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Andressa gives me one more of those looks of hers before frowning, probably wondering if my audacity has no limits, but then again, it's not like I have any options.
“I'll see what I can do, Gabriella,” she says, sighing. “But you know that giving vouchers is not something that is part of company policy.”
I nod my head before squinting quickly. The denial disguised as “I’ll think about it” crushes my chest. I knew it was unlikely, but hope has this annoying habit of growing even in the most difficult terrains. It sucks, because it just means I break my face a lot more times than would be considered healthy.
I shake my head from side to side, trying to hold on to the fact that I still have a job. A victory, at least. I'll find another way to make quick money, one that definitely doesn't involve suitcases or airports. Just thinking about it makes a shiver run up my spine.
Andressa's dark eyes stare at me for almost a full minute, assessing. I turn my head to the side, worried that my delay in getting up and leaving may have changed her mind.
When my manager purses her lips before speaking, I feel my stomach do a somersault with the certainty that once again I've screwed up.Damn, Gabriella! Why didn't you quit while you were ahead?
“Maybe I have a last-minute job for you,” she says the complete opposite of what I expected, and my eyes widen. I open my mouth and let a surprised gasp escape through it.
“Really?” I ask, and my manager's lips tighten into a hard line. It's almost as if she's already regretted the words she just said.
“t's not the kind of work you usually do.” The warning tone in her voice couldn't be clearer if she said in so many words that she's terrified that I'm going to ruin everything. “See it as an opportunity.” Another warning.
“What is it?”
“A party. We also offer this service, you know? Waiters and buffet team members. One of our regular waitresses had an accident, sprained her ankle and will not be able to attend the event. I need someone to replace her.”
“I’ll take it!” I respond, extremely aware that I did it too quickly. Andressa had barely finished speaking the last syllable. She takes a deep breath before releasing it.
“I'm going out on a limb here, if you fail in this there will be no third chance, Gabriella.”
“Thank you, Andressa. Thank you very very very much!” I thank her with a small smile on my face. “I promise I won't disappoint you.”
“I really hope not.” She puts her arms on the table. “Now let's go over the instructions.”
CHAPTER 11
________
Gabriella Matos
Finally, something worked out, finally! I take a deep breath, feeling some of the tension of the last few days begin to dissipate as I close the door to Andressa's office.
On the third floor of a six-story building, I take the stairs to the ground floor because the elevator is broken. As soon as I put my feet on the sidewalk, the hustle and bustle of downtown Rio de Janeiro swallows me as if it were a whale and I, a miserable Nemo fish.
Generally, I walk through these streets with the speed of a rocket, dodging the absurd amount of people, pretending not to see the street vendors, nor all the colorful things in the windows of the dozens of stores that fill the city's largest shopping center. This afternoon, however, I decide to do something different. In an unusual occasion, the summer sun is not willing to fry human beings today, the temperature is mild, and the sky is cloudless. I walk along Uruguaiana,[38] I go in and out of the aisles looking at the stores even though I have no intention or money to buy anything. I just want to stay outside for a few more hours, enjoy the sun for today. Just that.
When I return to the street and start walking towards the train station, ready to go home, a window catches my eye and I find myself entering the store. The wooden door closes behindme with the swing of a bell and it's almost as if I've been teleported.
The chaos of Rio's popular commerce is still alive and impossible to deal with outside, but inside, the first thing to envelop me is the smell of paper. I read infinitely less than I would like, but I always thought there was something magical about books. Maybe it's the fact that just like drawings, words need sheets to exist. And it's by looking at a side wall, covered in colorful illustrations, that I feel like I'm traveling between worlds.
The store has walls, ceiling and floor covered in wood, a long dark counter and, beyond the entrance corridor, which I have not passed nor intend to pass, I can see shelves filling the walls. For a silly second, I feel like Belle when she discovers the Beast's personal library.
The desire to discover what's inside the store is immense, but it's not like I can do anything with these discoveries, so I decide to stay where I am, in the entrance hallway. There is more than enough to see here. I take short steps, observing each of the drawings protected by a glass display right here, inside the store.
I have no idea how the designer got the colors printed on the papers, but wow! It's incredible! After looking at the entire window four times, I go back to the beginning and study more closely the drawing that made me enter the store in the first place. I laugh and hide my mouth behind my hand, because it came out much more scandalous than I thought.
I'm mentally thanking the store for being empty when a little white-haired lady appears behind the counter after walking through a door. She smiles when she sees me, and I do the same. The woman leaves her post and walks towards me.
“Can I help, my love?” She asks and I shake my head.
“I'm just admiring it.”
“They're pretty, aren't they?” she asks, stopping next to me and looking up at the same drawing as me.
