Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 32oC, hot with a clear sky.
It is Friday before the carnival, and rain is forecasted for during it, but I do not really care. I will stay home, watch films, study, and drink wine. Today, I had classes that lasted until 5 pm. Finally, I was free, which was a relief. In the evening, I had two things to do.
Firstly, I had to pick up an order for Nalva from Nalva’s sister, Maria. Maria works close to my place. Although we had some differences in the past, nowadays everything is good. Nalva’s family sees that I support her living in the South Zone of Rio, so everything is good.
The second was to meet a pupil of mine for a coffee at about 7 in the evening. Maria’s place of work is on the way to the coffee shop, so everything coincided nicely.
I picked up the package and went straight to meet José. My pupil José is a 65-year-old retired helicopter pilot who in the past worked for the Brazilian Air Force for 30 years and a further 15 years of commercial flying.
He has been having classes with me for about eight months, and we hit it off since the beginning. He is always positive and appreciative and with a great sense of humour. It is clear that he is a man of integrity with old-school values but not at all out of date or old-fashioned. He has been married to Cristina, who is my pupil, for almost 50 years.
We met at Pao & Compania, a coffee shop in Copacabana with other franchises in Rio. This chain is known for its upper-market ambience, good service, lovely food, and excellent coffee. The bakery has a beautiful interior that is welcoming and cosy.
Its classic black and white chequered tiled floor and traditional light brown country-style furniture create a kind of American Hampton charm and exclusivity. We chose food from the buffet of bread, cheeses, and cold meats while conversing about various topics, such as family, friends, helicopters, boats, Brazil, and politics.
Politics became a significant part of our talk as his son-in-law voted in Lula, an extreme left-wing socialist-communist politician and recently elected president, who is quickly destroying Brazil again.
What seemed absurd to us was that Lula, a convicted politician sentenced to 18 years of prison for corruption in one of the most significant cases and scandals of corruption in Brazil and the world, is now again the president of Brazil.
It was a pleasant night meeting José in person. I was home by nine and in bed by 10.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
