Piá
2012
Rodolpho is in the backseat of an eco car being driven by Lana. He remembers the details .
She was this pothead obese asian chick, and very funny. She could say nothing and just make people break down into laughter with just an expression. That was one of the reasons that Lu, who was beside her, fell in love with the girl. She was ending a call on her phone.
"He said he's right behind us. Stop at that gas station then we'll meet him and go from there." she says. They enter the gas station stopping right before the pumps, near the street. "Perfect, gives us a chance to buy cigarette and smoking paper. Would you do it, Rodolpho?" Lana asks, and the boy already had antecipated the request taking a 50 bill from his backpack.
"Lu, take some money from the glove department to give to him." she quickly says, but the boy stops her."No need, I have it. Yours is red, right Lana?"
"Yeah, and a white one as well. Are you sure you don't want money?"
"Positive, relax."
He opens the car door and leaves at the same time that a silver luxurious sedan car stops behind theirs. Rodolpho continues his way to the 24/7. Inside, he gets in the small line to get the stuff, looking back to get some glimpses of Lu's friend. He had liked a photo of him beside the girls online, and even commented, so he already knew he was cute. The boy, Eduardo, liked his comment. Nowadays that was definetely the beginning of something.
He's in front of the line and is greeted by a small woman behind the counter. "Good evening, can you get me two Marlboros Light, a red one and a silver Smoking, please?" he asks.
"Big or small?" she asks.
"Big."
While she gets the items the boy looks behind again. The two girls are outside talking to the aforementioned Eduardo, who was very charming even from afar. He was brunette with a buzzcut hair and was wearing a suit. Damn it, men on suits were a plus on Rodolpho's repertoire.
"It's 27,50" the woman says, to which he responds by giving her the 50 bill. She starts putting the items in a little plastic bag but he interrupts her.
"No need for a bag, thank you." He takes the stuff and leaves the store. Outside everybody was back in their cars, much for his disappointment for he thought he was going to meet Eduardo already. He gets inside Lu's, giving the girls their cigarettes. Lu points ahead.
"Go on, follow him."
The two cars start on their way, their soundtrack funky with indie rock'n'roll.
--
They're in a small apartment decorated elegantly, with a leather couch and everything extremely clean and neat, very organized. The four youngsters are in the balcony that has a small table with beer bottles, talking and laughing.
"..wait a minute, you're also Curitibano?!" Rodolpho asks.
Edu answers with an entertained smile. "Yep, I am."
"Oh come on, people, I can't handle this. Lana, you bring me out to interact with CURITIBANOS, man? May the Goddess forgive me!" he turns to Edu, "I'm sorry that you had to live in that place." and he turns to Lu, "You too, of course."
They all laugh. Lana has a joint in her mouth and passes it on to Rodolpho.
"But why do you hate Curitiba that much?" Edu asks. Rodolpho is hitting the joint and shakes his head in the the negative.
"I love Curitiba, I think the city's beautiful. What I don't like is people who are born there."
And he laughs, passing the joint along to Edu, who seemed to be having a good time by Rodolpho's anecdotes. He denies the joint.
"No, thanks, I'm not much of a smoker."
Rodolpho starts passing the joint around, but Edu takes his hands.
"Alright, just a little bit." he decides.
"Look at that, fucking pothead alert!" Lu tells her friend. Edu laughs and takes a hit, coughing right after it and laughing. He passes the joint.
"But why do you hate Curitibanos, have you ever lived there?"
Rodolpho takes a sip of beer.
"No, but when I used to work I spent a month there in training. It was terrible, the people I liked the most were the ones that weren't born in Curitiba. Every taxi ride was a different trauma. The people there don't even say good morning in the fucking elevator." Rodolpho tells.
"I don't hate Curitibanos, but it's true that they're kind of snobbish, Edu." Lana says.
"Alright, that may be true, but I'm a lovely Curitibano, Lana." Edu says, making a heart gesture with his hands.
"Oh, right on Lana, but you don't mind licking up this Curitibana here, huh?" Lu asks as if she was offended.
"Oh, Oh, Oh. Fight's ON." Rodolpho teases, while Lana muses a fake-perplexed expression.
"I withdraw everything I've said, erase it from the records." she says. They all have a few laughs and Rodolpho takes the joint once again.
"So, Edu, what about Theo? Did anything else happened?" Lu asks her best friend, and Rodolpho is suddenly trying not to seem interested in his response. Edu gets solemn, takes a sip of the beer nodding negatively with his head.
"It's over. This time is dead and done, there's no where to run. There's no love." Rodolpho exchanges a quick look with Lana while the other two talk.
--
Some hours go through and Rodolpho is with Edu still in the balcony talking while the girls are hugging each other and giggling in the leather couch inside.
"...and then I bought this apartment but it didn't work out, he didn't want to come and then I came to live by myself." Edu explains to a very interested Rodolpho.
"That's crazy man, you're like super adult. I haven't even done taxes ever before, and I wouldn't know how to do it even if I wanted to."
Edu giggles, a bit drunk, his eyes sparking. "How old are you?" he wonders.
"I'm turning 21 in February." Rodolpho says. Edu throws his head back, joking. "Ah but you're a little piá, you don't have to declare taxes you have to go play ball on the street." he laughs.
Rodolpho laughs and drinks more beer. "I'd rather buy weed with Dilma's money in Floripa, ha."
Edu laughs.
"Oh you dirty bag, the world is truly lost.." he pokes Rodolpho, "... this fucking youth. But tell me, do you think about going back to a similar work you had?"
"Nope, I never wanna be a Coordinator again, I just knew how to work and eat my feelings out. I don't know what to do yet, but never again I'd go back to that." he says, oblivious to the future.
"Uhm. You have to think about it, plan the future and all." Edu says very knowingly, pragmatical as he was. "I'm more a short-term kind of guy. One day at a time and all. You're not, obviously. That's why you have a car and a house and I have three t-shirts and a computer."
"Aha, I'm one of planning shit out, yeah."
"I should be like that, but I'm too anxious, too immediate. I'm obsessed with the fact that we're all dying tomorrow." he confesses.
"Gee, it's not like that. There's still time, you haven't even gone through puberty yet." Edu says with a smirk. Rodolpho laughs and gives him the finger. He thinks a little bit and his expression gets serious.
"I dunno. I remember a thing that my biology teacher said one day in high school. I don't even remember what the class was about, but I remember what he said almost every day of my life. He was commenting on pregnancy, I guess, and then he said 'Guys, we're nine months in uterus waiting to be born and, from the moment we are born, we start dying. Have you ever thought about that?'"
"Jesus, what a pessimist. Why would a teacher say that to a bunch of teenagers?"
"To wake them up, I guess. But it makes total sense... Are you religious somehow?" Rodolpho asks, curious.
"Not exactly. My entire family is evangelical, but I'm not. Though I do believe in God. What about you? Do you believe?"
"Sometimes. Not really." The conversation was on the way to go awry, so Edu decided to save it.
"Well, to vote for Dilma you have to believe a lot." he jokes.
"Ohh don't even, man." he starts, putting his fist in front of his mouth as if he was announcing something, ".. here comes the right-wing fag, everybody." Edu laughs. A lot.
"Careful, young one, respect your elders."
"Ah yes, the 23-year-old grandpa."
Lana is the kitchen staring at the fridge. "Du!" she yells, and they look at her.
"There's no more beer. What now? Should we buy more?" Edu goes into the living room, answering her.
"Ahm, I don't know, we could but isn't it best to go to sleep to wake up early tomorrow? Going to the beach in the afternoon is a no-go." he says.
"I'm alright with that, I think it's best. Rodolpho, wanna smoke another one before calling it in?"
"Heck yeah." Rodolpho responds.
"I'm gonna take a shower." Lu says.
"I wanna take one as well, so go quickly." Edu states.
Lana and Rodolpho are already in the couch lighting up the joint. Edu starts taking the empty bottles in the balcony and taking the dishes to the kitchen sink. Rodolpho gets up in a hurried jump.
"Gee, let me help, so rude sitting down to smoke and not helping" he tells Edu.
"No, relax, there's nothing, it's real quick. Let me do it, smoke away."
Even after that Rodolpho takes the remaining bottles from the balcony and glasses and takes it to the kitchen, where Edu is. He smiles.
"Really, you don't have to." he says taking the glasses from Rodolpho's hands.
"Come on, everyone's gotta help out." Lana lifts her brows, smoking. "I give zero shits" she says slowly, making everyone laugh.
Edu starts washing the glasses.
"Let me do it, Edu, you're already giving us a roof." Rodolpho pleads.
"No, stop it, it's merely four glasses, chill out. Go smoke, really."
"Alright. But the next dishes are mine." he says, sitting back down with Lana.
--
They've been smoking the joint which is now a small roachie, alone in the living room.
"So, what do you make of Floripa so far?" Lana asks.
Rodolpho makes a sly expression and looks to the bathroom door. "Lo-ving it."
"I told you you were gonna like him. When Lu mentioned we might crash here I immediately thought about it. Plus, he's single." she says.
"Come on, I deserve a fucking break, don't I? I'm such a nice guy."
"Calm down, your time will come. I love Edu, if you two hooked up just imagine the amount of fun we'd have together."
"We should have a double wedding! The best friends marry the best friends. Poetic, it's a short movie material."
"Talking about marriage already and I'm supposed to be the lesbian. Fucking fags."
Rodolpho laughs. "Won't Lu come smoke?" he says, looking at the remainings of the joint. "I don't think so, she's not as addicted as we are. She's probably waiting for me in the bedroom."
"Right, with her pussy spread out. Today's the day."
Lana laughs while pulling air from the roachie, passing it to him.
"I think there's one more hit." she says with her mouth full of smoke. He hits it and puts it out.
"I think I'm off, leave you two alone and all" Lana says, starting to get up. Rodolpho stops her. "Stop it, it'll make it too obvious. And gee, you think I'm a joint prostitute, huh? After smoking leaves me to go suck some pussy? Very pretty, ma'am." he says lighting up a cigarette, and she does the same.
"Alright, I'll smoke this and then I'll go. Whore. What if you end up sucking something as well today?"
"I'd suck him all off, I'm even salivating now. He looks like he has a massive..." Edu gets out of the bathroom, looking at them, "... one less finger and all!" Rodolpho exclaims. Lana laughs her ass off by the sudden change and Edu makes a curious face.
"What are you guys laughing at?" he asks, only with a towel covering his body. He had what Brazilians call a "happy trail", which is a path of hair from his belly button down to his crotch.
Lana looks curiously to Rodolpho.
"A guy I hooked up that had a missing finger in his hands." Rodolpho blurs out. Edu smiles mildly, not understanding the joke.
"Like Lula!" Rodolpho continues.
Edu makes a consterned face.
"I won't even say anything."
Rodolpho puts on a fake-severity. "Don't you talk shit about Lula!"
He leaves the living room shaking his head towards the bedroom. Lana attacks. "Like Lula?!" and laughs.
"I don't know man, it's what came out. Better than "your cock must be awesome to suck on.""
Lana lifts her brows. "Better? Are you sure?"
The boy smiles and starts making a gesture insinuating a dick coming in and out of his mouth by moving his fist and blowing up his cheeks. Edu leaves the room in his PJ's and he stops the miming immediately. "I think I'll smoke a cigarette before packing it in as well" Edu says, sitting in front of them in one of the leather chairs that matched the couch.
He takes a pack of cigarettes and asks for the lighter with a gesture, to which Rodolpho responds by giving it to him, their hands lingering more than the the usual when touching each other.
"Look Edu, do you happen to have a pillow for me?" Rodolpho asks, pointing to the couch.
"I do, but I have a big bed, don't you wanna sleep there?" Rodolpho answers as if nothing had happened. "Oh, alright, thanks. If I'm not getting in the way." he says.
Edu's taking a drag of the cigarette and shakes his head saying that no, it wouldn't get in the way.
Rodolpho gets up after his smoke, takes his bag that's laying around and takes a toothbrush from it. He enters the bathroom behind Edu, looking to Lana lifting his brows indicating baffledness.
He enters in the super neat bathroom and puts the tooth paste in his brush. He looks towards the mirror while brushing his teeth and starts thinking. "It's okay, everything is okay. Young people meet and like each other and fuck. It's the normal thing. You're fine." he tells himself.
He goes back to brushing his teeth.
Rodolpho opens the bathroom door and there's no one else in the living room, the lights turned off. Edu's bedroom door is open and he walks in. Inside, Edu is lying down in the left side of the bed with nothing but his shorts on, his eyes open.
"Hey." Rodolpho says, kind of shy. The boy smiles.
"Be comfortable, okay? I'm a fast sleep." he says.
Rodolpho nods with his head and closes the door. He takes his shoes off slowly and looking to both sides he takes the pants off, staying on with his undies and his t-shirt. He pulls the sheet of the bed and lies down in bed, smiling to Edu and keeping a safe distance between them.
"Are you cold?" Edu asks.
"No, I'm fine.. are you?"
"Nope. I'm made of European blood and all."
"Ah, yea, sure sure. All curitibanos are."
"Good night, then, piá."
"Good night, Du. Thanks for the night."
They close their eyes. Their feet are far from each other at the end of the bed. A moment in silence. Rodolpho moves his feet a little bit closer to Edu's, but doesn't touch them.
Now it's time for Edu's feet to get a little bit closer, but also not touching Rodolpho's. Rodolpho opens his eyes and the other guy seems to be still. He nears his feet a bit more and slightly touches Edu's. Some seconds pass. Edu retributes the gesture full on touching Rodolpho's feet, who immediately indicates reciprocity. They both open their eyes and Edu goes for it. They start making out forcefully, kissing and rubbing at each other. Edu kisses his lips, his face, his neck. They start dry humping, Edu on top. He smiles to Rodolpho.
"Couldn't control myself." he says.
"No one's complaining, man." Rodolpho responds. They both smile, still making out. Edu starts taking Rodolpho's underwear and the boy lets him. They moan in pleasure. Things are heating up.
Edu goes back to his neck, his cheeks, his ears. His hands go under the covers and he starts fingering Rodolpho, who is crazy about it. Rodolpho takes his face from Edu's, trying to say something.
"I..." he starts, but doesn't really now how to say it. Edu keeps forcing his body against the boy's, touching him everywhere. The boy can't resist.
"...wait..."
Edu lifts his face and continues to kiss him. "What? Isn't it good?" he wonders.
"It's delicious, it's just.." he starts, and Edu kisses him more. Rodolpho just blurs it out.
"I.. never.. did it."
Edu stops for a moment, confused.
"Did what?" he asks. They look at each other for a moment.
"I'm a virgin." Rodolpho finally says.
Edu laughs, thinking it's a joke.
"So tacky saying it." Rodolpho says with a nervous smile.
Edu loses his smile, still on top of the boy. "You're serious?"
"Yeah."
"No way..." Edu says.
Rodolpho smiles.
"Yeah..." Edu kisses him again and lies down beside him, face to face with the boy.
"But how? Being 20 with that little face?" Rodolpho smiles, happy.
"That's a cute thing to say." Rodolpho says and they kiss each other some more. "But seriously, how did this happen?"
"I don't know. It happened." Rodolpho says, not about entering the whole being fat with low self-esteem in the past years. Edu looks to the roof for a bit. He sighs.
"First time is something important. It doesn't fly doing it like this, without really knowing each other." Rodolpho seems confused, but still smiles nervously.
"I don't put too much weight on it like that. To me, if it happens, it happens."
"I don't think so. It's important." Rodolpho is serious, kind of disappointed. Was he being blown off?
"Well.." Edu starts. He tackles the boy and kisses him some more..
"You'll stay around here for five days or so, right? How about we hang out and get to know each other, then?"
Rodolpho smiles again. "Sounds perfect."
"It's a deal then. I wasn't even going for it, but couldn't keep myself from kissing you, so adorable you are." Rodolpho thinks a bit and smiles.
"Just because I've never fucked doesn't mean I haven't done other things." he says, going down on the boy, who accepts it gladly, grunting with pleasure.
6 monrhs later Edu broke up with Rodolpho. "I still love. Theo"
--
Back to the present, Good Hope Conservatory
"Are you married to that joint?" Rodolpho asked, his blond hair glistening from the sunlight.
"You're such a complainer, man. I'm trying to get high here." Fabiana said. "You're fat as fuck, Fabi. The joint is too small." He said.
"Fuck you, Gaylord Focker." They were inside Fabiana's car, a restaured Maverick, outside the school. She finally passed the joint along. "Thank God. I have to teach that Basic 1 today." Rodolpho said.
"The one with Nilo?"
"Yeah."
"Man, he's totally fuckable."
"Totally."
"I think he's gay." Fabiana says.
"He's not gay, he's just mildly autistic. But he learns fast."
"Come on, you know I have an eye for it."
"If you say so. The problem is Zelia. I taught them when they were in Intro Class."
"Jesus, she's horrible. Always breaks my soul."
"There's also Jordan."
"He's not a problem." Rodolpho says, passing the joint.
"I think he's a she. He is too gay to be only gay."
"Who can tell?"
"I can."
"Do you have eye drops? I forgot mine."
"I'm always prepared, you doubting fag."
"You know, it's by 8th grade that you can recognize who's gonna be fuckable."
"Rodolpho, come on, we don't want another Guilherme episode."
"Fuck, it was only a blowjob."
"Yeah, but he threatened to tell. Control yourself."
"I always do. Plus, the law says that 14 is the age of consent."
"Yeah, but they always control the narrative. What if he said it wasn't consensual?"
"Then I'd be buttfucked in prison. Win win."
Fabiana just laughed at that. They've been friends since they were 10 and now were working at the same English School, in a town called Good Hope.
"What time is it?"
"We still have 20 minutes." Rodolpho lit a cigarette.
"Jesus, you know I don't like cigarettes inside the car."
"Please, it smells like stale pussy here."
"Fuck off, I just had it washed."
"Then you're the smell." They laugh. "Now that I think of it, it's not only in the 8th grade that you recognize the good ones. Remember Julio?"
"Oh yeah, that was a surprise. But he's an exception, I think."
"Well, it doesn't matter anymore. You can't touch, it's art."
"What about Lucas?" Fabiana asks.
"It's done. He disappeared since his brother died. It's been 3 years man. I won't wait."
"I thought he was the love of your life."
"He is. But he can't love me right now. And he's a million miles away, there's nothing I can do. I've sent e-mails, books, letters and nada."
"You'll find another gringo."
"Right? I need to fall in love again. You know, Lucas' mother told me he's been taking medicine for depression. Who knows."
"Don't grow your expectations."
"I know that, Fabi. What I need is a good fuck."
"Wanna go to the Terreiro with me on Friday?"
"No. I light my incenses and my candles and that's enough for me."
"Maybe go to take a bath."
"I don't want to. I'm spiritual enough." They lingered in what to say.
"Changing the subject, there's a thing my mom told me that reminds me of you and Lucas."
"Yeah, and what's that?"
"You never marry the love of your life."
Rodolpho shrugged his shoulders.
"She was right, so far. How long has it been since she died?"
"5 years. But I don't like to talk about that."
"She was amazing. Really."
"I know. Let's talk about dick."
"Oh, fuck that."
"Please, something. I need to teach Present Perfect today."
"Fuck, I hate those classes. The syllabus is awful in the explanation."
"You'd think that in a town like this people wouldn't need to learn."
"Then we would be jobless."
"I can still sell my body."
"Yeah, to the lard factory."
"Fuck you, I'm not that fat."
"I'm just saying, exchange the side of fries for some salad once in a while."
"That's slutshaming, you know."
"It's fatshaming. Know your terms."
"We need to go." Fabiana says, taking the eyedrops out.
"Just one more cigarette."
"You'll make us late. It'll irritate Cibele."
"Fuck Cibele. Every extra class she wants give it to me. I want my Fridays off."
Fabiana put on her sunglasses after eyedropping her eyes and rehearsed getting out of the car.
"Wait a minute, you bitch. Give me the eyedrops."
Rodolpho did what he needed and also got off of the car.
"Off we go." He said, stumbling in the step at the base of the school.
--
It was Saturday morning and Rodolpho was yet again climbing the hill to go to the bakery and buy his cigs and some pão de queijo. He prayed he wouldn't find any acquaintaces there, or worse: students. Students and their parents. It was always embarassing and uncomfortable, but it did happen.
--
--
Diogo and Jordan are lying in bed spooning and smoking a cigarette, talking. "You're crazy." Diogo says. "I'm far from crazy. And they deserve it."
"Yeah, alright, but how are you going to pull it off? Sounds complicated." Jordan lifts his shoulders. "Gabriel is gonna help me." Diogo sighs. "Huh. Gabriel, right."
"What, jealous? He's a friend. And we're single, did you forget?" Truth was that Diogo was possessive and Jordan knew that, thus the teasing. He was on the DL about fucking a "guy" but still got jealous. It was fun to mess with his head. "I gotta go. Your mom will be home soon. I'm horrible at improv, so I better avoid it."
"Alright. I'll see you when I see you." Diogo gives a smooch in Jordan's mouth and starts putting his clothes on. "Tell me of the ongoings of your plan. I'm officially interested."
"You got it, baby. Why don't you go?"
"No, thanks, I'm fine just hearing about it." Jordan laughs. Diogo puts his cap back on and goes for the door. "Bye, my bitch."
"Alright, alright, calm down. Bye." Diogo leaves and Jordan, with a blurred make up and no wig on, lights up a cigarette in the balcony of the room. Ah, that was life.
It was night already and Jordan was a boy once again. He was in his bedroom playing some online RPG on his cellphone when Lucilene entered. "Is that what you're wearing?"
"What's wrong with it?" Jordan answers, looking down at his outfit. "It's your dad's birthday, your cousins are coming and we're gonna take pictures. Where's that shirt I bought you?"
"I told you, I don't wear shirts. It's hateful." Lucilene sighs. "Why is it so complicated with you?"
"Well, probably the same reason that it's complicated with you. Damn those genes!" Jordan laughs at his own joke but Lucilene is not amused. "Put on the shirt and come down. We're gonna order some pizzas from that Italian place." Jordan smiled but not at what Lucilene said. He smiled because he thought that with her even the pizzas needed to be fancy. The doorbell rings. "Come down and greet your cousins. Wear whatever you like, I don't care. And behave." They both leave the bedroom and go down the stairs into the dining room. His cousin Anna appears and behind her, with his boy cap on, was Diogo beside Jordan's father, Mariano. Mariano had a sun-burnt skin and short stature, and always looked like he was unpleased. Jordan's cousins, Maria and Diogo, were siblings. They all greet, Diogo and Jordan pretending it was the first time they saw each other in some time. Diogo greets his boss. "Happy birthday, sir."
"Thank you, Diogo." Jordan realized he hadn't said anything about his dad's birthday to him. That didn't bother him. The doorbell rings and the pizzas arrived. Maria set the table and opened each box. Every single pizza had onions. Really, all of them. Diogo sees the pizzas and glances at Jordan. The boy makes a "What can I do?" face and sits down. Everyone eats except for Jordan, but no one asks why. He was weird, that's all they thought. His father started rambling on his favorite subject."So, Diogo, getting a lot of pussy these days?"
"Language. Don't be so crass." Lucilene answers, but Mariano pays no attention to it. Diogo was like the son Mariano never had, and he treated him like that. Jordan laughed to himself at the absurdity of the situation. Diogo plays his part. "Well, you know sir, I can't complain..." he looks discretly at Jordan, "...really, can't complain." Jordan knew that Diogo dabbled with girls when he was bored, but also knew that he himself was Diogo's favorite dish. Again, the power. After years their playtime had become an infatuation, and Diogo was the one that had more feelings in the dynamics. Jordan liked that. It resembled love. At least what Jordan could interpretate as love. "Are you all staying over? It can be like old times, you can have a sleepover." Lucilene says, smiling. She was very fond of her nephew and niece, and missed having a full house and children playing about. They weren't children anymore, but that didn't mean they couldn't bond. Lucilene was an advocate for Jordan to approximate himself to his cousins. She had no idea how close he already was. Anna was in on Jordan and Diogo's secret. "No, auntie, Diogo has english classes in the morning and I'll have to work. Maybe next weekend we can arrange something." Anna says. They all dine and the pizzas are over. Anna, Lucilene and Jordan are in the living room talking and drinking some wine. Mariano, as usual, took Diogo to the warehouse to play some tunes and talk macho. Jordan pitied the boy, for he had to indulge Mariano at all times. Aside from being the patriarch of the family, he worked for him. Oh, and yes, they smoked cigars while having a pissing contest. Diogo didn't play a part, he liked being an "alpha". That's why they worked well together, for Jordan was the posterboy for feminity. Maybe one day they could live together and have no more secrecy, but that was for years from now. Jordan still depended on his parents, and dreaming that far ahead wasn't a trait for him. Dreams can mess you up, living in a duo-reality is torture for free-thinkers. So yeah, he cut down on teenage dreaming knowing very well it was for the best. No wedding gown, no house with a garden, no children. He only planned his performance at school as a future endeavor. He was excited about it, almost too excited. It had to work. After a while Mariano and Diogo emerge. Mariano seemed very pleased, having had a couple of whiskys, and Diogo seemed offput. Incoming.
"Well, it's settled." Mariano starts, looking at Lucilene as if they were in cahoots about something. And they were. Mariano announces: "Diogo will be moving in the spare bedroom a week from now. Let's celebrate."