Unlike Oxford Street, it was the
evening the most intense time in Leicester Square. And if during the day the
streets were simply trafficked, at night, at certain times, the human crowd
proceeded like a sea tide, moving from one point to another of London by night,
and passing through the square, seemed
for a moment to sway, in front of me, as uncertain whether to proceed or to go back.
Then it resumed its unstoppable flow, like a river of lava that exceeds the
elbow of a steep ridge, finally aiming at the valley.
These real human traffic jams
occurred especially in coincidence with the conclusion of the performances of
the numerous theaters that are located in the square, mainly from Friday to
Sunday. Another topical moment, in which the streets were animated
dramatically, was that between 23.00 and 23.45, that is at the time when,
depending on the days, close the countless pubs in London.
Of that immense crowd, while I
waited patiently close to the machines to fulfill any requests, I was amused to
imagine the origin, the wealth, the cultural level, the reason why they were in
London and in that square, at that time.
If they spoke to me, to ask for an
ice-cream, a drink or even for some information,
then it was even possible to identify their exact nationality: each people,
according to its mother tongue, has a particular vocal conformation that
manifests its peculiar traits in the emission of sounds of the English
language.
Even the clothing and the way
of handling money were elements from
which to derive, if nothing else in general, the origin of my patrons. For
example, it was usual for an Englishman to pay you the amount of ice cream
(which cost thirty pence at the time) by remarking the payment of the coins,
while some Arabs preferred to pay with the bills, sometimes without waiting the
rest. And if Westerners, in general, preferred to satisfy their thirst by
buying a can of Coca-Cola inside the store that housed our machines, the
Orientals chose to quench their thirst with the orange juice that I prepared
daily, of which they could observe the contained since before the mix in
transparent plastic cups, in plexiglass containers of the refrigerating
machine.
The North Europeans consumed more,
where the Mediterranean, a bit 'for the climate (however, and increasingly
stiffer than theirs), a bit' for the unfavorable exchange, consume less, with
the necessary exceptions, of course.
From my ice cream station I was
surprised to observe, not without some admiration, the discipline with which
the English stood in line at the box office to buy tickets for the various
shows. Two other things struck me in that context: the trust and impassivity
that, even very advanced people of age, showed in the booking for events that
would take place in a few years and the immovable determination with which the
girls refused to get the ticket paid by their boyfriends.
20. to be continued...
