It supposed to be an usual Thursday and me in my extremely good mood. As u guys might hv known now, Thursday is my fruity day! Thursday is the street mkt day where i can pick up my weekly grocery supply.
Boss need to go Angra today, hence he dropped me off the road in front of our office. I alighted gracefully from the car, crossed the road carefully, and headed straight to my favourite fruit stall. There was some fresh persimmons on the rack that caught my eyes and boy must I picked some. Then there was some plums lying there, beckoning me to bring them home, so i started choosing leisurely while chit-chating wif Gergie, one of the owners of the stall. And that was the time when i started smelling some intense air. Raising my eyesights reluctantly from those juicy plums and there she was! Standing less than ten steps in front of me, a skinny tall lady waving her hands frantically with the middle fingers up, cursing and swearing with mouthful of words which i din understand at all. WORST of all, this lady had been cursing for quite a while and apparently I was the last person to notice her presence. The rest of the Brazilians understood her language but not me. And maybe becoz im the only odd one, wif yellow skins n tiny eyes, AND THAT MADE ME AN EASY TARGET!!
I was stunned for a moment and not knowing wat to do. She seemed harmless at first, but as she got more n more agitated, the lunatic woman waxed profane. To my astonishment, she picked up a box from the street and came pressing forward. It all happened in a split second, I m sure my face turned white when the mad woman came pressing forward. The next moment i regained consciousness, I was shielded by the mongers behind their stall. All of them were holding some sort of sharp objects, i.e. screwdrivers n knives in hands for precautions. One of the grandpa-looking guy handed me an apple, talking to me in a manner like an adult trying to hoax a kid. I noe he was trying his best to distract me from the mad woman, but my heart was thumping so loud that i cant hear him at all.
The mad woman did not give me up. She was still circling near the stall, cursing in anger, gritting her teeth. I was really freaked out by then. All I wanted was to get back to my office which is only 1 mins walk away, but now it seemed so farway from me. And if only you could understand, it was very much like the scene in Babel when BradPitt and his wounded wife were trapped in the bus. All i could do is to figure the situation out by guessing the word and gesture. How i wish i were tad bit more hardworking during my Portuguese lessons.
Not knowing how long it took, the mad woman seemed to simmer down. I told the guys I need to get to my office where the sturdy security guard was. The next moment i was transormed into a superstar, donned by sunglasses and hat, surrounded by three hunky bodyguards, except the fact that I was chasing not by paparazzis but a crazy female stalker!!
All and all, its a chaotic morning, added to another chapter of my Brazil's adventure.
I was well aware of the crime rates and the social problem in Brazil long b4 i came to this country, but never a time i encountered one that was close to what i have been hearing. Not before today. Besides, we always moved in a group when PP n Jim were still here, but now I m a lone ranger. That sort of increase the danger in a way. But if u were to ask me, is it really that bad staying in Brazil, after a solid ten months here, I would say it is still a country worth visiting. Despite the negative sides, Brazil true charms lies in its people: the simple, helpful, kind and passionate folks! I like wat DD said, "But Rio is Rio, however the 'feel' towards Rio might shift or change over the time and place. deep down, we probably consent, or to the least, not objecting to the notion that, hmm..., Rio is, indeed, a beautiful city. despite we might still dislike the slum and the violence and the corruption, we still like to come to conclude the beauty of Rio, against all odds."
Labels: Brazil, Days of My Life
