were, when diluted especially.Nicolai was
using under my eyesahome-made mixed
product containing 60% nail-removal
liquid, 5% nitro diluent, 25% pure water,
5% salt and 5% of madness. Advancing
so slowIasked about his travel project
since at that speedIwas ready to grow old
like him before anything could be ready.
No reply was given andIthought the
situation’sirony and illogic had reached
its peak. Silence endured for 30 minutes,
and while the last remanence of wine
vanished, Nicolai finishedastamp-like
portion on the VBB front. The surface was
shiny and the original paint showed itself.
Eccentric or not, useful or hopeless,
time-consuming indeed, but the procedure
was working.Abare hand, layer by layer
paint removal, whichInever witnessed in
my life before. Despite the old man
craziness, the strong wine and remote
existence...Irealised how passionately
Nicolai believed in his project. “Prepare
the engine for this bloody carbon-rich
piece of metal,Icount on it, understand?”
Nicolai made me promise, while 3000
grit paper was polishing portions of
exposed metal. Asahalf-SicilianIamvery
serious about commitments.Ithought that
my 225 Polini-bullet-traveller-donkey
engine would fit very nicely under the
VBB’sold scars the old man was bringing
to light. Do you?
The harsh truth about this story is a
consideration about loneliness and old
age. It is hard to fight alcoholism’sdeep
precipice when you live alone in the
middle of nowhere. Nicolai doesn’t know a
thing about psychology nor addictions. He
knows best what he did all life: hard work,
insidious vapours and spray guns. In his
body shop he wasaking. When I
recognise such an old soul’sfibreIcannot
help but think about the greatness of little
things and the drive ofaheartfelt passion.
By givinganew timetable, growing hope
intoaproject, and most of all, kicking him
out of the ‘frasca’,aVBBVespa was
permitted dignity to shine upon an old
man again. http://www.scattoinvespa.com
Words&Photographs:Christian Giarrizzo
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