Rio: Love at first Fight

Rio de Janeiro

Linda sat in the doorway to her room, staring at Blu on her knee. "I promised I would always look out for you, didn't I," she asked him. "Have I ever broken a promise?"

He gave Linda a quick glance, looking back down at the floor in fear.

"I'm scared, too," she told Blu. "But, I wouldn't make you do this if it weren't the right thing to do. What do you say, Blu?" She held up her balled fist next to him, ready for their secret handshake, which he hesitantly performed.

"That's my big, brave boy. We'll be back before we even know it."

---------------

What a drastic change in weather! In a matter of hours, the atmosphere changed from bitterly cold to terribly hot. The wheels of their flight touched down about midday on the international runway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The scenery was magnificent. Hills practically surrounded the city, all of them covered in beautiful greenery. Blu wasn't particularly fond of the scenery, but he was enamored by the flight of some nearby birds. Linda applied some sunscreen to herself, then to Blu's beak. "You too, Blu. You don't want to get beak-burn."

He stuck his head out of the cage to enjoy the breeze... at the wrong moment. A couple of kids, part of a miniature parade, startled Blu with their party masks on.

"Oh, what's going on here?" Linda was curious.

"You've arrived in time for Carnaval," Tulio explained.

"Carnaval?"

"The biggest party in the world. You know. A time to have fun and... dance." Tulio pretended to dance to a made up beat.

One lady in the parade particularly caught Linda's attention. She danced rather professionally, in contrast to the poor performance of the others. "Is she a performer?"

"No," Tulio observed. "In fact, she's my dentist." He stood up in his driver's seat. "Doctor Barbossa!"

"Oy! Don't forget to floss, Tulio!" She answered.

"You got it!" He turned back to Linda. "You should come tomorrow night. Everyone will be dressed like that."

"Oh, not me,"

Well, well. What was that noise above his cage? Blu took a peek and noticed two Brazilian birds, a yellow canary and a crested cardinal, singing a song. When they, too, noticed Blu, they greeted him in Portuguese, to which he had no answer.

"Um... yeah... hi... uh." Blu took out a Portuguese guide and tried to find a proper greeting, but he had no time. "I... am not.. from.. here," he returned, slowly."

"Hey, Nico. He's a tourist," the cardinal pointed out.

"Funny... He don't look like one."

"Really," Blu was surprised they understood English. "I don't?"

"Except, yo got pigeon doo-doo on yo nose." Pedro pointed out the sunscreen.

"Oh, no. This is just SPF3000," Blu explained.

"So, you headed to Carnaval?" Nico asked.

"No, I'm.. uh... actually here to meet... a... uh... a girl." Blu was partially embarrassed to mention it.

"Oh," Nico replied. "A girl? Little word of advice; YOU make the first move. Brazilian ladies respond to confidence."

"Yeah, it's all about swagger," Pedro continued, playing a little prank on Blu. "You gotta pump out that chest, swing that tail, eyes narrow; like some kinda crazy love hawk."

"But first, we gotta bust you outta that cage," Nico explained.

"I'ma pop that cage open like a soda can," and Pedro demonstrated. Pedro flew at the cage fast and hard, trying his best to break the bar, with Blu trying to tell him it was fine. The attempt exhausted Pedro. "Phew, this thing is ro-BUST."

"No, no, really," Blu finally got in. "I'm fine. It's great. Love the cage."

"Alright. Suit yourself." The pair began to fly away.

"And don't forget; Love Hawk."