Episode 2

I left the hotel at two in the afternoon, after a long, extremely hectic eight-hour shift. At least it was all over. I thought about taking the crowded and noisy bus to my house, which was in a humble and distant neighborhood. However, it was Carnival and I wasn't going home just when the bars in town were hopping.

I decided to go to the old center of Sao Paulo and have some fun. I deserved a break after so much work.

I walked through the streets full of people, music, and colors. A group of people wearing bee costumes passed me and I laughed as they circled around two street vendors. I felt the atmosphere of joy and celebration. I let myself be carried away by the rhythm and the energy.

"Where are you?" I texted my friend, knowing she was in the middle of that crowd.

"Girl, I just arrived. I just got off the Sao Bento subway."

"Stay there! I'm close by."

I ran towards the subway station, dodging people and cars. I was looking forward to meeting her and enjoying Carnival. I hadn't seen her for months, ever since she moved to the east side of town. I missed her and our adventures dearly, but we were both always working and never had time to see each other.

I got to the subway and looked for her in the crowd. I saw her waving at me, with a smile on her face and a bunch of chocolate bars she had bought from the vendor at the station door.

She looked beautiful, wearing a fairy costume. She had sparkling wings, a flower tiara, and a short green dress.

Brenda hugged me tight and kissed my face.

"Girl, I missed you so much! You look great!" she exclaimed.

"You too! What a beautiful costume!" I praised.

"Thank you! I made it especially for Carnival. And you, what costume is this?" she asked, looking at my clothes.

"Oh, I didn't have time to dress up. I came straight from work. So I'm a hotel receptionist," I explained, with a hint of irony.

"I loved it! What matters is having fun. Come on, there's a bloco going by. Let's follow it!" Brenda pulled my hand and took me into the middle of the party.

I let myself be carried away by my friend and the bloco. Pedro Sampaio was the artist who played the most, I heard the crowd shout his name several times and even shouted along at some point.

We bought many beers and a bunch of people passed by throwing confetti on everyone as we jumped wildly.

"Woman, my foot hurts. But I'm not sitting on this filthy floor even if it kills me." Brenda complained and we laughed, smelling the strong smell of urine that permeated the city.

"What time does the bloco end?" I asked, looking at my watch.

"I saw on the internet that it goes until 6 pm," she replied, excited.

"So we still have plenty of time. Let's make the most of it!."

"Yes! Let's enjoy Carnival as if there were no tomorrow!" Brenda agreed enthusiastically.

We followed the bloco through the streets, mingling with the other people. We saw costumes of all kinds: superheroes, princesses, animals, movie and series characters. We took pictures, made friends, exchanged kisses. We felt part of the party, the city, the world. For the fourth time I saw the group of bees pass by us and smiled with them again.

Suddenly, someone started yelling something and everyone cheered, I raised my arms to join in and hit a man's face as he passed.

"Oh, my God! Sorry!" I apologized, startled.

"No problem, Di," he said and I turned to see who had recognized me. It was the giant man I had seen at the hotel reception earlier. He was dressed as a police officer and had a mysterious smile on his face. "Remember me?"

"Of course, you're the... sorry, what's your name again?" I said awkwardly.

"Christophe," he revealed, extending his hand to me. I shook it, nervous. He had a big, strong hand. He pulled me closer and whispered in my ear:

"I need to talk to you. It's urgent."

"Talk to me? About what?" I asked, confused. At that moment, the group dressed as bees came back and surrounded us, preventing Christophe from answering me. I laughed at the situation and saw Brenda appear out of nowhere, dragging me away from the confusion.

"Come on, Di, let's follow the bloco."

"I wonder what that guy wanted with me," I asked, intrigued.

"I don't know, but did you see the way he looked at you? It was like he wanted to eat you alive," Brenda said, making a face.

"God forbid. Did you see the size of him?"

"Girl, if it's proportional you'd better run from the Eiffel Tower. Let's enjoy the Carnival, friend. Forget that guy," Brenda laughed at her own joke, taking me with her.

"Okay. Let's have some fun."

We went back to following the bloco, trying to forget about the mysterious man who had crossed our path. We joined the crowd, dancing, singing and jumping to enjoy the rest of the day before they cleaned up the street.

6 pm came quickly and I accompanied Brenda to the subway. We said goodbye there, as each of us would go to a different side of the city.

The apartment where I lived was small and simple, but it was my home. It had some old furniture, plants and lots of pictures on the wall.

I went in and went straight to the bathroom to wash off the smell of Carnival. I took a warm and relaxing bath, trying to wash away the stress of work too. I felt the water run down my body, taking away the dirt, the tiredness and the worries. When I finished, I wrapped myself in a fluffy towel and went to my room.

I changed into some comfortable clothes: a loose T-shirt and shorts. I lay down on the bed, with my soft sheets and fluffy pillows.

I picked up my cell phone and saw that I had a text message. Another huge text from my mother begging me to come see her before it was too late. She said she was sick and needed me. At least this time she had given me an excuse to believe.

"Love you too, Mom. Good night."

I decided not to argue or delve into arguments with my mother, so I just sent her a loving message even though I knew she would turn it into a huge storm in a teacup.

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