What he did not know was that the whole process was caught by CCTVs, as they are now common on crowded Italian regional trains. Every detail: his finger stretching his nostril, his hand getting closer to the nose as the finger slid deeper and deeper inside, the exact moment the monster was finally discovered, the changing expression in his eyes as he captured the creature.
And yes, as happens with these cameras, the footage was randomly broadcast on screens installed throughout the train.
A private gesture, skillfully performed away from the direct gaze of fellow passengers, turned into the sudden outing of the fat man. He realized the eye of the camera was on him as soon as he started breathing, and it took that breathing away.
Was it the grossness of his gesture that made him so uncomfortable? Did he not know that he shared those same speleological skills with the vast majority of the population, including most of the people on the train? Why did he rush towards the exit, avoiding every gaze, as the train approached the next station? The questions remain unanswered as the corpulent man with a clear nose disappears into the morning fog of a Milan Monday. Then the train inches ahead.
