'Sometimes the loneliness melts into tears...'
Earlier this week an elderly Italian couple were heard wailing by their neighbours. Their cries were so intense that the police were called.
Had they been burgled? Were they the victims of a scam? Had one of them fallen?
No. Joel and Michele were crying from loneliness and despair, they were personally grieving for the tragedies that are punctuating every news cycle and no one had visited them in months.
The Polizia who came to check on the couple realised that it was pure loneliness that Jole and Michele, married for almost 70 years, were suffering from.
In a post by the force on Facebook, the Italian police said, "Jole and Michele they love each other. But when the loneliness is a burden on the heart, it may happen that they lose hope."
The police asked for, "permission to access the pantry and improvise a little dinner. A bowl of pasta with butter and cheese. Nothing special. But with a precious ingredient in there, inside, all their humanity."
Yes we used Google translate. Yes there are some syntax issues. Yes, it somehow makes it even more endearing.
The post has been getting a huge reaction.
No-one is immune to the pain that is stretching around the world right now and this story is a reminder that, while loneliness is the ultimate poverty, it can be softened with human kindness.
Going to call our grannies now.
