That Saturday I decided to meet with someone whom I knew I would never meet again in my life.
“Why did you want to talk to me?” I was asked.
“Well, I have to discuss some issues with you, good and bad, but mostly bad and I need some answers!”
“Why do you drag me up now when you know that soon I’ll be dead, and even if I did not always please you, one should forgive the dying!”
I was quiet for a moment. Of course it is hard to enter into a discussion with someone who is about to leave this world never to return again. But I had started it, so I must reach its end.
“OK, I will tell you all that I have against you. You came here a year ago and you filled our hearts with hope. We thought that maybe, well maybe we will finally have world peace, or at least be a step or two nearer to it! We also hoped not to hear, see and know about people who go hungry because this is a rich world and there should be enough food for everyone! There were many things that upset us! How do you think we felt when we saw our beautiful Carmel Mountain go up in flames? How do you think we feel knowing that our one and only Kineret lake is thirsty for every inch of water? Truth is I think you just came here to appear for a while, do a far from perfect job and now go away leaving the world in the same mess you found it! Or maybe even a worse one!”
2011 faced me and gave a big sigh.
“You are so childish, the departing year said to me, what do you think I could have done?
This was too much of a mess to be handled by just 12 months, maybe if they would have give me some more time ! I am old now, sick and dying very soon, and you should know that my time was much too short! Even a hundred years could not mend all that is wrong with this world….I am so tired! Why do you ask me all those questions now?”
“Because I hoped that you may still do something at the very last moment so that you may reach immortality and we can say in the future: ‘Oh 2011 was so good to us!’
But now you tell me that you are old and weak and you must be aware of the fact that I am no longer young either! Moreover as a special bonus you gave me a bout of sciatica making me realize that I will never be able to dance again! At least not like I used to!”
2011 looks me in the face and says:
“Why can’t you let me go in peace? Do you hear all that joy shooting and yelling “Happy New Year” in all languages? They never shout “Happy Old Year” because they realize how miserable I am now that my rule is over. People are so glad that I am going, and frankly it hurts. Now that innocent baby called 2012 waits around the corner raising new hopes and new expectations and of course enjoying the general celebration! If you believe that 2012 will do a better job than I did, you are so completely wrong!”
2011 is slowly fading away disappearing into the same cosmos it came from. A part of my life has left never to return.
All that remains is regret and maybe, just maybe a ray of hope.
Lucca