That day the couple woke up before the clock on the bedside table struck. They jumped out of bed with all the energy in the world and their hearts almost in the same rhythm. The two children, their children, slept in the bed next to them, so they tried to be quiet and not turn on the light. They groped their way to the kitchen. There they hugged each other. She sighed long and looked her husband in the eye. He just nodded his head, hugged her tightly and said in her ear: everything will be better.

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The day before they had gathered up everything that was still in the house. The house that the woman had inherited from her mother was falling apart. Even if it was in bad condition, they could not help but be saddened by the departure. The clothes were already in the suitcases, as well as some books and other objects. The man had insisted on taking his philosophy books, a dictionary and several novels. The woman wanted to look at him with fury, but she couldn't. She understood how difficult it was for the husband to leave his career, his dreams, his life in a country to which he never intended to return. She looked at him seriously, but with a sadness that cannot be hidden and thought that the people who suffer the most, are the ones who complain the least, so she let him put his books, one by one, as if they were her most precious treasure.

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The couple had decided to leave the country last month. One way or another, they had always found some reasons to stay: circumstances are going to change, children are studying, friends, the house, the family. When the wife arrived home with the news that the foreign company where she worked was leaving the country, they knew that life would be hard for her. The husband's salary as a university professor was a pittance and they had two children to support. The resolution came when one of the children became ill and they had to go to the hospital. There, among the dirty hallways and homeless people, their child almost died. Without medicine or doctors, the child's life was in danger. They did not sleep for three long days and in that insomnia they realized that in that country they did not want to wake up anymore. Sometimes the nightmares end when we wake up, other times it takes more effort to get out of them. So they decided to leave.

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With everything ready, they woke up the children. The children were excited too. One of them made the mother promise that when they got to the other country she would buy them an ice cream or a pizza. The mother, moved, promised her. She knew that in that promise, she was not only assuring her a pizza or an ice cream, but also a better quality of life, better opportunities, a more harmonious and credible future. They would take a bus, then another and two more, but not even that possibility of long days of travel took away their hope of starting over from scratch, with all the tools to win, to do things right. They knew the hard part would come, but they still accepted the challenge. People had told them: they were not afraid to leave. They had said: we are afraid to stay. So when they were ready, they closed the door and walked out. The four of them, with their few belongings but loaded with dreams. The best thing is that the four of them would row to save themselves and the river was flowing in their favour.

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A hopeful story to start the year. Because it's never too late to start from scratch and it's never too late to leave. January is synonymous with the beginning. I remind you that you can vote for @adsactly as a witness. Until the next smile. ;)