with him and arrested him. Rosario learned that he had killed no one, but that attempted murder is a crime and he would still be punished –in his case- by serving 10 years in prison.

One night, in his cell, he dreamt of a white horse, a knight and a woman. He did not recall that strange dream until he met –later on- Simone. Today, Rosario is certain that God made the two of them cross paths.

Simone was in very bad shape when she first arrived at the emergency shelter. She was broken and traumatized. The social workers found her on the street. She was sleeping outside because she wanted to escape her violent husband. Simone says that if she would have stayed on living in her husband’s house, she would have died.
When Rosario looked at Simone for the first time, she reminded him of the woman of his dreams. It was love at first sight. As he tells us this, Rosario imitates Cupid, who throws an arrow. He immediately asked Simone if they could be together, but Simone was scared. She was not ready to love a man again. She asked him to wait. Simone thought that Rosario would reject her if she were to tell him her story, or, if he were to learn that she had children.

But, soon after their first meeting, she told Rosario her secrets. He listened to her and he provided her with a shoulder to cry on. Little by little, Simone put her trust in Rosario  and she started to fall for his loving eyes. Simone believes that Rosario has kept her alive. Without him, she would not have been strong enough to carry on with life. But together, they have hope.

The “two lovers of the emergency shelter”, as some people call them, want to marry each other and move to Italy. They want to start all over again. They think about the glorious days they could spend living in a house by the sea. The Mediterranean climate would be good for Simone; Rosario says it would be good for her health. Maybe they will open a shop; Rosario is already 70 but he is not afraid to work.

When they talk about their projects, Rosario gives Simone a hug. They will marry each other very soon and they will leave for Italy and never come back.
The administrative and social workers of the emergency shelter seem to be a bit less optimistic than them. However, they agree that sometimes, it is good for people to dream.