Reunited After a Decade – Fabrizio's Back in London
It's been ten long years, but my brother from another mother, Fabrizio Madeddu, has finally landed back in London. We go way back—since nineteen eighty-nine, to be exact. We've shared everything from martial arts to music to language—he even taught me Italian. Over the years, we trained in Kenpo Jiu-Jitsu together, practiced Wing Chun with our mutual friend Adrian, and Fabrizio even dove deep into Shaolin culture, becoming close with the monks at the Shaolin temple in Tufnell Park.
He touched down at Stansted just last night. I picked him up, and from the moment we hit the road, it was non-stop stories, flashbacks, and laughter. We didn't sleep—we just dropped into the front room, played video games like we were teenagers again. This morning, I showed him my retro arcade setup in the garage—an old machine I helped build years ago for Maison Roshi, loaded with over five thousand classic games. Tekken, Street Fighter, Super Mario Bros—the very same titles we used to battle on back in the day.
He lit up like a kid. You know how it is when you see someone after so long, and they're exactly the same person but different at the same time? That's Fabrizio. Still got that infectious laugh, still moves with that martial artist's grace, but there's this deeper calm about him now. All those years with the Shaolin monks really did something to his spirit.
We've only got three days, but we're making every minute count. Today we're planning a good session on the sticks and maybe some light sparring for old times' sake. It's funny how your body remembers things even when your mind thinks it's forgotten. The moment I showed him some of the Wing Chun forms, muscle memory kicked in like no time had passed at all.
I keep thinking about all the adventures we had back in the day. Late nights at the arcade, training sessions that turned into philosophy discussions, him patiently teaching me Italian while I butchered every pronunciation. Some friendships just have this quality—they don't fade with distance or time. They're like a fire that never really goes out, just waiting for the right moment to flare up again.
The gaming session last night was pure nostalgia. We spent hours on Street Fighter, and I swear he still remembers every combo from 1995. There's something magical about shared experiences like that—they create bonds that go way beyond just hanging out. When you've trained together, sweated together, learned together, you build something unbreakable.
Tomorrow we're planning to hit some of our old spots around London. I want to show him how much has changed, but also take him to places that haven't. There's this little café near the old dojo where we used to grab coffee after training—apparently it's still there, same owner and everything. Some things never change, and maybe that's exactly what we need sometimes.
Three days isn't much, but with the right person, it's enough to pick up exactly where you left off. Welcome back to London, my friend. Let's make these days count.