Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 23oC, warm, overcast, rainy and stormy.
After a perfect Friday and Saturday, it would be asking too much for Sunday to be as good as the last two days, but it was all right. It was more of a simpler, easy-going day than one of wining and dining. I was up at 6 pm and in the street by 6:30; I had a quick coffee at the baker’s, and after, I was off to the park to work out.
At the park, I did a good workout to get rid of the feasting that had occurred for the last two days. As I was finishing my exercises, I saw a couple arriving with two dogs; I immediately recognised the man, Alexandre, an ex-pupil of mine and his wife, Shirley.
Over the last twenty years, I have given classes to Alexandre at various times, on and off, due to his work circumstances. We talked and put everything up to date. Alex and Shirley have two children: Tiago, a little older, and Beatriz, who is still at secondary school and is more or less Yasmin’s age.
What has always impressed me about Alexandre is his dedication to his family. I know of few men who commit as much to their families as Alexandre; it is impressive, admirable, and beautiful to see and follow. We exchanged new cell phone numbers as both had changed since the last time we had classes, which was at the Rio Olympic Games almost eight years ago.
We said our goodbyes, and instead of going home, I decided to walk to Marina da Gloria and back and look at the boats, see if there was anything new and interesting there, and then come back home.
I arrived home at about midday. Nalva will be away in Sao Paulo for work for a week. She will go to Sao Paulo with the sisters tomorrow, so she will have to sleep in the convent with the sisters tonight. They intend to set off very early for Sao Paulo, at about 5 am. She will have to go to the convent at about six this evening.
She asked me if she could borrow my suitcase and I let her use it. I also offered to take her to the convent instead of going alone; Tijuca is very dangerous nowadays and would be safer for her. I also told Yasmin to come with us as it is good to get an adolescent out of the house, and I wanted Yasmin to know the place where her mother works.
Nalva is a cook; now the head cook for the sisters of Sao Vicente de Paulo. She began as a cook in Yasmin’s school when Yasmin was about five years old, and over the years, she has done very well for herself. When she started, she was very insecure about working for the sisters, but quickly, she gained confidence and their trust.
I remember talking to her the night before she started, and I told her two things:
- Do not gossip; other people’s lives are not your business. Just do your work and go home at the end at the end of the day.
- The only real pleasure the sisters have is eating; they do not drink, go out, have sex, etc., really just eating. So, if you understand this and cook well for them, you will do well and have a future there; and this is what exactly has happened.
A couple of years ago, Nalva was transferred from Immaculada, YYasmin’sschool in Botafogo, to the enormous complex Sao Vicente de Paulo in Tijuca. This complex comprises a church, convent, faculty, and a state-of-the-art hospital.
The complex’s grounds are quite unique, a lush green oasis of beautifully kept gardens and extremely high palm trees that reach up to the sky in the middle of one of the greyest urban neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro; it is quite impressive.
I know this place and its grounds very well because, coincidentally, I dated a woman who lived exactly in front of Sao Vicente de Paulo. Sometimes, we would take a short walk through the grounds to get to other streets on the other side, especially on Sunday, as there is a street food market on the other side every Sunday.
I wanted Yasmin to see how beautiful the place where her mother works is, especially about her mother, who, despite her mother’s difficulties, is doing well for herself and is highly respected in such a large organisation.
We left home at about 5 pm and caught a taxi from Botafogo to Tijuca. The route is relatively quick and easy; pass through the Santa Barbara tunnel, which connects the north and south zones. After ten minutes, we arrived at the grounds of Sao Vicente de Paulo.
Yasmin and I went with Nalva to the reception and said our goodbyes. We left Nalva to present herself for the trip to Sao Paulo tomorrow. I talked to her about the importance of this trip and told her to value this experience as this is the first time she is travelling for work. It might seem nothing special for some, but for a simple person, it is a feat she should be proud of.
Walking back down through the grounds from the convent, which is situated at the top of a hill—the whole grounds of the complex are on a mountain with the hospital at the top—I showed Yasmin all the beautiful vegetation in the grounds while at the same time remembering my crazy relationship with my ex, who lives just in front.
We crossed Rua Dr Santamini and went to Rua Haddock Lobo to take a bus back to Botafogo. Ultimately, the bus took too long, so we took a taxi and were home in fifteen minutes. It was a lovely day—simple but pleasant and rewarding.
In bed by 9.30 pm.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading my blog. Check out my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments.
Richard
