Elvedin Bašić

Forza Bosnia. I really need to tell you what has just happened. Breakfast at cafe with colleague before going to airport. It’s quiet around, day after partying. We are done and one moment before standing up to go paying, a 60-years old man suddenly pops up from nowhere, quickly grabs our check and goes to counter. At first I don’t understand, I think he wants to tease us. Then he starts chatting with waitress and pulls out a roll of notes while she smiles. I ask him “What? What are you doing?”. He smiles nodding and keeps paying, saying something in Bosnian and then “No no no”. I tell him “Why? But why?”. He winks “Ok ok” while all waitresses now smiles. Again I say “You don’t. You don’t have to”. And then I lean to him and I hug him and we pat on shoulders. As he leaves I ask him “But tell me your name”. And he goes “Italia Italia, it’s ok” and walks away. 60 years old, a face that looked toughened by life and hard work. Who knows what he saw when he was 30 in Bosnia. Who knows what Italy was for him, when the Italian soldiers came to Bosnia to help, when Italy came to play in Bosnia on September 1996. How long it takes for us to witness every day a pure act of kindness? How better life can be with kindness? Hvala Bosnia. Have a joyous World Cup