As expected, Litz couldn’t sleep properly at Che Lagarto hostel. She had a nightmare: she was at work and nobody knew she had resigned, so she had to tell it again. When she woke up, she took a quick shower, grabbed a take-away coffee directly by one of the housemaids in the kitchen and went to the beach. The village was silent, it was only 7 AM.
While she was walking slowly, Litz laughed at herself, wearing a bikini and drinking hot coffee in summer on a desert Brazilian beach. The ocean was very wavy and she felt connected to it. Her past few months had been turbulent and she couldn’t keep her focus outward yet. Instead, she went inward and lost herself in myriads of thoughts, fears, hopes.
When she came back, she spotted her friend Sally with Alex at Cafè da Moeda, the only place to sip a decent espresso. She joined them for a maracujà juice, as she knew they were just friends and they would stop speaking German. Sally missed speaking her language, so she often hanged out with German cruisers to take a break from English. (Too bad she fell for an Argentinian guy a few weeks later).
– I really can’t understand your behavior like a teenager, Sally.
Alex was complaining, when Litz joined them.
– I don’t understand why I should sit at the same cafè as a guy who rejected me.
Basically, there was Sally’s crush with his new Brazilian girlfriend at another table. Sally had attempted to leave, but Alex had forced her to stay and not be dramatic about it.
– Sally, I believe both of us have behaved like teenagers for the past few days.
Said Litz.
S: – Why the Hell would you agree with him?
L: – Because he is grounded and speaks the truth. Being rejected is nothing to be so dramatic about.
S: – You were rejected, maybe. I was fooled! He said to have such a deep connection and now, what? He has a new girlfriend!
L: – My crush has a new girlfriend as well, if that makes you happier.
Litz and Alex laughed, Sally was curious instead.
S: – Seriously? How do you know that?
L: – Everybody saw them last night. I didn’t even want to speak to him anymore, but that’s ridiculous, there was nothing between us. I will just move on and you should do the same.
S: – So you are telling me that you don’t feel hurt? Maybe you will go and wish them to get married?
L: – Oh, come on, of course I’m hurt, but I will never chase him. I will just focus on something else, like planning my trip to Rio.
A: – I don’t want to hear more of this girls’ talk, sorry. See you later at the barbecue?
Alex asked, visibly embarrassed.
L & S: – Sure thing!
Some cruisers had wisely booked in advance an amazing property for their stay at Porto de Galinhas. That afternoon they would throw a barbecue (unbeknownst to their owner).
At the barbecue, Litz sat quietly down on the grass, eating meat and drinking some non-alcoholic cocktail. She felt more emotional than she could admit to her friend and didn’t want to say or do anything wrong in front of John. Surprisingly, he had come alone. Litz went to the kitchen to get some water and she found Sally openly flirting with her crush, who was making an avocado salad for her, because she was vegan. The room was suddenly filled with tension, because also his girlfriend arrived. Litz ran to the toilet, feeling ashamed of Sally’s behavior.
Litz never knew exactly what happened next.
