Trafika Europe 7 - Ukrainian Prayer

Charles Pépin

- Airy? asks the judge. - Yes, airy, cheerful, he always walked as if he arrived with good news… - Pardon me for insisting, but we want to be sure that we properly understand… You say that he had a cheerful walk in the corridors of the hospital, is that correct? Then my lawyer stood up and asked the court clerk, in a solemn tone, to clearly note his protest: “But what are you judging here? Is Mr. Solaro being judged for the murder of a drug dealer or for the way he walked down a hospital corridor?” The judge replies that these questions simply serve to better understand the personality of the accused and it’s important to remember that it is a man who is being judged, not solely the act, but a man who committed an act, and that it could be useful, as a result, to

every day for about twenty- five years. The judge insists. She says she understands what the doctor is saying but to the extent that he treated my mother for months, could he not tell us something about me? “An image if you must keep only one image of Mr. Solaro, what would it be?” I find this image technique to be a little strange, even if it is only a way to refresh his memory. It’s annoying for the doctor, he must ask himself what he’s doing here, summoned to remember, and to respond. But the process seems to have worked, the doctor speaks: - Yes, I have an image… If I must have only one image of Mr. Solaro, it would be his walk in the corridors. I remember his gait, his steps, his pace, rather bizarre in a hospital corridor, he had a way of walking that was dynamic and airy…

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