It was mid afternoon and Litz went out of the hotel in Ipanema wearing only a silk shirt and a pair of short trousers. The heat was incredibly humid that day and she had already packed most of her stuff. It was her last day in Rio and she started to get emotional. She walked along the beach to reach her friend Kylie for a beach volley training. Her thoughts were a mix of fear for doing sport for the first time after many years and melancholy for what she had still to see in the city.
Ipanema was crowded. The two girls had to find a little spot on the sand to sunbathe while waiting for the trainer. Two Brazilian guys approached playing football to get noticed. Kylie and Litz ignored them. Kylie lived in Rio and used to attend beach volley training once a week, so she had invited Litz to join at least once before leaving.
The trainer arrived, as well as the rest of the trainees. Most of them were foreigners living in Rio or tourists. The trainer was one of the few English-speaking people in Ipanema. Litz quickly recalled some volley fundamentals, but she also felt that her body was not ready to do sport. She had not eaten and drunk in a healthy way for the last weeks. She started to feel like she was going to faint. A Brazilian guy with long hair and a casual look recognized her disease and asked in a mix of English and Portuguese if she was ok. She explained her problem and he suggested her a few tricks on where to stand not to get too tired running all over the field to catch the ball.
Ben, her close German friend wearing an AS Roma swimwear (he loved Italy and especially Rome), laughed at Litz while standing next to the field with his relaxed belly at clear sight. He was a brilliant entrepreneur and one of those people who doesn’t overcare about anything. She appreciated his company. When the training ended, they all dived into the ocean and slowly came back to the beach to admire one of the best spectacles of Ipanema (and the whole Rio): the sunset. Litz was kind of used to it. She tried to go and see it everyday. It made her feel free. However, that day was her last day in the city, so she needed to make a vivid impression in her mind.
Kylie, Litz, Ben and Suzanne, a Dutch girl having reached them for dinner, split in two groups to eat. As Suzanne was vegan, Ben volunteered to eat with her at a vegan restaurant. Kylie and Litz went to try a new hamburger spot next to Litz’ hotel. They all met soon afterwards at a cosy club at walking distance. Litz had gone there already a couple of times to get a cold beer and listen to international music. Brazilian funk was cool, but everyone has preferences and Litz needed to listen to her favourite music from time to time. Luckily her European friends had her same taste about music.
They got a table outside and started to drink and talk aloud about the recent shared memories in Rio. The club was crowded, so they were not really noisy. However, at some point, a thick bald guy came out and stood arms crossed in front of Suzanne. She was talking, so she didn’t really noticed him. He was not angry nor threatening. He was just having a presence to get Suzanne’s attention, who was the typical exotic girl for Brazilian men. Litz crossed his eyes like saying: “I get it”. She whispered something at Ben’s ear and in a while a cab arrived. They left the place unnoticed, except for the big man, who followed them through his sight. Later on Litz discovered by a common friend that he was part of the club’s security.
Litz came back to the hotel late at night. She walked silently not to wake up anyone around, quickly undressed herself and put on her pijama. Her few things arranged, she put the last dirty clothes in her laundry bag and gave a last glance to her black suitcase. She was ready to leave.
Goodbye, Rio de Janeiro!
