David Beriain- In memoriam

We are in Epistemology, and I confess that I got a bit lost. I went back to class when Ruth, the teacher, said David Beriain. "This should have been said before..." and she explained that he was going to be given the award Brajnovic. She wrote the name on the blackboard and told us how he died. Murdered, yes, but he told us that he was given the chance to leave and he didn't want to because he wanted to stay with Roberto Fraile, his friend. He wrote Roberto's name. "They were people who defended this" and he drew an arrow towards something he had already written on the blackboard and which I had not noticed: "Tell the truth". He drew a second arrow. "He was shot and that was the end of his life," he said, and turned to look at us. Then he turned around and underlined David's name twice, and framed that "Telling the truth". And he took a few steps away from the blackboard. And he didn't turn around. And there was silence. Ruth looking at the blackboard and us looking at Ruth. With an imperceptible gesture, she turned off the microphone, we couldn't even hear her breathing. The classroom was suspended. Some imprudent person pressed a key on the computer, and I think that, as his insensitivity was so audible, he didn't dare to finish the word. After a while, Ruth approached the table to check her notes, and looked at us. She made an eloquent gesture: her hand cut the air sharply. No need to say more. When he spoke again, his voice trembled, but not his intention. "I'm going to erase everything except the pretence of validity". He took the cloth and erased the names. "Telling the truth" has remained framed on the blackboard, with two arrows pointing to it, reminding us why we are sitting in these grey seats between these grey walls. And class has continued.