End of the year

A man in a department store waits for having the present he's just bought wrapped in decorative paper. Green tea, his wife's favourite. As he waits a young Japanese employee tells him how excited she feels about visiting Barcelona next December. She's looking forward to spending her first end of the year away from Kyoto. The girl is all smiles, a symbol of politeness and friendliness. "Sagrada Familia" she says, pronouncing the word in a language remotely resembling Spanish. The man can't conceal a little smile. "And Park Güell too" she adds. It's odd how he finds exciting visiting Japan and she needs to fly to his country to feel the same excitement. A few minutes pass by slowly. He glances at the old woman who is wrapping his present. She seems very meticulous about it. While he waits a sudden cloud of loneliness descends upon him. He's sitting on a very low chair, his head at the level of the flat surface of the desk where the present was initially left by the cheerful employee. He's struck by the thought that the world is a small strange place and the reasons each of us find to make it a better place are the most diverse and personal.