At home, I leave my car in the garage and close it. I go into the house and go up to my room, and lie down on my bed.
I keep thinking about Rebeca for a while until my cell phone rings, getting me out of my thoughts.
I will answer.
— Hi — I say, after sniffing my nose.
— Were you crying, bro? — Hector asks me.
— No, I just caught a cold,— I lied.
— Don't lie to me, man,— he asks. — You're missing Becca, aren't you?
I didn't answer anything. I was silent for a few seconds.
— You are, aren't you? — he repeats the question.
— Dude, you can't imagine how much I miss her — I comment, wiping away a tear that ran down my face. The throat was choked. — And look. I met her almost 1 day ago, and I already fell in love with her.
— Man, sometimes falling in love is the worst thing to do.
— But we don't rule the heart,— I tell him.
- But you know, she kept looking at you, even when Iara called you to talk on the other side of the beach - he comments. - By the way - he adds - what did you talk about?
— Look, I can't talk about it over the phone,— I say and he seems to nod with his head.
— Tell me later, okay?
— I won't be able to speak,— I say and hang up the phone.
I put my phone on the mute and keep it under the pillow. I lie down for a while, my left arm over my face, while I thought about what to do from now on, since Barbara didn't want anything more with me, much less Rebeca.
I decide to go on some website to look for something interesting. So that's when I thought about looking for a car engine for my Camaro. But not just any engine. But a 1999 Camaro SS engine, 324 horsepower.
I looked for a car website and got it for a Camaro SS engine.
I went to a website and found an engine that cost 500 reais.
— Do I buy this one? — I murmured thoughtfully.
I decide to leave this site, but I marked it as a favorite, in case I wanted to buy it.
I found another site, and the engine cost 750. I left there and kept looking.
— I'm undecided now. — I murmured.
I took my cell phone from under the pillow and saw that I had 5 missed calls.
I looked at the list and saw that it was an unknown number. I decide to return and the number starts to call.
— Hello? — I say.
— Alexander? Can I meet you? — it was a girl's voice.
— Who is talking? — I asked, sitting down again in front of the computer.
— Iara, silly — she replies and I nod. — Can we meet? Tonight?
— Do you want to meet me? — I asked. — Why?
— Well, I want to talk to you,— she says. — Will you be alone?
— Well, I was thinking of calling Hector to help me...
— Come alone — she asks. — On the beach.
— I'm going there, then,— I announced.
— I will also leave.
— Okay,— I say to her, and hang up.
I took my jacket and left it ready for the night. I was anxious to know what Iara wanted to talk to me about.
I went to take a shower and left my cell phone on the kitchen table.
After I get out of the shower, I get dressed and take out my cell phone. The battery was low, with only 10% charge.
How did I forget to charge my cell phone? I never forgot to recharge. I always went out with him, with a charged battery.
But I didn't care. I put it in my jacket pocket and got in the car.
This time I didn't run so I wouldn't run into the policeman on the way, surely that policeman... what's his name? Mr. Walker? I think that was it. Officer Walker will definitely be after me.
— Where are you? — Iara calls me, impatient with my delay.
— I'm still on the way,— I answered the call on speaker.
— Why don't you come fast? — she asks.
— Listen, I can't be arrested or anything! — I exclaim, looking around.
— But you are not going to jail — she gives me certainty. — Come on, or I...
— I'm going,— I announce, and after the traffic light turns green, step on the gas.
I arrived at the beach around 21:17 and look for the Mazda RX-7 from Rebeca and Iara. But I can't find any sign of her car on the beach.
I get out of my car and as a consolation I sit on the sand, looking at the sea.
— It took but it arrived. — I hear a voice behind me and turn around.
— Where did you park? — I ask, getting up and shaking the sand off my pants. — I got my new pants dirty. Damn it.
I laughed and Iara smiled too.
— Well, I stopped away from the boardwalk. — she tells.
— That's why I didn't find your car,— I said.
— Can we get in your car? — she asks and I look at her, trying to find a reason for that. — I forgot my sweatshirt at home. Didn't think it would be so cold tonight.
I hadn't noticed the clothes I was wearing. Blue jeans and a tank top.
— Right. — I open the passenger door so Iara can get in. Soon I will enter next. — I'll drive the car to the shoulder.
She nods.
— What did you want to talk about? — I ask.
She looks at me with her brown eyes, her lips look inviting.
— Are you in love with my sister?
— W... What? — I ask.
— In case...
— Yes, I'm in love with her — I say.
— So stop being a runner... Leave that dream of being a NASCAR driver aside — she seems to plead.
— Why would I do that? — I question.
— She already suffered...
— I know her suffered... You told me, remember? — She confirms. — I decided that I will not stop running.
— So you will leave her? — she asks this, hopefully.
— I didn't say that — I deny it.
— But that's what determined it.
Iara tries to get out of the car but I stop her.
— Let me go.
I look at she, sadness is on my face... and in my eyes.
— You don't know how important she has become to me,— I tell her, and Iara looks at me like I'm a stranger.
— But you don't even know each other well — she comments and that makes a lot of sense.
— But after I heard about her story,— I went on — I decided that I would cure her of this trauma.
— If you want to do that — Iara approaches my ear — then put your dream aside.
Right after that she kisses me, but I immediately interrupt her.
— I will heal her, but I will not put my dream aside. — warned. — She needs to lose this fear of dating a runner. And the only way is for me to enter her life once and for all.
— And how will you do to remove this trauma? — Iara asks, looking outside.
— There is a Japanese mountain called Mount Haruna,— I said to her.
— And what does this have to do with Becca?
— I'll tell you later.
— No, I want to know now — she insists and I sigh.
— I intend to run there,— I announced and she looked at me perplexed.
— And how will you do that? — she asks. — Your car is not powerful enough to race other cars there.
— So I'm going to ask Hector for help,— said, and she looked at the ceiling, as if she were processing all that.
- When you manage to modify your car, let us know.
Iara gets out of the car and goes towards her RX-7. I get out of my vehicle and go after her.
— When the time comes, you will see me run, okay? — I notice and go back to my car.
When I get home, I immediately plug my cell phone in, then go back to store the car in the garage.
I walk over to the cell phone and notice that there is a missed call. It was Hector who had called me.
I return the call and he answers immediately.
— At last! — he exclaims and laughs. — Where were you?
— I had gone out to find Iara,— I said.
— Hey, you won't stop running, will you? — he asks, leaving me relieved not to make that ridiculous joke of: "are you looking, are you?"
— So, can you come home now? — I invited him.
— Do what, there? — he asks.
— Man, I need to talk to you — I announce — about a doubt that I am in mind.
— Can't it be tomorrow? — he asked. — I don't want to disturb your parents.
— Hey man, they are not at home — I warning. Hector is silent for a while.
— Oh Mother! — I hear him shout at his mother. — I'm going to Alex's! It's ok?
I hear your mother say that it was late and that it was too dangerous at that time of night. I laughed but soon recovered.
— Sorry, man — he asks. — I can go tomorrow, if you want.
— Okay,— I say. — Come tomorrow at 10:15 am.
— Okay, I'm there tomorrow, then — he confirms and I say goodbye to him. I hang up the phone and go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and get ready for bed.