"No,Thankyou.Ialwayssuspectedsomethingbut...Ihadsomegoodparentsevenifthey hadnoheartandsnatchedmefrommyorigins.Thosewereothertimes,Isuppose."
"Iamsosorry."
"Don’t be sorry, Marta. Don’t be sorry. Thanks again, I’ve also found some peace.
Sometimeslifesurprisesyouintofindingwhatyoudidn’tevenknowyouwerelookingfor."
"You'reright."
"Youhaveaverybeautifulgift.Takecareofit."
HegotupslowlyleavingfiveeurosatthetabletopayforourCokes.Hemyhandagain handandwithasmileunderhiswhitemustache,heleft.Istoodpensive,sippingmycokeand lightingmycigarette.Absorbedinmycellphonewhosesilencelaughedatme.
Chapter7
SUMMER’SAPARTY
(andfleeting)
Thedayswentbyatthespeedoflightning.Augustcamewithitsclearskiesanditsradiantand lastingsun.Itwasahotday.Daysofwork,dietCokeontheterracesofthebars,eternalwalks through the countryside, nights staring at the stars from the rooftops, night parties and vacationerswhowarnedusthattheholidayswereattheirpeak.Buthewasmissing.Imissed himeachandeverymomentofmylife,therewasanemptyspaceinmybednow...myfingers alsomissedbeingintertwinedwithhis.Andmyeyeslookedmoredesperatelackingtheirusual glow.WeusedtosendeachotherWhatsAppmessagesfilledwithlotoflittleheartemojisand smiles. We used to talk on the phone and were in contact almost daily. But lately, Alejandro hadalotofworkinAveiroandhadlittletime.Icouldn’tboastthatmyschedulewastoofree either.MyfavoritedaywasSaturday,whenIwenttoLoli'ssalontoworkasamakeupartist forwomenwhowantedtoglamupforIdon’t-know-whatreasons.Theydiscussedtheirlives to me, I nodded smiling and agreeing with everything. I loved to see Marlin, a ghost in her sixties, who was waiting for me every Saturday at the entrance of salon. She sat behind me, watchingeverythingIdidduringtheafternoon.Itdidn’tbotherme,exceptwhensheexplained anecdotesofherhusbandstillaliveMariano,talkingoverthewordsofthelivingclient.Itwas crazy.ButIlikedit.
Nothingtododuringthesummersinmypreviouslife.Fromtheageoftwenty-four,Icould affordadreamvacationforthewholemonthofAugust.MyfavoritedestinationwasBali,butI loved sunbathing on the beaches of Acapulco, drinking tequila in Mexico, partying in Ibiza, losingmyselftothemostluxuriousresortsinBrazilandenjoyingtheirdeliciouscaipirinhas...
Wow, yeah ... I had a serious problem with alcohol ... Even if I was single, I was always surroundedbypeoplewhofollowedmewhereverIwent.Iwastheundisputedprotagonist,the onewhohandledtheshow...whofranklydidn’tgiveadamnaboutanyone.
IrealizedthatLaurawasdeadwhenonenight,absorbedinmythoughts,Ismokedacigarette ontheterraceofmyhouse,staringatthestars.Inthebackground,somechildrenshriekedand spoke loudly, loudly. The roofs were dark, the cemented streets dimly lit with their lanterns.
And beside me sat her. Claudia, the second ghost whom I still knew as a spirit. With her blazingblondmane,herbrightgreeneyes,herangelicfaceandhersurprisingmaturity.
"Gladtoseeyou,"Isaid.
"You'vebecomeanexpert."hesmiled.
"Ofwhat?"
"Oflife."
"Ithoughtyouweretalkingaboutspirits."
"Aswell.Theonesupstairsareverysurprisedatyou."
"Forreal?Iaskedincredulously."IthoughttherewouldbenowaytopleaseSaintPeter."
"Between you and me... San Pedro is a simple puppet." You're doing fine, you're much betterthanyouwerelikeLaura.
"Yes?"shenodded.
"Youdogoodtoeveryone,youdothingsforothersunselfishly,youworkhardtomakeends meet..."
"Minecostme..."Igrimacedindisgust.
"Iguessitwasalotmorefuntogetontherunwaysandposeforthebestphotographers, right?"Ishrugged."Itmeansnothing,whatyoudonow."
"Butyouknow?Nomatterwhatwedo,whatreallymattersiswhoweare."
"AndIwasaharpy,"Isaidsadly.
"You'restilltalkingaboutyourdeath.OfthedeathofLauraSmith.Manypeopleremember herasthebestmodelbut..."
"Notthebestperson,"Isaid.
"Exact.Inthislife,you’regettingsomethingthatmanypeoplefinddifficulttounderstand.
Theworldisfullofgreedy,selfish...peoplewhoseeksatisfactioninmaterialthingswithout understandingtheessential."
"Whatisessentialforyou,Claudia?"
"Time.Themoments.Thememoriesweleaveinourlovedones.Love,"hewinkedatme.
Andyouarereapinggoodmemoriesineveryonewhoknowsyou.Followthatroad.You'renot so funny anymore ... your story no longer looks like a comedy but ... it's worth it, don’t you think?
"Yes."
"You’rehappy?"
"Sometimes.Therehavetobemomentsforeverything,right?"
"Do you remember that I told you that the word of my life was" Pain "? I smiled, remembering our first meeting in a freshly painted bench in Central Park when I, as spirit, foundmyselfsofrustratedandlost.Andyouthoughtitwassadnottohaveawordforyourlife.
Haveyoufoundyourword?"
"I have not even had a month in this life but ... my word is very short. It only has two letters.
"Igetit.She’sverypretty."
"Thankyou."
"Ihavetogo.Ithasbeenapleasuretalkingtoyouandtheletter...ofnothing,Iamgladthat ithashelpedyou."
"Comeandseememoreoften,Claudia.Iliketoseeyou."
"I'lltry!Keepitupandbehappy."
Andagain,herpetitebodyslidelegantlyaway,vanishingovertherooftops.Atthatmoment twoshootingstarscrossedmyeyes.Iaskedforawish.
FelisaleftmeherGPSsoIcouldgettoAveirowithoutproblems.Iwasexcited,Iwasfinally going to see Alejandro. I had fifteen days of vacation time and wanted to take advantage of them. I would spend five days in Aveiro and then Alejandro would come to town until September2nd.Days,moredaystogether.Time.Avaluablegift!
MybatteredSuzukienduredthethreehoursoftravelwithoutincident.Thefemalevoiceon theGPSclearlyindicatedwhereIhadtogo,exceptonceIarrivedatAveiro,Igotlostonits narrow streets, the GPS told me to turn left when there was only right, it indicated exits in some roundabouts that didn’t exist and I decided to ask for directions to the mall where Alejandroworked.Itwasamodern,well-structuredshoppingcenterwithlongcorridorsand exquisite decoration. The shops were fascinating and I thought about the possibility of renovating my wardrobe. It was a Friday afternoon, so as expected, it was packed with Portuguesecitizensandtouristseagertobuy.IwenttotheupperfloorwhereAlejandrowas waitingformeinhissmallbutstatelyoffice.IwasshockedtoseehimwithouthisjeansandTshirts.Heworeanelegantdarksuit,aflawlesswhiteshirt,andagarnettie.Hewashandsome andtannedandevenlookedtallerandstronger.Hesmiledatmeandmyblueeyeswerehappy; Theywereagaintheprotagonistsofhisgaze.Thatlook...
IwalkedaroundthemalltokilltimeuntilAlejandrofinishedworkingateighto'clockinthe afternoon.Iboughtsomecheapclothesbutwiththegoodtasteofaformermodel.Ihadcoffee on the terrace of one of the bars in the mall ... and I felt strange. And not only because the language difference, he understood Portuguese perfectly. I had become accustomed to the people and to everyone greeting me. No one knew me there, but on the other hand it was a relief.Fromtheterraceofthebaryoucouldseealongandwidecanalwheremanypassersby walked.Thestreetswerecleanandwel
lkept,fulloftraditionalhouses,someverycolorful, whichremindedmealotofVenice.ForsomethingtheycallAveiro,the
The Portuguese Venice, I thought. I was anxious to walk through the streets and see the house where Alejandro had been staying for days. He seemed comfortable and happy in his new job, with his new life. I was afraid I wouldn’t fit into his new world; not wanting to tormentmyselfwithsomanynegativethoughts,Iconvincedmyselfeverythingwasgoingtobe allright.Yeah,sure.
Myhourhadarrived.Alejandrocameuptome,seductive,winkingatmeanduntyinghis
tie.IfollowedhimwithmycarthroughthestreetsofAveirountilarrivingatourdestination.
Weparkedinanopenfield.Wecrossedoverabridgethatledustoanothercanal,smallerthan the previous one I had seen, with small fishing boats in it and surrounded by colorful and
overelaborated houses. Alejandro's house was there, a plaque on its front indicated that we wereatCaisdosBotirões,cornerofLargodaPraçadoPeixe,anditwasagaudyyellowwith theedgesofthesmallwoodenwindowspaintedblue.Nextdoorisabarwithaverycozyred-tiled terrace overlooking the canal, as well as the sidewalk bars across the street. A few metersaway,alargetownsquarecalledPraçadopeixe,theJoséEstevãoMarketasitmarked asignandarounditrestaurantsandentertainmentvenues.
"It'sallverynice,"Isaidbeforeenteringthehouse.
"Andverysmall.JustanotherdayinAveiroyouknow,"heanswereddully.
Thehousedidn’thavemuchlight.Thefloorswereoldwood,aswellastherusticceiling.
Uponentering,wecameuponasmallliving-dining-kitchen.Alltogetherandwelldistributed.
Adoorleadingtoasmallsinkandnexttothesofacoveredwithagreencloth,anoldstaircase leadingtoaroom,anotherbathroomandasmallyellowtiledterracewithviews.
"I'mcomfortableandwe'reout,okay?"
Iwentoutontheterracetosmokeacigarette.Theviewswerespacious,youcouldseethe town square, the casitas and the locals. People coming and going and a clear sky that threatenedtodarkenatanymoment.
"Whatdoyouthink?"Alejandroasked,huggingme.
"Well,it'sallveryhomely."Ismiled."Althoughthosehouseswithbathroomtiles...it’sall solovely.Howareyou?"
"Verygood.TheworkisgreatbutIdon’tknowanyone."
"Giveittime!"
"Andyou?Howareyou?"
"Missingyou,really..."Ireplied,staringattheyellowtilesontheterracefloor.
"Imissedyoutoo.TherehavebeendayswhenIfeltlikethrowinginthetowelandgoing backhome.
"Youcould..."Imeditated.No.Iwouldneveraskthat."Everythingwillbefine."
"Ofcourseitwill."
Andhefinallykissedme.Asifnotasingledayhadpassedsinceoursilentfarewell.
Anhourlater,wewenttodinnerataverychicrestaurantnexttohishouse.Wehadalarge seafoodplatterandthewhitewinerosealittletothehead.ThenwewalkedAveiro,itsstreets anditschannelsinsilence.Itwasverylate.Thestreetsbegantobedesertedandwhenwegot backhome,westoppedatthetownsquare.Inthebackground,withoutknowingwhereitcame from, we heard violins and accordions melting to give way to a slow and precious melody.
Maybe it was the wine or the desire to hug us, but I lived the most romantic moment in my history.There,inthemiddleofthedesertedsquare,webegantodanceslowly.Lookinginto each other's eyes, embracing each other, passionately kissing one another, smiling ... living a magical moment that I would never forget. If the former Martha was looking at us from somewhere far away, she would surely be dead with envy. And I did not care to be that top model of perfect measures, a face and hair to die for, expensive clothing and money in abundance.ItwasMarta,thatsimplewoman,poorlydressedandimperfectbankaccount...the mostwonderfulwomanintheworldinAlejandro'seyes.
Thenextday,(Saturday);Alejandroworkeduntil2noon,soItooktheopportunitytogooutto haveagoodPortuguesecoffeeandsightseethecity.Sittingwithmycoffeecupinmyhand,I watched the frenzied movement in Praça do Peixe. Tourists taking pictures of everything aroundthem,includingthosebasementtilehousesthathorrifiedme.Andyet,inthefaceofso muchmovement,colorsandbeauty,Icouldfeelpeace...untilaftergivingmycigaretteadrag, everythingbegantocloud.Suddenly,everythingturnedintosomethingverydifferentfromwhat myeyeshadseenonlysecondsbefore.Isatstill,watchingafrenziedworldthatwasnotthe onesheknew.Iobservedthebustleanditspeopleinaveryoldfashionedattire.Fish,lotsof fish.Therewasanunpleasantrottensmell.Stonehouses,withoutcolor...wood,lotsofwood.
Rudemen,ladieswiththeirlittleonesintheirarms...noiseofcoins,screams,strongfootsteps
...Man...Whatwasinthatcigarette?Thewaitertouchedmyshoulderandfortunately,returned ittomeinrealtime.
"Allright?
"Hey?Yes,yes...all’swell...thankyou..."Irepliedstillmisplaced.
What had happened? I hoped that something like that would never happen to me again. I bodyfeltweird;Seeingspiritswaseatenbytheunpleasantsensationhehadjustexperienced.I extinguishedmycigarette,promisingthatitwasthelastoneofmylife,eventhoughtenminutes laterImightlightanother.
BeforeIcouldgetupandstartwalkingthestreetsofAveiro,amanofaboutfortysatnext to me, who with one glance stopped my intention of starting to tour the city. Hypnotized, I lookedathim.Hehadverysmalleyes,averyspecialhoneycolor.Hissharpfaceemphasized acarefulredheadbeardthatbroughthimoriginalityunderanaquilinenose...Akindofhippy
...
"Hello,Laura."Ilookedathiminsurprise.Ilookedaround.Wasitaghost?"No,I'mnota ghost.I'mreallyhere."
"Laura?"Right!Laura!Iwastotallyadaptedtomynewname."Okay.Whoyouare?"
"Gooddisguise,right?"Hesaid,winkingatme."Don’tyourecognizeme?"
"Well,thetruthis-"
"IamSt.Peter,child!
"SaintPeter?What'sup?Nobodydyingtoday?"
"Ihaveafewdoublesworking.Iwantedtotalkwithyou."
"You'll say ..." I said in fear that he would reproach me for the times I'd thought about kickinghisass.
"Areyousatisfiedwithyournewbody?Withyournewlife?"
"IneverthoughtI'dsaythis,but...I'mhappierthanever,"Ireplied,smiling.
"HowhappyIamtohearthat.Theimagesyou'veseenbeforehaveareason,itwasnota coincidence. Have you ever wondered who you were before Laura? I looked pensive. Like most mortals, you've been visiting the land for centuries, from one reincarnation to another.
Exceptonthisoccasion,anexceptionalmeasureoccupyinganotherbodythatfromwhatIsee, you'renotdoingtoobadly.
"Getoutofhere."St.Peterhadtheknackofmakingmenervous.
"Theyear1617.Lookahead."
Iobeyed.Isawawomanwhowasnottobeovertwentywithababyinherarms,wrapped
inafrayedbrownblanket.Theybothwerecrying.Herlightbrownhairabadlybraided,her outfitwastornandsheworenoshoes.Herwhitishface,fulloffrecklesshadowedbythetears thatflowedfromhergreatblueeyes,shewasverybeautiful.
"Whoisshe?"Iasked,feelingatwingeinmyheart.
"Wasyou.Oneofyourpreviouslives."
"Iwasthere?"henodded.
"Anditwasn’teasy,Laura.Withinthreedaysofthisscene,yourbabydied.Twodayslater, itwasyoubychoice."
"DidIcommitsuicide?"
"Yes."
"How strong is not it? Why are you showing me this? Now I understand why w
hen we return from one reincarnation to another we don’t remember anything. Much better, where it ends...Iwouldhavepreferrednottoseeit."
"Ihadtoshowyou.Iknowyou'refinebut..."
"But...?"Iwasstartingtoworry.Ineverliked"BUT".
"Therearehardtimesinlife,girl.Rememberthis.Andrememberthatitcouldalwaysbe worse."
"Are you warning me? Is something else going to happen? Is my eyesight going to get worse?"
"Ihavenoanswertoyourthirdquestion,"hereplied,shakinghishead.Andtherest...all in good time. Like Laura, you had an easy and comfortable life. Your breastplate and pride didn’t allow you to suffer for anything or anyone. In a short time, this has changed. You're another,you'redifferent...I'dsaybetter...keepitup,comewhatmay,you'llhaveyourreward
...
Withoutgivingmetimetoreactortosayanymorestupidity,herosewithhischaracteristic majesty wrapped in a halo of mystery and as he had come, he left. The strange feeling still grippedmybody,Ileftforawhilewanderingaimlessly.
My five days in Aveiro with Alejandro were incredible, without any more jolts, apparitions fromtheotherworldorunpleasantscenesofanotherlife.Bestofall,westillhadmoredays together. We enjoyed every moment. Among Aveiro with its sixty thousand inhabitants, we visitedCostaNovadoPrado.Itsendlessbeaches,dreamhouses,unforgettablesunsets...We ate seafood, barbecue, chocolate, ice cream ... in Portugal they didn’t know what a small portion was. We enjoyed ourselves like children and Alejandro showed me the amount of
"Likes"andcommentswehadinthephotosthatweuploadedtoFacebook.Socialnetworks!
AsLaura,Iwashooked.AsMartha,surprisingly,IleftthecellphoneathomeandIdidn’teven rememberit.
Wereturnedtohishousemoretannedandchargedwithenergy.Wesoonrealizedthatthe populationhadincreasedthankstothevacationseason.IrememberedErnesto.Wouldhestill beintown?
Cheers to the good life Page 9