Page 40 - SpontaneousSuccessMatos

cans and carted them off before the wind could have its
way with them.
Leaving Lavanda three hours later, I was forever
changed. The knowledge and experience I gained
during my three-month stay were etched into my soul.
Carlos gunned the souped-up Renault. Blue. Fast.
We hit the main road. I looked back. The valley. The
village. The chapel on the cliff. When would I be back? If
ever.
“Hey. Open that,” Carlos said, pointing his racing-
gloved hand at the glove box.
I pulled it open.
“That envelope there is yours. Francesca said you
dropped it last night.”
I reached in and took it out. Sure enough, my name
was on it. It seemed vaguely familiar, like a memory on
the edge of my mind. I remember a child with a sweet
smile, an angel with big, clear eyes wearing a Benfica
shirt.’
We stopped to let a group of farmworkers cross the
road in front of us. Both men and women were wearing
blue overalls, the fabric cut off just below the knees,
displaying their purple-stained legs. As they walked, the
sound of their flip-flops slapping the pavement made me
laugh.
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