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It
was late at night on 30 December 1999. It was raining as I drove along
the minor road near to Paris that I had used hundreds of times before.
It had been a demanding week. My alertness was blunted by
Friday-evening tiredness, the to and fro of the wind screen wipers and
the comforting knowledge that I was going home… then just one misjudged
curve, sudden fright, like a bolt of lightning, and then the impact. My
car had run off the road and landed in a ditch..
Pascal de
Souza, technical director of an office that specialises in the study of
parking facilities in cities, told us his story:
«In a few
seconds I had come to my senses. I was up-ended and pressed against the
steering wheel. I was trapped by my seat belt, which I could not
unfasten. My car was stuck nose-down in a rainwater drainage ditch. The
icy water was up to my waist and threatened to rise higher. Above, I
could see the beams from the headlights of cars passing round the
curve, but none of them could have spotted me… I had to depend on
myself alone and in particular on my Victorinox. My pocket-knife, kept
in its leather pouch on my belt, is never away from me. It is my
faithful companion. It cut through the safety belt without difficulty,
allowing me to struggle free of the car.
Without the Victorinox
I would certainly have been left stuck all night at the bottom of the
ditch, and in that icy cold water I might have expected the worst...»
Pascal
de Souza’s story is just one example of how often life hangs on a
single thread – in this case on the meticulously ground blade of a
Swiss knife. Pascal de Souza goes so far as to say that the knife acted
as his «third hand». And there would be some considerable truth in the
claim. It has been part of his life for over 25 years. It is with him
in both work and leisure.
Pascal de Souza also uses the
Victorinox as an artist’s tool, since he employs it to carve wonderful
sticks that he has collected or that friends have given him. «I look
for pieces of wood that remind me of some kind of animal. I use my
knife to underline and emphasise these forms. It takes me between 10
and 60 hours to do, depending on the complexity of the piece. I prefer
hard, dense wood with a warm colour, such as box tree, olive or
heather.» Qualities of wood that reflect his sturdy, ho nest hands. The
hands of a master of Taekwondo, a martial art that concentrates on
self-defence against attack:
«I’m preparing for the black
belt. I like this sport because it isn’t aggressive or violent, and it
can be used in any situation. It is an image of my Victorinox – a tool
for life!» | |
