Flavio is gone

He left early this morning. I went to the airport to see him off, though he said it wasn't necessary.

At the gate, he turned back one more time. Just looked at me for a long moment without saying anything. Like he was trying to memorize something about this moment.

Then he waved and disappeared into the terminal.

I drove back to Rome thinking about how strange it is to have someone leave your life and have it barely register on the surface while underneath you feel the loss acutely.

Flavio has always been there. In the background. Watching. Judging. Supporting, in his quiet way.

I wonder if he knows how much his presence has actually mattered.

I wonder if he's running away from something or toward something.

Probably both.