Page 53 - SpontaneousSuccessMatos

the people I’d met at Take Five. The models, the monks,
the missionaries and many of the vacationers; but not the
mercenaries. I told him I used to sing in a band.
Five hours later the new Lisbon bridge loomed so
brightly that it seemed as if it was alive, pulsing with
energy and inviting us to come closer and explore. For
me it was a moment of pure excitement. For Carlos, it
was back to the barracks.
We crossed the bridge around midnight in silence.
When he learned I had nowhere to stay, Carlos sneaked
me into his barracks and found me an empty cot. I slept
fully dressed, shoes and all. I awoke to a loud horn and
guys with shaved heads running past my cot in their
underpants. For a moment, I thought I was back in
boarding school. Carlos grabbed me, shuffled me past
the latrines and pushed me through a small door in the
thick fortress walls. "Can you still sing?"
"Sure."
"Then go to the Mexicana and ask for Jose Prazeres.
Joe Pleasure. Boa sorte. Good luck." That was it.
The sun was streaming low and golden. I was in love
with life, and I was in awe. I was also standing outside a
fortress in a strange city, hugging my jacket and
knapsack, without a clue where I was. Across the road, a
park ran downhill to a monument with a grandiose
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