Like Fito & Fitipaldis, Héctor grew up near the tracks. That is why he also knows “que la tristeza y la alegría viajan en un mismo tren”.
Fabero del Bierzo, a small mining town, which belongs to the Province of Leon, saw him grow, but Héctor’s sentimental passport has dual nationality. The Leonese one is accompanied by the Asturian. At the age of 18, he went to Gijón to study industrial engineering. Just after it, he began to work in the industry, involved in international projects that had him from one side of the map to the other. Until 2015, when CERN’s train passed in front of him. And he took it.
Five years later, he is still so happy with his decision and he is sure that if he had let it pass, he would have regretted it, a lot. In addition, Héctor had a special advantage in favour: his wife, Paula, from Asturias de sus amores, who was already at that time working at CERN. They have lived together in French territory since then. Prévessin-Moëns, a small village that, like many others in the area, has little bit more than a Mairie, a church and a library, gives them shelter. To them, and also to Casper, the puppy that for several months has given them lots of licks and endless walks.
The one in here and the one in Spain, are different lives. The alterne and the Asturian possibilities have nothing to do with the cramped French timetables. If it is 2 pm or 9 pm, it is not a good idea to start looking for a culín de sidra o for a cachopo. To “beber, salir, el rollo de siempre” is the same, but both zones play on equal terms in landscapes and in the green tones. However, Gijón is bathed by the Cantabrian Sea. 1-0 for Gijón. Perhaps, the draw is decided by the people, the friends from here with whom getaways, trekkings and barbecues are made. That second family that cushions and livens everything up.
About 40 kilometers from his childhood, in Villafranca del Bierzo, the poet Juan Carlos Mestre wrote this verse: Solo alguien hermoso puede hacer pan en un horno apagado. For Héctor, the impossible wear a costume of opportunity, of feasible. This attitude is also part of the CERN’s culture; it is something that is transferred between the people who collide there. When things seem unreachable to us, they are not the ones that are wrong.
Until September, CERN will have Héctor on its staff. Then? Todo se andará. If he is encouraged to dream, he prefers to do it without suitcases, passports or borders. He would desire to settle down to have more time, the time needed to clarify the future a little. In terms of work, it is enough to continue on the same railway line, like those wagons that used to leave loaded with coal from the Fabero’s mines. It is enough to sleep comfortably every night.
When September comes, another sweet introduction to chaos will start, but to Héctor, “que le quiten lo bailao”.
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