Like life itself / November 12, 2023 2023/11/12

GOOD VOYAGE, MASTER!

Yesterday, Don left Abel. The great teachers and, Abel, is without a doubt one of them, they deserve a farewell, more of a joyful tribute and a review of their greatness than a heartbreaking elegy. I have been aware of its existence more or less as long as I have been aware of mine. Twenty years is nothing, says the tango Return, and lies; Twenty years is a long time, because those are how long it takes me and I doubt that he will be able to achieve his mastery even in 40, if he were to live through them. We share a pain that unites men, we both know the unnatural dispossession suffered by those who lose a child.

Abel He was an exquisite man, owner of an impressive people skills, he doubled his height just with the strength of his personality; exquisite because he always had good taste, somewhat innate and much studied, with a prodigious power of observation and learning; He knew how to get the most out of life and live it intensely. A good advisor, with an easy and tough tongue, capable of singing about a topic he didn't know about and making you believe in his mastery. Skilled at laughing at tragedy or, at hugging and comforting, even if he was the one who was going through suffering. With him I learned the enjoyment of good things, I was fortunate to travel with him and they were always experiences of joy and lesson, one day we had a glass of the highest wine together in the most exclusive place and, also, someone could have surprised us with a tepache and some mixiotes in a hidden place in the Popotla neighborhood.

Abel He was a creative man, advertising, innovator, composer and poet. Bohemian, dreamer, friend of great artists, he fondly kept some of his powerful texts, especially for the simplicity of the language to deal with very deep topics. In everything he was a man of great contrasts, I remember him wearing ripped pants because he felt comfortable and at the same time I still have in the memory of my hands the soft touch of one of his amazing cashmere coats. I relive with excitement when we went down to the sea grotto in Cantabria and selected a seven kilo lobster and also the day when our paella burned and in order not to cry, we discovered the delights of forced socarrat.

In the year of my daughter's death, he gave me a philosophy class that helped me understand pain and deal with it. He maintained that anything can happen to anyone, the important thing is not in the event, but in how it is dealt with. On New Year's Eve, at his house, he left two empty places right between him and me, surprised, I asked the reason and pouring champagne into the two glasses to his left and my right, he only said —Charlie and Eugie, they are also here. You can't be bigger.

Yesterday very early, Juan Ignacioone of his sons, shared this thought with me, it is not necessary to explain anything, I reproduce it in full here with his permission:

“I am digging up time with my hands, to search for every memory, every moment shared with you, dad. I would like to be able to find you again and, in one last hug, give you back. May your spirit, your wisdom and your love continue to nourish my soul, even in your absence. Your smile and your love, which once resonated in every corner of my house, now fill my heart, inviting me to remember and smile through the tears. Although your heart now rests in peace, it continues to guide me towards a future full of hope and beauty, where I feel that your voice still calls me, full of love and tenderness. I remember you and feel like we still have so much to talk about. “I will miss you every day, dad, and I will always carry your teachings and love in my heart.”

With the irreverence that characterizes me, the words of Juani They bring that Benson cigarettes slogan to my desk… Everything has been said.

Go my hug to Rosita and his sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, his brother and the entire family. I am left with her joy and I go for a good glass, to drink it for her health and to remember her. ¡Bon voyage!

Happy Sunday.