September 27, Friday

It’s already hot when we wake up just after dawn. Luiz sits up on the bed and I arrange the two pillows behind his back. He stares into infinity, his eyes unfocused and his face expressionless. When it’s time for breakfast I go down to the dining area alone, eating quickly then taking food and café up to him.

“Thank you.” He hunches over to eat, his arms circling the food in his lap, trembling.

“Will you be okay here while I go buy you some clothes?”

He looks up at me and nods. On the way out I let the receptionist know I need to pay for two more nights, which isn’t a problem. Luiz is in no condition to travel and I hope he’ll be stronger in a couple of days. I pull out of my parking spot and head to the commercial center, which will have a variety of clothes at good prices. Central Rio is already busy with men in business suits and women in smart dresses bustling on the sidewalks. It’s hard to find a place to park but I manage, and I find everything I need in just a couple of shops.

When I get back to the room Luiz is still sitting in the same position, staring. His eyes flicker and for a second he doesn’t seem to recognize me, but then he gives me a thin smile.

“I’ve got clothes for you. Let’s get dressed and go for a walk, we can have lunch by the beach.” I take the clothes out of their wrapping, removing price tags and laying them out on the bed, then I help him get dressed. “Let’s see how these sneakers fit. Hey, perfect.”

“How are the boys? Are they okay?” There are tears in his eyes. It’s like he’s coming back to the reality of our life together.

I reach over and hold him close. “They’re just fine, Luiz. We can be so proud of them. Carlos looks after Junior, and of course they are always with Sónia and Chico and their cousins.”

“What did you tell them about what happened?”

“Carlos knows I promised to bring Papai home and not to tell anyone outside our family. He keeps Junior happy by playing with him, and everyone understands I’m on a shopping trip to Rio.”

“A shopping trip. That’s a good one.” He looks at me and brushes my hair away from my face.

“Well, that’s the best I could do. And I did buy bikinis, and making them to sell in Brasília is actually a good idea, Sónia says. Chef didn’t even ask the reason when I asked for time off.”

“Okay, let’s go have lunch.” He rises slowly from the bed and we make our way to the restaurants along Botafogo Beach.