A bar of soap inside a lemon net

When people think about the work of a Notary, they usually picture contracts, signatures, official seals and large wooden desks.

Very few realise that this profession often takes you into people's homes and, every now and then, into your own memories.

It happened at the beginning of my career.

I was working in the Biella area when I visited the home of an elderly lady to handle what was probably a very simple matter. I believe it was a power of attorney, although I can no longer remember for certain.

What I do remember perfectly is what happened next.

Before we started, I asked if I could wash my hands.

I walked into the bathroom, looked towards the sink and suddenly stopped.

In front of me was something I had not seen for more than thirty years.

Hanging beside the tap was one of those small plastic nets that used to hold lemons. But instead of fruit, it was filled with dozens of tiny pieces of soap in every imaginable colour and shape.

There was the white of Marseille soap, the pink of an old scented bar, pale green, lilac and light blue.

Each fragment had been carefully saved instead of being thrown away.

Together, inside that simple little net, they had become a new bar of soap that could be used until the very last piece disappeared.

For a moment I was no longer a Notary.

I was a child again.

I was back in Rome in the 1960s, watching my grandmother do exactly the same thing. In those days nothing was wasted. Every small piece of soap still had value and deserved a second life.

I was so surprised that, as soon as I came out of the bathroom, I mentioned it to the lady.

She looked at me almost with surprise at my surprise and smiled.

For her, it was simply the normal way of doing things.

For me, it was an unexpected journey back to my childhood.

The legal matter was completed without incident.

The documents were signed, we said our goodbyes and I returned to the office.

Yet after all these years I remember almost nothing about that power of attorney.

What I remember perfectly is that little lemon net filled with colourful pieces of soap.

Because being a Notary means stepping into other people's lives.

And sometimes, without any warning at all, someone gives you back a memory you thought had been lost forever.