Chapter 4: A Casa de Senhorita Pereira

Lara insisted that I join her after school at Lennie’s house. It was still walking distance from us, but certainly a more middle-class district of the city. Inside was eye-opening, starting with the big blue-yellow-green flag of Brazil hanging on the wall of the foyer. “Order and Progress” was inscribed across the middle in Portuguese.

Lennie’s parents were immigrants from São Paulo, long-established in the states. They were in their thirties when they had her. Tragically, her mother, Catina, had been killed in an air crash. The airline’s liability was limited on international flights, but the ticket was purchased with an American Express card through a large travel agency, which eventually led to a six-figure payout when Lennie was only five years old. Her father, Ronaldo, was already a prosperous doctor by then (an orthopedic specialist) so Lennie was never short of spending money.