Page 39 - SpontaneousSuccessMatos

memorize all ten phrases and throw away the paper they
were written on before bed each night. That was three
hundred phrases in thirty days. When you can say that
much in a foreign language, the rest starts to make sense
naturally. Mind you, she drove a hard deal; I had to
include Francesca in the lessons.
Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes and ran down
my cheeks. I put my head in my hands and sobbed
uncontrollably. I was happier than I could handle. I
couldn't remember the last time anyone thanked me for
helping them.
Donna Casilda came around to comfort me, but I
couldn‘t stop sobbing. I didn‘t want to, it felt wonderful.
She rubbed my shoulders, and Francesca held my hand.
Antonio pushed her away gently and stuck a beer in my
hand.
“Ay, Senhor Nick,” Donna Casilda said, “What is it
the matter with you?”
That's all it took. I got to my feet, hugged them all,
still bawling, and shouted out in Portuguese, “It‘
s my
birthday, and this is the best party I've ever had. Ben-
fica!”
As dawn broke, we hugged goodbye. The clean-up
crew dumped the contents of the tables into garbage
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