Time Changes

Part Fifteen

Life seemingly went on, children got sick, women got pregnant, and the damned tsetse fly kept infecting poor people with a horrible illness, Lex made it through each day and hoped that her mental anguish would improve. Every video call with her sister led to them falling out, which she hated, but she had to believe she was doing the right thing.

It was four weeks since Peter’s visit, and a huge four months since she’d been home, she’d not had a day off other than weekends, and she was missing Henrietta and her mother desperately, then there was the fact that she hadn’t spoken to her father since Stockholm. He was the sort of man who’d give her a wide berth, he’d wait out what he dismissed as a tantrum, but for the first time in her life Lex had been as stubborn as him. And she missed him!

Then there was her nephew, darling Oscar! Her sister was the best emailing photos and videos of every cute or quirky thing he did. It was as good as it got, but he was ten weeks old, and she’d missed too much of his life already. The thought made her sad.

The commute back and forth to one of the clinics, in the hills of Rio was something she’d never get used to, it was hot, humid, and SO busy. Some evenings it could take over an hour, others just half of one. But this Friday she wanted to be back in super quick time as she’d taken a half day’s holiday. Luiz was taking her out of the city for a weekend. In the weeks since Peter’s arrival things had remained strained on times, and it was his attempt to iron out the rough spots. She’d packed that morning, for a weekend down the coast, staying in a Pousada, an inn in a town called Paraty, somewhere that she’d read loads about, and Luiz’s uncle kept a small boat. She couldn’t wait to see the beaches and islands that every tourist guide displayed, and she couldn’t wait for some time alone. It seemed that until now she was only getting odd snatched nights with him, and she hoped that a few days away together would be exactly what they needed.

But she had to get to home asap, as he warned her that traffic got worse the later it got, and he didn’t want them driving in the dark. Fortunately there were no hold ups, and she was ready when Luiz’s battered car pulled up outside the apartment block.

                “That’s a small bag!” He offered, “my sister would have one three times bigger for one night!”

Alexis smiled, “a bikini, a dress and some sunscreen! Do I need anything else?”

Luiz smiled at her sassy wink, “nope, I think you’ve got it all covered.”

Within ten minutes Lex was rigid with fear, she’d taken taxis and buses in the city SO many times, but here, in the passenger seat she saw firsthand the chaos that was driving in Rio.

Luiz, relaxed and smiling beside her offered, “having been to some US cities I realise that this may seem like chaos, but hey, I learned to drive in traffic like this!”

                “Are there rules?”

He laughed out loud, “there are, but in some places, they’re not that important!”

She couldn’t fathom that explanation, and was amazed, relieved and a little less uptight as the car hit the highway leaving the hectic roads of Rio behind.

They pulled into the town as the sun was setting, and immediately Lex fell in love. Luiz parked his car on a side road, then grabbed their bags, leading her through the cobbled car free streets of the town. The buildings were whitewashed, all decorated with bright shutters and doors, bold primary colours, most were shops, their wares spilling out onto the narrow high pavements.  It was calm because of the lack of vehicles and the sense of serenity that the aged walls gave, but was still filled with tourists and holiday makers.