Camino of Santiago. An elderly couple is walking. They take very small steps. One morning I decide to follow them....
They both walk close to each other, with very small steps. By dint of observing them, I realize that the lady talks incessantly.
In a very small voice, she tells everything she sees.
- You see, there on the side of the road, there is a beautiful oak tree. Do you feel its shadow?…. And then over there in the distance, there is a large farm. Do you see the two horses? They are trotting quietly in the field...
And this, all along their walk. She tells him everything. And he seems to be amazed. They start laughing together sometimes. Like me, all the pilgrims of the place look at them, astonished and moved at the same time. In the evening, I decide to stop at the same place as them.
When they arrive arm in arm, they are quite tired all the same. After going to their room and resting a little, I see them arrive at the terrace where I have a drink. They settle down in a corner still a little in the sun.
I then realize that this time it is the gentleman who is speaking. Very softly, tenderly.
- Do you remember, we saw a beautiful oak tree this morning. When we passed under it, it felt "cool"... And then we saw these two beautiful horses trotting. Do you remember?
And so on, he seems to want to tell her about their whole hike.
That's when I realize what's happening. I feel the hairs on my skin stand on end.
I understand that he is almost blind and that during the whole journey, she was his eyes so that he could "experience" the landscape. And in the evening, for her, it becomes her memory, so that she can "relive" the magnificent day. Because, in fact, as I suspect, she has Alzheimer's disease.
And yet, both of them still walk the same path.
Francois
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