The story behind my first blue pen
Over the years, my profession has taught me many lessons.
One of the most important is this: before dismissing a request as unreasonable, take a moment to listen.
This story goes back many years.
I was already practising as a Notary in Casale Monferrato and, like almost every Italian Notary at the time, I used only black-ink pens.
I had never really questioned it.
That was simply how things had always been done, and I assumed there was no alternative.
On that particular day, everything had gone perfectly.
The deed had been read aloud, the parties had exchanged payment, all the necessary checks had been completed and the original document was ready to be signed.
One by one, the pens moved around the table.
Everyone signed.
Everyone except the last client.
He was sitting beside me.
He picked up the pen, looked at it for a moment and said, in the calmest possible voice,
"I'm sorry, Notary, but I don't sign with black ink."
For a second, I thought I had misunderstood.
I explained that I had no other pens available.
As far as I knew, every notarial office worked in exactly the same way.
He listened politely and then replied,
"In that case, I'd rather not sign at all."
The room fell silent.
The other parties exchanged anxious glances.
The transaction was effectively complete.
Only one signature was missing.
If that gentleman walked out of my office, everything would have to be postponed, with all the practical consequences that would follow.
I tried once more to persuade him.
He remained absolutely firm.
Then, with great simplicity, he told me why.
"The last document I ever signed with a black pen was connected with my father's death. That day I promised myself I would never use black ink again."
In an instant, my perspective changed.
What had seemed like an incomprehensible objection suddenly became the expression of a deeply personal memory and a promise he had made to himself.
I realised he was not being difficult.
He was simply asking for respect.
I asked him to give me a few minutes.
I called a senior official at the Notarial Archive, someone with extensive experience, to confirm something I had always taken for granted.
His answer surprised me.
The law does not prescribe the colour of the ink.
What matters is that it is permanent and indelible.
That changed everything.
I immediately asked one of my assistants to go out and buy a blue pen with indelible ink.
When she returned, I handed it to the client.
He looked at me, smiled and signed the deed without hesitation.
The transaction was completed without the slightest problem.
But something had changed for me as well.
From that day onwards, blue pens became a regular feature on my desk.
Even today, most of my clients sign with blue ink.
And whenever someone looks at the pen with a hint of surprise and asks,
"Notary, shouldn't this be black?"
my mind always goes back to that gentleman.
He reminded me that behind what appears to be an odd request there may be a personal story that deserves understanding and respect.
That day I learned more than a technical point about permanent ink.
I was reminded that a Notary's role is not only to apply the law.
It is also to listen, to understand the people sitting across the table and, whenever possible, to find a solution that respects both the rules and the human being behind them.
