Rio de Janeiro: 27 degrees, hot and very sunny.
It’s Friday, and there are 12 days until I travel. The countdown is on! I’ve already downloaded a KLM app that allows me to organise my flight and all other details, ensuring I don’t get anything wrong on the day.
I can check in online a few days before the flight, not necessarily on the exact day. All I need to do is weigh and dispatch my luggage to receive my boarding passes on flight day. Therefore, when going to the airport on the day of the flight, my passport and Brazilian ID are the only documents I need to take. The rest is on my mobile.
I will pack my bags on the 21st, the day before, or the 22nd when I travel, so everything is more or less in order. I will need to buy small gifts, such as flip-flops and perfume from Boticário or Natura, two well-known Brazilian brands. I might also consider getting a football shirt for my nephew and perhaps some coffee.
Apart from my trip, I can sense an air of tension building at home. Yasmin has not spoken to me properly for the last four months, and I also sense it with Nalva. Overall, the tension within the house is very strong.
I’m trying to avoid friction, confusion, conflict, or fights. I don’t want the next week and a half to undermine my last six months living here. It has been an experience I never expected to have again living with Nalva. It has been both good and bad. Good because, firstly and primarily, we did not end up killing each other, that is already a plus.
Also, I believe we have a closer and more sincere relationship than before. I’m speaking about myself, not her, so I’m uncertain how she perceives it.
However, I feel that we have a better understanding of one another in some ways. It has reminded me how different we are in so many aspects, and even if there were more feelings—and there are not—it would be almost impossible to be together. It brought me clarity in relation to her.
I know she wants me to help her buy a house or a flat in the future, and I will do so within my conditions and terms. I will assist her in having more stability or a solid base. That being said, Nalva is complicated, and it is terrible to say this, but she has a poverty mindset. I will discuss this in another post, not now, as I believe it is hard to change. In every respect, I want her to be well, find her way, and I thank her for the last six months.
But what should have been good was with my daughter Yasmin. Instead of having quality time with her, it turned into a full-blown fight against me and my perceived unfairness as a father for asking her to do some of the most basic things.
In some ways, I feel that my hands were, and still are, tied. I can only hope to find a way to resolve our differences in the future and for Yasmin to find her way in life.
During my stay, I wanted her to take on more responsibility and discipline and understand what I was trying to show, teach, and provide for her. Instead, it was thrown back in my face. When I sought support from Nalva in teaching our daughter the right way, all I received was a kick in the teeth. I do not know what the future will hold; I only wish my daughter became more responsible, easier-going, and fairer in her judgments.
This morning, I visited the park with Perola, my eternal companion—a dog—it is always a dog! I exercised while she stayed close or sometimes wandered off to compliment someone. It was sublime.
Rio is a beautiful city, and spending time in the park with such a special dog makes it even better. All dogs are special. I exercised in the sun, surrounded by trees, greenery, and the bay. It is really, truly spectacular.
I had classes in the afternoon and evening. Everything is good, and I thank you all.
In bed by 10.00 pm.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
