Farewell, great little Andrew

On last Wednesday Andrew S., age 15, has decided to leave.

I hadn't a way of knowing you personally. All I "really" know is the sparse, almost meaningless facts the press has coldly told. Of the nail varnish you used, from time to time. Of your being homosexual, or not. Of your predilection of pink color.

Of, yes, all the teasing and humiliation you suffered - and your incredible resilience in front of that all.

In this moment heated debate is raging on whether your leave occurred because of homophoby, or something else. I don't know, and never will. It's irrelevant, after all what happened. There are some things which stay forever locked in our heart.

One thing impressed me of you: you acted towards the world as you knew exactly who you were, and the world could, should be. You realized a choice was necessary between your integrity, and the dictates of the mean and mediocre. You were honest, and courageous...

And you left.. I'll miss you. I'm sorry not having met you, and heard from you of your dream.

I think we all will miss you. The famous Italian writer Aldo Busi named you a warrior. Sadly, I feel, mr.Busi is right. You have been a warrior, and when your moment come you went in the place in company with the other heroes. We have seen you go away, trying to imagine your path, and hoping for you the best, knowing in the meanwhile in the depth of our heart that farewell was also the last.

As when any hero dies, what remains in the end? Connections ripped away from the beloved. A magnificent dream no one but God will ever know of. A bunch of tears. A memory, which soon will wane away among us mortals.

I'll miss you, little rebel brother. It would have been a wonder to see you discover your central passion, make it blossom. Make your life, and others'.

May a 15 years old child, who hanged himself to the banisters with his scarf at Ostiense, in Rome, teach something to us all. That being oneself, the real self, is the only right thing worth doing. That being sensitive is one of the possible ways of being strong. That we all middling people should better look our own mediocrity, before teasing the few exceptionals.

That, finally, we had too many heroes.
That my farewell will go to no one else than you, Andrew.

Mauri