Before I started my speech, I rewrote it a few times. I never thought it was easier to write a whole book than to write a short speech, as Leila asked me to.
Words were flying, but they did not add up to the right sentences.
But still, one sleepless night and my speech was ready.
Why do I have to tell people all this?
But what I'll say later is not what's written on a piece of paper that's neatly in the pocket of my jacket.
A few hours later, when everything was ready, I left the house.
Sleepy, tired, ordinary writer introvert.
As soon as I left the house, the reporters immediately came at me like waves.
Leon and Luca, trying to drive them away so I could get to the car, threw at each other unkind gazes.
So that's what it's like to be famous.
Too much noise.
"Professor Skyemoone look into the camera!" someone continued to repeat.
But as the highly venerable Leila of the ministry told me, I had to keep quiet and just get in the car cold-bloodedly and then at the end, wave to everyone through the window.
That's what I did.
"I envy you professor. What a glory, just look how much they love you," Luca said and gleefully, showing all his impossibly white teeth waved to everyone.
Leon seemed to accidentally hit his head with his hand. It made me laugh. Sometimes, this guy acted like a kid.
"Brother what are you doing? You know that I don't like it when someone's touching my hair!"
"Enough! Sit down, both of you!" Adelard ordered and looking at me, he nodded his head.
It was an encouraging gesture before heading to Central Park where the whole country was waiting for me.
I felt the excitement, there was no doubt about it.
My hands were shaking, I felt drops of sweat on my back, and at the same time I was trembling.
But suddenly, feeling Leon's warm hand, I looked at him and noticed that he was smiling. His smile was tender, pleasant. I felt better.
Is it true that there is no person who would be like an island? What would I do without that smile?
And the answer is obvious: I would change my anxiety by thinking about the meaning of life.
But if one smile can make you so calm, then probably this is the meaning of life, to see how the one who is close to you, smiles.
I was reassured by such a gentle thought.
A few minutes later, when we reached the park, Luca and Adelard got out of the car.
I wanted to follow them too, but Leon stopped me.
"Skye, you know," he began, but immediately stopped. But then he continued, "Say what's in your heart. Not what's on paper."
No matter how much I tried to understand him, he was a mystery.
And I said, "It's all your merit. You've made so much of a change in my life."
"We are two islands. And each of us is on our own. Remember that," he said leaving behind another mystery.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Professor Skyemoone, it's time for you to speak."
I never thought there would be so many people in this park. There were just crowds everywhere. And there were cameras everywhere.
Highly-honored Leila from the ministry with several highly venerable people, nodded her head lightly at the sight of me, but she was not going to approach me.
"Professor Skyemoone, please go," said one man, and on the run he hitched a small microphone on my jacket.
Then, when we crossed the line that was drawn in white chalk, he told Leon and the others to stay behind the line.
Before I could look back, I was already standing on the stage.
But before rushing to start talking I looked ahead.
I've never seen so many people in my life.
There were so many of them that soon I stopped distinguishing everyone. Everyone merged.
I straightened my bowtie and hair.
I stood so high that at the very end of the crowd, I could see Leon. He was the only one who didn't merge with everyone.
After I smoothed out a piece of paper, I realized that's not what I wanted to say.
People waited, but I waited for myself. When I realized what I wanted to say, I started. And when I started talking, everyone suddenly fell silent.
And only thunder somewhere very far broke such a peaceful silence.
After the Thunder made its introduction, I finally started my speech.
"I know what you want to hear from me. A few words about dreams, about goals, about life. But perhaps these three things make up a person. It is not enough for a person to have just a soul, a body, a skill to think. A human needs a dream, needs a goal, needs a life. And what is a human without a dream?
Perhaps throughout the history of mankind, in this world shone and were the happiest those who achieved success with their sweat and perseverance. And following this, I can say that happiness lies in dreams.
But when a dream is taken away from someone, then he or she becomes unhappy.
I used to see your faces. And always, you were scared, unhappy, angry. Sometimes you wanted to push someone, to yell or to offend someone.
But now I see that you've changed. And I'm very happy about that. To be honest, I'm glad to see you happy.
And I hope that your happiness will finally take on eternity.
Many of you have seen a lot. The cold world met you so you had to give up dreaming, and your goals. From everything that warmed your soul when it was so dark and cold.
And I ask this question again, is there a human without a dream and a goal? Will such a person be able to live?
Looking at you, I know what you're thinking now. You think what's next, what to do with your new life, with the opportunities that have been in your mind all along.
The purpose of my book was to create an image of a human with a dream in his heart. But in my book, I haven't written about what to do next when you're ready to take off and start following your own path.
You expect me to say something hopeful. But from now on, you don't need hopes.
Take, for example, a bird.
No one gives the bird hope that the sky will be calm and the wind will be warm.
No one give them hope that the sky will meet their flight benevolently. But the bird, by its nature, still takes off and skirts the winds, gusts of winds.
Whoever has to take off will take off without any hope.
I don't know what your flight is going to be.
But know one thing, dreams are your wings. And it doesn't matter what your sky is like. Cloudy or clear, but most importantly, now, it will only be yours."
Of course, my speech was a little longer, but as Leila told me, after these words, I read a few lines from my book and thus made it a little clear that it is not necessary to take everything so close to the heart. And that if someone dreams of something, then without any noise just has to follow his or her goal.
But when I finished talking, the applause just shook all the trees around.
So that's the taste of fame.
I was standing on the stage, and perhaps my audience became even more spacious than before.
I loved what was happening to me and everyone.
I looked back and noticed that the highly venerable Leila and the other gentlemen who held an important position looked at me approvingly.
It was a moment of true happiness. It was a moment when everything fell into place.