On the way to Basel
Early in the morning I was woken by a text-message:
Dear Renato, There are still two days before the big event. But before I forget your fortieth birthday in the stress of the everyday, I would like to congratulate you. Claudio, from Basel.
At university in Milan, Claudio had been my best friend. He studied architecture. Just before completing his studies he fell in love with a Swiss woman, a mountain-climber. Claudio was transformed from city-dweller to mountaineer, to my regret.
Because of his girlfriend, he looked for a job in Switzerland, and found one in Basel, with a well known firm of architects.
A second text-message from Basel followed:
Come and see me in Basel tomorrow. I have a surprise for you.
