Anthology of wounds - Arct

Anthology of WoundsHow can we forgive?I am one of the victims of the communist regime. Iwas sentenced to death and then after appeal I was condemnedto 25 years in prison. I have a lot to tell aboutmy prison years, but … the years of freedom have alsobeen hard.It was April when I regained freedom. I wanderedthe streets of Tirana to find a shelter until became dark.It was my first night as a free woman. I had to be gladbut I couldn’t. People walked out, quietly, in that coolspring evening. I took of my shoes and kept them in myhand because of my feet ached. I didn’t know where togo! I went to a lot of hotels to find a place for that night,but for me that night all the doors were shut.When the hotel receptionists saw the document thatmade me free had a prison stamp, they said — “No vacancy.”It was a very, very long and frightful night…The next day I went to a family to rest a little. Myfeet hurt, but more than that I had a wounded spirit.There goes the policeman again. The owners had to kickme out, because I was an “enemy of the people.” Theycould be interned. I was in shock again, but I couldn’tcry. I had forgotten how to cry since my prison days.However, I was really touched when a 12-year-oldchild and a few others threatened the policeman withbricks in hands, protecting me, shouting together, “Sheis kind. What do you want with her? Aren’t you sorry?”But I left. I didn’t want to create problems to that goodfamily.Oh my God! Why do we have to forgive these shamelesspeople who did everything to alienate us from our23