Page 63 - SpontaneousSuccessFINAL6

SPONTANEOUS SUCCESS
“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 above the knees,
displaying their purple-stained legs. As they walked, the
sound of their flip-flops slapping the pavement made me
laugh.
“Grape-stompers,” Carlos explained. “They crush the
grapes with their feet.”
While we waited for them to cross, I opened the
envelope. Inside was a single sheet of paper. On it,
penned in vibrant turquoise ink, it read:
63