Chapter 6: Sucupira here we come

Saturday, March 10^th, 1984

I woke up to the sound of an alarm going off. After shutting it off, I grabbed my uniform from the closet and hurried to get to the bathroom before someone else entered it. Since Jason was still asleep, I decided that I would wake him up after I was done in the bathroom.

I thought it a little odd that Jason hadn't gotten yet, since he usually gets up and goes for a short jog early in the mornings and often is back before I have gotten out of bed.

After my shower, I got dressed in my uniform. Just as I was putting on my shirt, I realized that today was Saturday, and there was no school today. Somewhat embarrassed, I hurried back to Jason's and my bedroom shirtless. I was glad I that my alarm clock was a wind-up one and did not have a snooze button. Another thing that made me happy was that my alarm didn't wake Jason up.

I briefly considered going back to bed for a couple more hours, as I was putting on t-shirt, having decided that since I'd put on a pair of jeans, I would go ahead and wear them the rest of the day. Rather, as I remembered the plans for the day, that I would be wearing before it was time to get ready to go to Sucupira with my family, Alessa, and Kris. Making up my mind, I decided to take advantage of the fact I was up and make an early start of the day.

I quickly got my uniform ready so that Monday, once I got back from my run with Jason, all I'd have to do is grab the hanger it was on and rush into a bathroom. After I had hung my uniform back in the closet, I started thinking about my mistake. Fortunately, unless Jason had woken up and seen me with my uniform, no one would know what I had done.

Since today was Saturday, it was the maid's day off and so each of us was responsible for making up their own bed and doing their part in keeping things straight. As I was making my bed, I remembered that, even though I didn't have school today, that wasn't true for everyone. Many of the private high schools in Brazil have a "fast track" program where you could get through the three years of Colegial, in as little as two years. In those programs, classes run six days a week.

In Take One, I had been in a slightly less intensive course after flunking Segundo (2^nd) Colegial, which is more or less equivalent to eleventh grade. I ended up repeating that year, and completing Terceiro (3^rd) Colegial in eighteen months. The Vestibular preparatory classes are the same way, even having some "cram classes" on the last Sunday before a local Vestibular.

Public schools also sometimes make use of classes on Saturdays. That rarely occurs, since public schools only use Saturday classes to reach the minimum number of class days required by law. The most common, if not only reason, for a public school needing to recover those days is a prolonged teacher strike like some that occurred in the late 80's and early 90's.

Leaving my memories of my past-future behind, I went downstairs. Not seeing anyone in either the dining room or kitchen, I decided to check my parent's bedroom. Even though the door was closed, I could hear two sets of snores coming from inside. They both deny snoring, so I very briefly considered taping them. I changed my mind about doing so today, since it might affect the rest of today's activities.

Since everyone else apparently was still asleep, I decided to fix my own breakfast. Not finding any cereal that I wanted in the cabinets, and noticing we were out of milk in the refrigerator, I checked my wallet. Finding the equivalent of ten dollars, I decided to go to the local bakery to get milk and something for breakfast.

Fifteen minutes later, I was back home after purchasing seven loaves of pão de água — the name literally translates as water bread, it's similar in taste and texture to French baguettes except they are only six inches or so long — and six one liter bags of milk, enough to last us til Monday. I left the bag with the bread on the table and took the milk to the kitchen. After arranging five of the bags in the refrigerator, I took the remaining one and placed it in a plastic holder designed to keep it vertical. After tapping the holder on the counter — to make sure that the milk bag was in properly — I snipped the corners of the bag — a small snip on the upper corner above the handle, and a larger cut on the upper corner on the side opposite the handle.

Since there was no sign of anyone else being awake, I went ahead and spread some butter and jelly on one of the loaves I'd gotten. After getting a glass of milk, I put the open bag back in the refrigerator. I then sat down, and for the first time since my return to this time, ate a meal alone. I left the rest of the loaves on the table, and washed my dirty glass and knife after tossing the napkin I'd used as a plate in the trash.

I finished cleaning up after breakfast, I decided to read some. I knew that I probably wouldn't have much free time once the rest of my family woke up. Like my siblings, I would likely be drafted into helping get things ready for the picnic at Sucupira later today. While looking though my parents' Reader's Digest condensed books collection, I found one that included one of Jack Finney's time travel stories. I'd read "Time and Again" several times, but it'd been a several years since I read it last. Not finding anything more interesting, I decided to read it again. I don't remember when I had read that story the first time, but if I wasn't mistaken, at least as far as my family was concerned, this would be my first time reading it.

I was already well into the second chapter when I heard noises indicating that, at least part of the rest of my family was up and moving around. In spite of the evidence of me having gone to the local bakery, I wasn't able to convince my parents that I had already eaten. Rather than make a big deal out of it I made an effort to eat enough to satisfy them. Since I had not made coffee for my first breakfast, I enjoyed a couple of cups from the fresh pot Dad made.

Surprisingly for a Saturday, everyone in my family ate breakfast together this morning. Jason teased me about setting the alarm. He apparently hadn't seen me with my uniform shirt since he only teased me about being anxious to get together with my girls. I calmly replied that I had just forgotten to turn it off. After pretending to be thinking about something for a couple of minutes, I commented, "Now that I think about it Jason, I do remember turning that alarm off before going to bed last night. Did you turn it back on for some reason when you finally made it to bed?"

After my question to him, Jason's teasing ended, creating a lull in the conversation. Dad mentioned several things that needed to get done before we could go. I volunteered to wash the breakfast dishes. Jason and my sisters also got some chores that took about the same amount of time.

About ten am, the telephone rang and Jason answered it since he happened to be the nearest one to the phone. I could hear him asking the person on the other side if they really wanted to talk to me or not. After repeating the question for a third time, he hollered for me to get the phone, and that it was a girl calling me.

Jason really did not need to yell since I was in the same room as he was. On the other hand, I expected him to do that since he enjoys hamming things up.

He then tried to play keep away with the headset for a moment. He stopped teasing me when he saw Dad walking up the stairs and handed me the phone. "I am sorry it took so long, Jason was hogging the phone," I told Alessa after we had exchanged greetings.

I heard her mumble something but when I asked her about it, Alessa replied, "Never mind Keith, I was just talking to myself. I know how irritating older siblings can be. After all, I have one of them myself. Now that we got that out of the way, let me get to the real reason I am calling. I have a question for you. Yesterday evening at supper time, my dad told my sister and me that we would all be going to Sucupira today. When he finished making that announcement, I asked him if we could pick up Kris on our way. Dad agreed to swing by Kris' house and pick her up since we live so close together. Then we will head on over to your house so we could all go to Sucupira together."

"That sounds good to me, now what is your question Alessa?"

"My question is, do you think your parents would mind if you traded places with my sister on the way to and back from Sucupira? Personally, I would prefer to ride down there with you sharing the back seat with Kris and me instead of my sister."

"Let me see ... if I had to chose between riding between you and Kris and riding with my family ... I would go with you gals. I will need to get permission to do that though."

After telling each other goodbye a few times, I hung up the phone. While I do have a certain amount of freedom, I still needed to let my parents know where and for how long I would be gone. I found Dad cleaning off the small portable grill we would be taking. I told him that Alessa's entire family would be joining us and that her father, Seu Luis, would be driving. I could see that he was relieved that there would be another vehicle, since otherwise it would have been a tight squeeze to get everybody in.

I realized later that when I'd been telling Dad about the phone call, I forgot to mention the fact that I was asked if I wanted to ride with Alessa and Kris. However, I suspect that he at least suspected that I would want to ride with Kris and Alessa no matter in whose car we ended up ridding in. Of course, if he did not suspect that, I would not be surprised if Mom would clue him. That would have to wait, since Dad told me that Mom left with Jason to the supermarket to get some last minute items for the picnic this evening while I was on the phone. Mom was surprised with my offer to help unload the car since usually she had to almost threaten us to get any help at all.

It was just as well that Alessa's parents decided to go since it would have been impossible to fit the six of my family along with two extras in one car. Well, maybe not impossible, but it would mean that two people would be sitting on laps the entire way. Since it takes about thirty minutes to cover the ten and a half miles from my house to Sucupira, it's just a little to far to do that comfortably not to mention legally. The last fifteen minutes or so is on a dirt road that I remember getting very rutted during the raining season that runs from October to March, so that stretch would be especially uncomfortable.

Just before noon, Mom sent Dad out to buy a rotisserie chicken, and some farofa (toasted manioc flour) to complete the meal she was preparing. I got lassoed into helping her by setting the table. Dad walked in with his purchases just as I was putting down the last plate, so I went ahead and helped her put the rest of the food on the table.

After we had finished cleaning up after lunch, my siblings and I went upstairs to get ready to go when Alessa's family arrived. To pass the time, once I was ready, I decided to sit in front of my house reading the story I started after my first breakfast. It was amusing to read a time travel story since apparently I had done that myself. I found myself comparing the differences between what I had experienced and what the protagonist in Time and Again had. Mostly however, I was reading it as something to do while I was waiting for Alessa and Kris to arrive. Soon a car drove up and stopped in front of our house. Alessa and Kris were the first out of the car, followed by Alessa's parents and her older sister Vanessa.

I invited them all inside since my sisters weren't ready to go yet. Jason was waiting in the living room watching TV waiting for my sisters. When Jason saw Vanessa walk in, I could see his jaw drop as he fled from the room. I quickly turned around to look at Vanessa who also had a surprised expression on her face as well. I followed my brother up the stairs while behind me, Kris and Alessa blocked the door with their bodies, preventing Vanessa from making her own escape.

"What was that all about?" I asked my brother once I caught up with him.

"Vanessa is in my class and I know that every other guy in our grade has asked her on a date. At best she refused to go out with them. There was one guy who tried asking her out several times. Yesterday she humiliated him in front of the whole class when she refused his latest attempt."

Worried about the scheme Alessa and I had set up not working, I asked, "Were you the one she refused publicly? Or are you the only guy in your class that hasn't tried to ask Vanessa out?"

When he didn't answer I continued, "What would you say if I told you that I heard from a reliable source that Vanessa was interested in a certain guy who just happens to be in her class, but this guy had never asked her out?"

"You mean..." Jason said

"Jason, if you don't ask her, you will never be for sure. Now let's go downstairs and talk to the girls."

Once downstairs, Jason timidly approached Vanessa and whispered something in her ear.

"YES!!!" in a much quieter voice Vanessa continued, "Alessa, I am sorry for fighting with you yesterday," Vanessa quietly said over her shoulder while taking Jason's hand in hers.

Vanessa's and Jason's reaction when they first saw each other lead me to believe that like Kris, Alessa, and I, they had a secret crush on each other. So secret in fact, that, in Take One, I never realized Jason had a crush on anybody in high school. I knew he dated a few times in high school, but I only remember him bringing one of his dates home.

That evening, after we'd returned to our respective houses, while we were waiting in our room for our sisters to finish taking their showers, Jason told me, "In spite of the fact that I've had a crush on Vanessa for nearly three years, I never knew that she had a sister. Thanks for inviting Alessa, and her family. You sure know how to ruin a secret crush," he finished sarcastically.

"Well Jason, let that be a lesson for you. A secret crush means that you could be giving up the chance of a relationship even before it starts. Let me tell you a secret, I came close to doing the same thing with Alessa."

We then had a long talk about several different subjects. I realized once again what a wonderful opportunity I had been given when I was thrown back in time. This time I do my best to avoid making some of the mistakes that made my life so miserable the first time around.

After talking to Jason, I called Alessa. She confirmed to me that Vanessa had admitted that the "mystery man" she had a crush on was none other than my brother. We had a good laugh at that since neither of us had known of their mutual crush before today. However that is getting a little ahead of myself, so back to where I left off in the story.

Vanessa's exclamation caused several reactions. Seu Luis and Dona Lidia had confused looks on their faces. Jason looked like he was about to collapse, so I helped him to sit on the sofa. Vanessa seemed to think that was a good idea as she joined him. My parents ran into the room wondering what was happening, and I could hear my sisters hurrying up.

"Close your mouth Jason before you trip on it," I teased him. I then introduced Alessa's parents and sister to them. While we were waiting for my sisters, Dad asked Seu Luis where he worked. As it turned out, Dad knew Seu Luis' former boss, having worked with him a few years before. Since Seu Luis now held that position, it would be possible that they would be doing some work together in the future.

My sisters soon came down, and Jason took the honors of introducing them to Vanessa and her parents. He also explained that Vanessa had gotten a little excited when he'd asked her to go out the next Friday.

When Alessa mentioned that her dad would also be driving I mentioned to her that I wanted to sit between Kris and Alessa on our way out to Sucupira. However, before I had a chance to ask Seu Luis about the three of us sitting together on the way to our jaunt, Jason jokingly said, "If it was up to me, I would much rather have Vanessa sitting next to me than Keith."