The existence of a curse linked to the Titanic is something that Ciro has insisted on for a long time.
His clinical history seems to show that his schizophrenia arose following a disappointment in love, and one day I asked him to tell me more about it.
“So, Ciro, will you tell me how long you haven’t been well?”
“Dottoré, it was a Sunday afternoon, about 20 years ago, and my girlfriend asked me to take her to the cinema to watch Titanic because she loved Leonardo di Caprio. In truth, I didn’t really feel like going, but I decided I’d do it to please her. What I didn’t know then was how long the film would be and that the Titanic just wouldn’t f*cking sink.
At one point, I’d been holding it in, I’d really been holding it in, but I couldn’t take it anymore, and had to run to the bathroom.
When I returned, I found a tragedy had happened.
My girl was crying, and crying, and would not stop.
So I asked her: ‘My love, what is it?’
And she looked at me in disgust and said:
‘What, can’t you see? He died, Leonardo died and you weren’t here to hold my hand. That’s it, I’m leaving you!’
At that point, something inside my head snapped.
Instead of cursing her, I stood up and ran off.
From that moment on, nothing makes sense and I’m ‘crazy’.
Doctor, I feel that the ship only brought bad luck.
1,500 dead? Why, I drowned too. In a symbolic way, I mean. Not like that poor blonde, who actually died!”
I have always wondered if Ciro actually believes that Leonardo di Caprio had really “drowned.” But I will certainly never tell him that the blonde is still alive.
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