Clementine had become a wild child. Born in America but raised abroad, she now had little regard for the expectations of high society. But her reckless ways eventually catch up with her when she is kicked out of college in New York City and forced t...
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What she did't know what that his roommate , friends or whatever he was from the morning was gone to be joining them. And it was then Clementine, though she had an inkling before, fully realized how important his people were to him.
Barraging through the streets together, Clementine inhaled the sights and sounds and smells of the little streets that she would never have otherwise seen from this point of view, except maybe in her dreams.
Zico asked her if she was still friends with the people she knew in elementary and high school, she answered carefully that she finds herself evolving, meeting new people, aligning with the stars onto say so.
He just responded with a 'hmm' and Clementine realized that his friends were not friends as much as family. It was a whole different mindset. It seemed to her like some sort of survival, evolutionary mechanism that has evolved between them to survive in these conditions which - as he pointed out - were so different from his. She also understood that if she was to learn to live with him in her life, this - among other things - would have to be a part of it all.
They managed to find a spot that was quite respectable, a combination of tourists and locals so it had to be.
Zico made a quick phone call, and then some time later the roommate showed up.
Sliding gracefully into the table across from them, he held out a hand to Clementine.
"I'm sorry, I didn't get to properly introduce myself. I'm Ed," he shook her hand swiftly and then dropped it. His pronunciation made his name sound funny, more French, and Clementine wondered if perhaps that wasn't his real name. It occurred to her that Zico had the best English out of all of their friend group.
Clementine thought that maybe they weren't as bad as she thought, though it was a little strange to her that Ed was there. At the same time, she was kind of thankful that he was, because he was a sort of buffer, diffusing the tension between the Zico and Clementine. Lowering expectations.
They ordered quickly, and Clementine took the same as Zico. A sort of, Brazilian eggs Benedict. She debated pancakes but quickly put the thought away, thinking it would remind her too much of home, and she wasn't ready to start thinking about that just quite yet.
"This place serves breakfast all day," Zico said smiling, as they were waiting for the food, sipping on cold waters and juice.
"Yeah, it's perfect for those kinds of nights, you know?" Ed added, and Zico slightly glared at him.
Then the food came, and they all ate in silence.
"I didn't realize how hungry I was!" Clementine exclaimed almost involuntarily, after the first few bites.
Zico smiled at her, and something flickered behind his eyes.
"Is it good, do you like it?" He asked her, almost flirty.
Clementine nodded and proceeded to finish her meal.
As they were waiting for the bill, Zico left to go the bathroom and Clementine was left alone with Ed. But not for long, because she would rather have avoided anymore conversations with him about her 'lone walks' so she quickly mentioned she's going to the bathroom too.
On the way there, she bumped into Zico as he was coming out, and it took her some time to recognize him as him, having kept her eyes on the ground.
If anybody saw me now, she thought, they'd have a ball.
It was strange being surrounded by all these people now, as if what they had to themselves being on display made her look at it differently.
Once again, a glaring voice inside her head screamed at how wrong this was fro the picture that was tended to be her life. But then she realized that this picture was built out by somebody else other than her. Her family, her teachers, the society she was brought up into.
She came back to find that the bill had been paid, and it seemed that she interrupted some heated conversation between Zico and Ed.
Zico, upon seeing her, collected himself and they quickly got up form the table.
Clementine felt a pang of guilt. Knowing she was more 'rich' than them in every sense and that they still had to pay. Then she wondered, how much money did they have. Or more specifically, how did they make it.
There was so much she still didn't know.
Ed had a car, and he dropped them off a few blocks down.
"Até logo!" Ed waved them goodbye and sped away.
They continued to walk down the quaint neighbourhoods, Zico pointing out things she had never noticed before.
