The last rays of sunlight disappear on the horizon, applauded by a lively group of four surfers who were sitting on the beach sand with their surfboards, watching the final summer sunset they shared together:
"That's it, guys! This was the best ending of my life," said one of them, emotionally, while glancing at his other friends.
"Come on, Gabriel, calm down," one of them said, laughing at his friend's drama. He stood up, repeatedly adjusting his shorts over his bulging belly, unsuccessfully. "We still have this year, buddy. There's graduation..."
"There's Nilton's Bike. By the way, I'm just curious about what will happen with that email you sent to the bride who got dumped a few hours before the altar... You were quite bold in your response, so you better be at the store when that bomb explodes," said the brown-haired friend with wavy hair, serious.
"Well, yeah," agreed another friend with dreadlocks, standing up and cleaning his shorts at the same time. "Today was just the beginning of the end."
"I know, I know," Gabriel said, also getting up. "But admit it, this moment will never happen again... Each one of us will go their own way. Lucas," he pointed to the friend still struggling with his belly, "already has a spot secured in Canada. Jonathan," pointing to the one with dreadlocks, "plans to get married in a few months..."
"Dude, you're too dramatic," grumbled the wavy-haired guy, still gazing at the orange horizon. He jumped up and grabbed his surfboard. "Let's live in the now, okay? You can save this drama for the class closing speech."
"And you, Bruno," Gabriel continued, pointing to his friend. "What do you want to do? What do you want for your future?"
"To pick up chicks," answered the wavy-haired guy as he walked away.
"Seriously?" insisted Gabriel, practically running alongside his friend.
"Gabriel," Bruno began, hugging his friend at the same time, "The only thing on my mind right now is that several girls are walking along the beach looking for a company to admire the stars... And I am that company."
"I know, Bruno. But what about your future?" Gabriel asked, curious. "Like, we all know what we want after college, but you... you've never talked about it."
"That's true," Lucas agreed, joined by Jonathan as they looked at Bruno.
The boys walked in silence until they reached the boardwalk, where they washed off under a shower. As soon as Bruno finished his shower, he faced his friends who were still waiting for an answer.
"Guys, you need to relax about this future stuff... Because no one knows what lies ahead for us..." he began, putting on his tank top. He smiled as he rode past a distracted brown-haired girl listening to music, "For example, I might marry this girl in a few months... or get rich in four years, or die at 30... or even tomorrow... No one can say how our future will turn out."
"I can," said a female voice from behind them.
The four turned around, startled, finding a woman with long black hair, a red scarf with coins covering her entire head. Her body was adorned with jewelry that covered her red blouse, matching her long skirt with layers of the same shade. Large hoops adorned her ears. Her eyes looked like two big jabuticaba fruits, staring at Bruno without blinking.
"I can tell you how your future will be," the woman said, smiling, showing her gold teeth. "Allow me to show you your future, for only fifteen reais... each."
"Thank you," Bruno said. "But we don't believe in these things."
"We?" the woman questioned, looking at the guy. "Even you?"
"I'm the one who believes the least," Bruno reaffirmed, laughing.
"Then you won't mind if I read your palm," the woman said, raising her hand toward the young man.
"I really have no interest in that," Bruno replied, rolling his eyes at his friends who laughed.
"Are you afraid?" the gypsy teased.
"Afraid of what?" Bruno asked, turning away.
"Afraid of your future," the brunette replied.
"You mean afraid of a bunch of generic words leading to generic sentences about things that can happen to anyone regarding the obvious..." Bruno retorted.
"Place your hand on mine, and we'll see..."
"No, thank you. Maybe you can get something from them," Bruno retorted.
"Well, that's fine by me," Jonathan said, extending his hand toward the gypsy, who firmly grabbed it. "Hey..."
"Jonathan..." the Gypsy began, analyzing the young man's hand. "You have two paths in your life... one that will start soon but will end as quickly as it began... another longer, more lasting path. Well, that's fifteen reais, sir." she finished, receiving the money from the guy.
"And what about my future?" Lucas asked, extending his hand to the gypsy.
"Lucas... You will find in the cold... the warmth needed to warm your heart," the Gypsy prophesied before letting go of Lucas's hand, who looked at her, surprised. He practically pulled out the notes from his pocket and handed them to the woman.
"And what about me?" Gabriel asked nervously. "Please, be kind."
"Gabriel... hmmm... I see your destiny intertwining with others after a tragedy... Have the wisdom to handle it when the time comes."
"Thank you, thank you very much," Gabriel thanked the gypsy, also paying the amount.
"And what about you, young man?" the gypsy asked, looking at Bruno.
"Look, I really don't want to and I don't have money either," Bruno replied, turning away.
"For you, I insist on not charging anything," the fortune-teller insisted.
"Go on, Bruno," Gabriel asked, curious.
"Yeah, man, just get it over with," Jonathan said.
"Yeah, brother. Do it so we can go pick up the girls," Lucas encouraged.
"Alright," Bruno accepted, raising his hand toward the gypsy.
The fortune-teller grasped the young man's hand firmly as she carefully traced the lines on his palm...
"Hmmm... interesting," she commented, admiring.
"And here we go with the obvious session..." Bruno grumbled.
"You will get married..."
"See? Obvious!" Bruno mocked, making his friends laugh.
"Young man," the gypsy continued, pressing one of the lines with her nail.
"You will have children..." she searched the other lines. "You will die younger than your father... However, before that, you will become very wealthy!" the gypsy finished, being watched by the silent guys. Until Bruno laughed, looking at the fortune-teller with disdain:
"Are you sure all that was in my hand?" Bruno questioned, looking at his own hand.
"Yes, I am absolutely sure," the gypsy replied.
"Okay, now I want the lottery numbers," Bruno joked.
"You may not believe what I say," the woman continues, "But destiny never makes mistakes."
"That's fine," Bruno responds, shaking his head. "The problem is that 'destiny' didn't tell me when I'll get rich or when I'll die. I mean, I'll die younger than my father... But if my father lives up to 100 years... Well, it's obvious that I'll die before that."
"Ah, I see... You want more precise numbers," the gypsy understands. "Alright then. Give me your hand..."
"Not a chance," Bruno refuses. "You've already spent too much time with it, and I bet you've even memorized my lines. Besides, if you're that good, you could have guessed without looking..."
"You're right, Bruno," the woman confirms, serious. She gazes at the young man, saying, "You will marry by the age of 24, and have four children. You'll become rich, but not do what you love, nor through gambling. Your father will pass away at 60, and you'll die two years younger than him. So, feel better now?"
Bruno stares seriously; his father was already fifty years old, and this woman dared to say he had only ten more years to live.
"Yes..." he whispers. He clears his throat and continues, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Avoid brunettes," the gypsy responds as if she were inside the young man's mind. "Your destiny is linked to a brown-haired young woman... She'll be your greatest joy and your end," she finishes, moving away from the guys.
"Alright. Only blondes then," the young man teases, not paying much attention to the prophecy.
"Good thing you don't believe in these things," Lucas says.
"As they say, 'The future belongs to God'," Bruno affirms.
"Yes, but just to be sure... I'll never look at any brunette again," Jonathan comments.
" Works for me, as I've always preferred blondes," Bruno jokes with his friends. "No brunette will ever win my heart."
"Happy birthday to you, On this dear date, Many happinesses, Many years of life…" "It's a hit, it's a hit, It's a hit, it's a hit, it's a hit, it's a hit, It's time, it's time, It's time, it's time, it's time, Boom!" "Helena, Helena, Helena!!" the employees of the Arabic restaurant cheerfully sing, accompanied by the shy birthday girl's family, in front of her chocolate cake with candles that resemble fireworks. The celebration draws attention from other tables, including Bruno, who until a few minutes ago dialed the same number on his phone for the twentieth time. He smiles as he admires the young blonde girl blowing out her candles. "With whom will she...?" one of the guests stands up and asks. "Oh no, Marcelo, please..." the birthday girl pleads, holding onto her guest's arm. "With whom will she, with whom will she, with whom will Helena get married...?" the guy continues without paying attention to Helena's pleas, joined by the others — "It will depend, it will depend,
"Come with me to Rio de Janeiro," Suzana whispers before taking Bruno's lips, pressing his body against the bed where they recently made love. She continues to shower his face with kisses until she reaches his ear, where she seductively nibbles his lobe before whispering again, "Come with me... You won't regret it." "You know I can't," Bruno replies, caressing Suzana's short hair and guiding his fingers behind her ear. "We've already talked about this, my parents need me here in Parati. You know about my mother's situation... and my father..." "But it's only a few hours from here... It's only six hours... You can come on the weekend..." Suzana suggests, interspersing her words with light kisses on Bruno's lips. "Spend the weekend with them..." "Just as it's only six hours for you to come from Rio and spend the weekend with me here in Parati," Bruno retorts, observing dissatisfaction taking over Suzana's face. "It's not that simple, is it?" "I didn't say that, but if that's what you
Helena approaches the guys standing on the sidewalk right where she had reserved the bike rental and two-wheeled tour. She was distracted when she notices one of the guys turning towards her, and to her surprise, it was Bruno's face she comes face to face with. The blonde feels her face flush, and she was sure her face had turned into a tomato at that moment. "Compose yourself, Helena," she thinks as she gets closer to them. The situation only worsens when Bruno smiles at her and says, "Hey, girlfriend." "Girlfriend?" Lucas questions, not understanding anything. "Hello, Bruno," Helena responds awkwardly, tucking her hair behind her ear to disguise her shyness. "How are you?" "Girlfriend?" Lucas repeats, emphasizing the word, being ignored. "I'm fine, and you? How are you after your twenty-second birthday?" Helena replies. "Girlfriend?" Lucas repeats once more, being ignored again. "I also turned... I mean, I'm also twenty-two," Bruno stammers. "Cool..." Helena says, feeling unc
Bruno's request makes Helena close her eyes, allowing herself to go back to the moment that brought her there. "Open your eyes, Lena," Helena's mother asks, making her daughter open her eyes in front of the mirror. Regina sighs as she sees her daughter beautifully dressed in that princess-style white dress, filled with lace, just the way the mother of the bride had imagined. Helena could even say she was surprised, but she would be lying, because knowing her mother, she knew the dress would be nothing less than perfect. In fact, perfection was Helena's motto ever since she was a child, as she was certain about how her life would be. Or rather, the life imposed by Regina on Helena from the night Augusto, the young woman's father, ended his marriage with Regina, right in front of the children. Marcelo was younger and understood very little, but the girl understood very well the argument between her parents, which at a certain point culminated in the conversation that would forever cha
"The bachelor party that you and Mom forced me to end at ten o'clock in the evening, without any alcoholic drinks? If you're talking about that, don't worry, I left your fiancé safe and sound at home. No need to worry," Marcelo replies. "Okay, he needs to be at Sala São Paulo by 6 p.m. We still have the photos in thirty minutes," Regina says, looking at her notebook of notes. "Great," Helena says, looking at the mirror while making some faces. "What's this?" Marcelo asks, annoyed by his sister's expressions. "What are you doing?" "Your sister is practicing expressions for the wedding," Regina replies in place of her daughter. "She can't appear horrible in the wedding photos. The photographer's service is extremely expensive." "Why not hire a cheaper guy? Besides, this wedding could have been much cheaper..." Marcelo comments, flopping down on the sofa. "It's such a waste of money, all of this. And for what? People will eat, drink, and still gossip about everything! I don't know, t
Bruno gazes at Helena, deep in thought. In a million years, he wouldn't have imagined that this sweet girl had gone through all that. She turns towards him and offers her best smile amidst the pain in her eyes. Helena looks back at the ocean and then feels Bruno's hand holding hers in the sand. She continues staring at the sea because if she looks at Bruno, she feels the tears will take over her face, and Lena isn't willing to allow that. Cry in front of a stranger? Not in a million years! Gradually, Bruno's fingers move away from hers, and he turns back to face the sea, in silence. They remain like that for a few long minutes until Bruno takes a deep breath and asks: "So, you decided to come on this trip to try to convince him that you're not the person he accused you of being?" "No," Helena denies, shaking her head, smiling. "Actually, that would be an obvious reason, but no..." "Did you come because the tickets were non-refundable, and you decided not to waste that money?" Bruno
Helena opens her eyes and for a matter of seconds, she had the feeling that she was awakening elsewhere, at another time in her life. A moment a few days ago, to be more exact. Perhaps because it was exactly the day, I would be returning from this trip. She holds up her left hand, making sure it was just a feeling to feel the weight of her perfectly chosen 18-carat gold wedding rings for her wedding day. Close your eyes by smoothing your finger as you let go of your mother’s words. It was true that Helena did not want to have the fate of her mother, and that she had agreed to go to Parati just to rub the email in the face of the daring attendant. And of course, also reflect on how to reverse the situation, but now... Now that didn’t make any sense. It would reverse the situation, and w "Bruno, this way I might have to hire you as my employee." Bruno and Helena turn towards the direction of that calm voice and come face to face with a woman with long gray hair in a generous braid, sit
Bruno and Helena dismount their bikes, panting. They gave it their all, pedaling as fast as possible to get back to Parati before the sunset was over. Some stars were already appearing when they finally stopped in front of the inn where Helena was staying. She takes off her helmet, hands it to him, and receives in return her bag with the cachaças she bought. "Thank you for today," the young woman says, adjusting her blonde hair behind her ear. "Always at your service," Bruno replies, looking at the girl with a daring smile. "What's up?" she asks, smiling, feeling awkward. "And so?" "And so what?" "Did you feel the passion? Are you in love?" Bruno asks nervously. Helena's face turns as red as a tomato, forcing Bruno to continue quickly: "I mean, with the place... Maria Izabel's story." "Oh... Yes, it was all incredible and captivating," Helena replies, relieved. She then raises an eyebrow, saying, "Of course, that doesn't change our deal." "Of course not. I hadn't even thought a