SAN SEVERINO MARCHE – Emmanuel dribble around the house. Bum, ball against the goal. Laugh. Scream of Charity: “Emmanuel, break everything”. A moment of normal life that wedges itself in mourning, in Emmanuel’s restless body, has learned that his father is no longer there, Dog he won’t come back, “he was sick, he died in the hospital,” was Charity’s sad lie. For this Emmanuel kicks, against that pain that pierced his heart, at eight it is so, words fail, they throw a ball. Bum, against the door. “What do you want to be?” “The player and playing for Juve are very good.” “What do you like about school?”, “Gymnastics and Italian”. Speaks perfect Italian Emmanuel, son of Alika and Charity, is tall and thin, a symbol of possible integration, while proudly showing the new white shoes gift of the lawyer Francesco Mantella, his school books, his computer, his constructions .
Charity, rough, hugs him: “I can’t tell him that his father died worse than a dog, killed with his hands by an Italian who will now pretend to be crazy. an Italian kills one of us you will say he is sick. Racism, a lot of racism. Without Alika we have nothing, when he came back from work he always played with Emmanuel, for him we wanted a better future than ours, he is what I have left, good boy , now for Emmanuel Italy must help me “. Charity speaks and cries, sitting on the ground, the comings and goings of the Nigerian community are incessant in this clean and essential house in the countryside around San Severino.
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In fact, we must come here, while Emmanuel proudly takes us to his room, shows the soft toys, the computer with Fortnite, to hear and see what the bestial fury of Filippo Ferlazzo he canceled by assassinating Alika Ogorchukwu three days ago with his bare hands in the center of Civitanova. He killed the dream of two immigrants poorer than the poor: to give Emmanuel some well-being and a tomorrow. Euro on euro, with Alika trying to sell handkerchiefs and lighters and Charity breaking her back doing (occasionally) cleaning at the San Severino station.
Charity mixes English and Italian, she is defeated, she gets angry, screams, but she asks her 10-year-old niece who lives with her to insert a DVD on the TV: “Here is the video of our wedding, we were already in Italy, beautiful true, there we are known in Prato, I come from Benin City, Alika too, you couldn’t live there, it’s hell, I was good at school but we had to go away, there was no money, food, clothes, Italy for us it was hope “. Scroll through the images of Charity dressed as a bride, the flowers in her hair and Alika in a suit and tie, it seems like another life. “I wish Emmanuel could train, it’s his passion, but the pitches are far away, I don’t have a car, maybe someone will help me make my child happy”.
Charity’s brother, who lives in Latina and works in the fields, says that when he learned of Alika’s death, “Emmanuel got under a blanket shivering, as if he had a fever”. “He asked Me: Doesn’t Dad come back to play football with me?”. No tears, those will come, for this Emmanuel continues to dribble and let off steam scoring goals between the doors of the house. “My myth is Ronaldo even if he has left Juve, can you ask him for a shirt with an autograph?”. The teachers: “I like them, they are kind, but I prefer Nigerian cuisine to Italian”.
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Emmanuel watches the wedding video: “Mom you were thin, Dad was beautiful”. He will need to watch his parents’ happy moments again and again. The lawyer Francesco Montella he is sitting in the small kitchen where everyone who arrives brings food, drinks, comfort. “For Alika, Emmanuel represented a better future. He had a trauma, I fear the day he will find out on the Internet what happened to his father. The social services of San Severino should immediately activate psychological support for both Emmanuel and his cousin. , which instead has already known everything “.
Charity takes her head in her hands. “Too much pain, too much pain. Now where is the killer? My husband was waiting for him here, like every evening, a shower, dinner, Emmanuel, the ball, we were a little happy too. I ask God to help me, my son will have a happy future, in my heart I promised it in front of Alika’s body “.