700 km per hour! Friday morning, at 4.50: still of the night the next day for those who must commute to work e. .. for me too!
The phone-alarm clock is on the table as usual on hand e. .. suddenly rings!
My engineer, used to get calls working very morning (always the fault of the evil, time) while being in the middle of REM, it responds with an energy and a loud voice as if he were awake and activities for a couple of hours. Honestly, I envy him: alertness and reflexes, and in fact unknown to me ... I wake up too but I remain in a stupor for a while without realizing clearly what is happening. .. ah yes, the phone!
The conversation is in English. Will be the usual workaholic colleague at dawn is already in office. I do not know why but I naturally look at the clock and I realize that it is too early even for the unfortunate tireless worker. Then the instinct and the concern I am forced to listen more attentively to the call, and I can translate simultaneously capto (ah my poor English!) " thanks Aunt Bette " and " now turn on the television to see if there are news "then a few words of greetings and fitting end.
now is your alarm clock and the adrenaline is doing his job as a watchman and accelerating emotional, my engineer has since fallen downstairs and turned on the TV: there's no doubt something bad has happened . Use a few moments to understand it all, I just 2 words: earthquake, Japan. The third word is an automatic synaptic: tsunami.
At this point the bar of our level of concern will move slightly upwards although this time we are more psychologically well prepared operationally, is the second time because we experience the danger of tsunami, the first refers to the strong Chilean earthquake last year.
Since then we are ready in case of emergency evacuation: the suitcase is made of the need and is a leak ... the rest with earthquakes in California do not mess around either, so that the lease is delivered with the prevention plan and conduct in the case of an earthquake.
It 's a bit disturbing to say the truth and in fact in his reading as you go you find yourself checking your apartment to find out if they are been prepared in the minimum security measures that the plan is to avoid harmful consequences such as fires, for example. It throws a sigh of relief when you discover that yes, there are.
You may also find a safe corner of the house where Thee repair if the earth trembled wildly. A safe angle? So you can not help but knock on the walls of all the rooms to discover, like a treasure hunt, which are concrete, and then load-bearing and "important" and which ones are just a partition wall of wood veneer and with a breath go down ... but at least do not hurt the bricks (I hope). What can I win? the illusory belief that you can feel quite quiet and not cheap, believe me. Curious to know if I have found, the safe angle? Yes, it is in the kitchen.
Aunt Bette lives in Michigan and being 3 hours ahead of us with the time, is already up and having heard the news of the alarm given to all U.S. states on the west coast facing the Pacific , rushes to warn regardless of the time ... Aunt Bette, thanks for your concern and care for us!
learn that the arrival of the freak wave off the coast of California's South Bay is scheduled for 8:30 am and then at about 6:30 or so, since there is no evacuation alarm is usually issued by the police cars all over the streets of the city, we decided to go back to bed to rest a while '.
Rationally we know that there is no danger for us, but it is really impossible to even go back to sleep because the images of devastation in Japan are too shocking and disturbing.
However there are still two hours to the fateful moment and fear that often, if not always, makes a mockery of the ways of reason leads me to ask for reassurance:
" you can stay at home until 8.30? "
" Yes, rest, do not worry. "
Wave Came, I look out the window, but is so weakened in its force that can not be distinguished from other waves caused by the tide, but now and then, to want to almost make fun of us or show his indifference to the event, the sea is terribly quiet.
And there is someone (unfortunately it's true) that on that wave, which is defined and scientifically aseptically very unusual but it is, even if innocent, murder, is surfing!
Nature may be indifferent to human suffering caused by it and this is not blame, but man sometimes it's just stupidity and evil that is unacceptable no ifs, ands or buts!
'Nature: "Pictures of you think that the world was made because of you? We now know that the invoices, orders and operations of mine, trattone very few, and I always had the intention to anything but the happiness or unhappiness of men. When I offended you in any way and at half what it is, I do not n'avveggo me, if not very rarely: as, ordinarily, if I pleasure or benefit you, I do not know, and I did not, as you believe, as these things or not such actions those f or, for pleasure or benefit you. And finally, if I happen to pay off your whole species, I will not avvedrei. "' Dialogue of Nature and an Icelander - Giacomo Leopardi
ps A hug of affection to all the friends and loved ones who are worried about us. Thanks.
