9/05/11 100 Names in 100 Minutes - Pero, Lei è Morta

We arrived at my mother’s cousin Paolo’s house a little late for lunch.  Let’s chalk it up to non-specific directions…how typically Italian.  We were quickly seated and offered something to eat.  What followed was a rapid fire session of mom and Paolo recalling people and places from their past.  Mom left Italy for Canada when she was thirteen and she admits to not remembering much.  Paolo remained in Italy all his life, but he left the South in his twenties to search for work.  Eventually he settled near Milano in a town called Salerano sul Lambro (Salerano on the Lambro River).

Paolo is now seventy-six, but his capacity for remembering the people from his past in incredible.  From memory, he pulls out the exact dates that things happened, birth dates and the dates that people left their hometown of Locri in Calabria.  I was in awe.  Who I had in front of me were the two youngest children in their family remembering all those who had gone before them.  Predictably, after recalling someone’s name and discussing them briefly the same words were spoken by each of them: “Pero, lei è morta” (But she’s dead).  Over and over the same words were spoken, “Pero, lei è morta”.  You’d think it would have been depressing, but they basked in the memories.  I pointed out the scene that was repeating itself and they both had a laugh.  “At least we’re still around to remember them” said Paolo.  How true.