Just a little fix…

Living alone and dealing with addiction during a pandemic isn’t easy.  I heard a guy was stopped by the vigili (municipal police) during lockdown and asked to hand over his autocertificazione, the slip of paper he needed to have filled out before leaving home that stated who he was and where he was going.  Presumably he would have declared to be heading for the pharmacy, to a doctor’s appointment, or to buy food, or another one of the essential reasons for not staying home.  Instead, what was written on the slip was “looking for drugs.” I’m hoping they let him off with a warning… for being honest?

I can so relate with that guy.  I’ve had to invent ways to manage my own addiction.  Since I live alone, I’ve had to get creative, and a bit sneaky.  Over the see-saw course of COVID this year, I’ve managed quite well during the times we could be more out and about.  Less so when the restrictions set in, like the past three weeks when Tuscany was considered a RED zone.  No gathering, no leaving the city limits, among other things.  That puts a damper on my meeting up with those that can help me manage. But you might have heard that Italians are quite savvy about getting around rules and I’ve learned something in my almost-40 years of living here.  The trick was to formulate a plan that could get me what I needed, still kept everyone safe, and without being caught.

I realized that I could ride my bike to the foot of one of the hills to the south of Florence where I’d still technically be within the city limits.  And riding my bike counted as exercise which was allowed. From that point, there’s a trail that takes me up to the top and along the ridge, looking down onto the neighborhood of Ponte A Ema, still technically within the Florence city limits. Gino Bartali, the famous road cyclist and hero of the Italian Resistance during WWII had lived here.  He broke the law, too.  Under the guise of training for cycling, he transported documents between Tuscany, Umbria and Marche regions to save Jewish Italians from persecution.  

His was a much nobler cause. 

Continuing along the ridge trail, I eventually would leave the city limits of Florence and cross over into the neighboring city of Bagno a Ripoli.  Here, where no cars could come though, I felt sure I wouldn’t be found out. 

My partner-in-crime and fellow supplier was able to trek up the hill from the other side.  She too had to cross city limits, but felt it worth the risk. 

We always established a time to meet amongst the olive tress.  After trying it once, figuring out the timing, it became a habit. As long as the sun was out. 

Not wanting to linger, we’d try to be sure to be on time, sending WhatsApp messages if one of us knew to be late.

Masked and keeping our distance from each other, we would unzip our backpacks to make the quick exchange.  Sometimes the stuff was in glass jars, sometimes plastic containers or bags.  She’d put her bag down and back away, I’d move forward to collect it and leave what I had in exchange and then retreat so she could pick it up. 

We’d each take stock of what we now had and then provide the lowdown. 

“It’s Pho, you cook the rice noodles, add them to the warm broth and then top the soup with the fixings that are in the container.”

“Mine’s a Pumpkin Chickpea Coconut Curry with Spinach.  You can eat it with rice.”

Backtracking along the ridge trail, I could already feel a difference. I knew I could look forward to a much needed fix that living alone on a limited budget during a pandemic had deprived me of: enough reason to have need for choosing a recipe, for making a trip to the market for provisions, for chopping and slicing and sautéing and simmering. For creating. 

For the solace, the satisfaction, the dopamine that only cooking wholesome food - and sharing it - could provide. 

The nourishment would come later from the food we’d just swapped.

Now, for the moment, we were full from sharing.  

Maybe that’s what I should write on my autocertificazione: 

“Looking to share.”

Please Note: I do not mean to make light of the difficulties that those suffering from addiction face in even greater measure during this pandemic. If you or someone you know needs help with facing the issues of addiction, there are online resources that can steer you towards potential help. Some can be found here: https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/virtual-recovery-resources.pdf