Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro

11:00. Friday. Barra da Tijuca. Vini arrived early for the penultimate class of the day. And he had a very clear reason. He needed to talk to Belgium, his girlfriend, about a particular subject that could not be delayed any longer.

- Hi, sweetheart. - said Vini, kissing her on the cheek.

- Hi, honey. Did you want to talk to me?

- Actually, I do. Remember when you asked me to be more creative and impulsive?

- I remember. And I also remember you saying that I should date Enzo if I wanted those things.

- Yeah, it was kind of douchey of me to say that. But anyway, I came up with a genius plan.

That was interesting.

- And what would it be?

- What do you say we spend a night at Aquarius?

Belgium was confused. She couldn't associate the name with any particular establishment. Until something inside her brain clicked, like in a cartoon when a light bulb pops out of a character's head.

- Vini? Are you serious?

- 100% serious. I have never been more serious in my life.

Of course, a slight exaggeration.

- Isn't that a very expensive motel?

- Yes, it is.

- And you want to go there?

- No. No, I don't. But I want to go there with you.

No, it didn't make any sense.

- I don't know, baby. - Belgium felt insecure. - Technically, we can't go. We're underage.

- Oh, I wear a fake mustache, like those old porn actors. Not that I understand these things...

- And when would that be?

- Tonight.

Now Belgium really panicked.

- Tonight? Vini, darling, what excuse will I make for my father? And who will take us there?

- Relax, baby, I have a plan.

As it turned out, Vini in fact did have a plan. Sure, it would take some luck and creativity. But if you examine the situation, none of this would have happened if Belgium hadn't asked him to be more impulsive. I don't know, but Vini had the strange association of relating creativity to a night of sex.

Later that day, Vini called Belgium to confirm the plans for that night. But while one seemed calm and in charge, she didn't feel good about the situation at all.

- Baby, I didn't want to lie to my dad.

- You don't need to, Belgium. Just tell him we're spending the night together. You don't have to mention that it will be... - Vini paused. - In a motel.

- Fine. But if something goes wrong, it's on you!

- I'm aware and I want to continue.

21:00. Belgium got ready for the secret, but not so secret meeting with her boyfriend. She wore a very casual outfit, short shorts and an almost transparent blouse. She didn't have many options, because her room was located at one end of the hallway of the house. There was no way not to cross her father's room and the office. For a change, that plan of Vini's smelled like a failure.

- Where are you going, dear? - her father, Mr. Banks, asked.

- I'm meeting Vini, Papi.

He looked at his wristwatch.

- Nine o'clock at night? Isn't that a little late?

- He said he had something special for me.

- Oh, no. Fuck.

- What?

- When a man says he has "something special" for a woman, of course it's sex.

- Dad, come on!

- I'm telling you, baby. And I can whine, after all, I have seven daughters.

The man had a reason to be disappointed.

- Vini is not that kind of guy. - Belgium, now you lied a little bit.

- How long have you been going out?

- One year.

Mr. Banks didn't expect to hear that answer. The wide-open eyes of astonishment, despite the small doubt, also meant relief. After all, Belgium chose her partner very well.

- All right, girl. Have a good time. Tell him I said helloi.

- I will, Papi.

Well, that's not exactly what the saying goes, but after the storm the calm followed, as Belgium had an enormous weight lifted off her shoulders. She was feeling a bit bad for making up a story to fool her father, but she figured it would be better than being honest and blowing it.

As she was leaving the condominium, she noticed a Porsche Cayenne S blinking its headlights at her. She thought it was strange. She didn't move. At least not until the vehicle slowly approached. The driver's window rolled down. Phew, a familiar figure.

- Hi, honey. - said Vini. - You look wonderful.

- Thank you. - Belgium smiled. - Whose car is this?

- Suzane.

- Who's Suzane?

- Pacifier's mom.

- Oh, Vini.

- Relax. She's my friend. You can trust her.

- You can trust me, girl. - Suzane said. - I've been in your shoes before.

Shoes that were killing Belgium's feet, by the way.

She entered the right rear door of the vehicle, which picked up speed until it blurred among the thousands of red lanterns in the late rush hour traffic of Rio de Janeiro.

The ride was calm and quiet. Vini explained that Suzane worked near Belgium's house and would have to drive past the motel anyway. It was Vini's turn to tell a slight lie, as he said that Suzane had taken the initiative to give him a ride, but in fact it was Vini who had requested it.

The motel road was quite busy in both directions, much due to the malfunctioning traffic light that stops the flow on one side, but not on the other. During rush hour it was very jam-packed. On rainy days it's often flooded. Vini had no idea of the name of the street, but he already could foresee problems. And it didn't take long for the first mishap to appear that night and kick Vini's butt.

- Wait, wait. - Vini suddenly stopped walking. - Let's walk discreetly to the entrance.

- Vini, honey, no one will see us. - Belgium moans. - Nobody cares. The drivers are going home, they don't care what two young people are doing in a motel.

- Let's take a walk around the neighborhood. Just to wait for the traffic light to open.

Still, it could be worse.

Only after some time did Vini realize that the traffic light opened northbound, but closed southbound. It took him about five minutes to figure out that he was making a fool of himself. In fact, by the time he became aware of the issue, Belgium was already asking the questions. Discretely, she slipped the fake mustache under her skirt for Vini to wear.

- We have a promotion, but we have already booked the last room.

- Is it on a first-come, first-served basis? - Belgium naively asked.

- Yes, it is.

Vini could have been fooled by the traffic light, but he wouldn't trust that silly story. It was clear that the attendant was trying to trick them. However, Vini decided it was not worth the drama. He paid the total price and received the keys.

- Room 69-A.

- Of course. - Vini answered, getting the reference.

As they walked down the cobblestone path through a clump of tall plants, Belgium asked him if he believed the receptionist's story that they were out of rooms.

- Of course not, dear. - Vini replied. - Of course it's a fib. But the manager must force the counter staff to tell that story to make the people pay the second cheapest rate, which is much higher than the promotion they claim to have.

Price debates aside, Vini opened the door. He felt a little chilly as soon as he entered. Maybe it was nerves, or the temperature of the air conditioning in the room was 20 degrees. Or perhaps it was both!

Vini lay down on the bed and Belgium did the same. Initially, the two just laid there, facing each other, like laughing statues.

- So... - They both spoke at the same time. - You may say. - Vini said.

- Are you cold? - Belgium asked.

- A little. And you? Do you want me to raise the temperature? The remote control is on the desk.

Belgium shook her head. She didn't look cold, but a bit nervous. They both were. Tense. Someone would have to make the first move. But who would it be? Vini considered kissing her, but it would be too obvious. Then a knock came at the door.

- Thank God. - Vini got up.

- Hello, señor. - said a housekeeper. Or it should be. - We would like to give you this as a gift.

Vini didn't understand.

- What's this?

- A complimentary CD of Latin music from Mexico. You are Mexican, right?

Vini was still stumped. Having sex listening to Luis Miguel? Has anyone ever done that in the history of humankind?

- Yeah, alright.

He closed the door, still in confusion, and lay back down next to his girlfriend.

- Did something happen?

- You don't wanna know.

Well, somebody had to do something, for God's sake! Finally, Vini made a short but decisive move. He leaned forward and kissed her. And it worked! It didn't take long for the two to roll like animals. Then, the improbable. Belgium began to laugh.

- What? - Vini didn't catch on.

- You tickled my belly!

- I did?

- Yes, you did!

- I didn't! I would have known if I had. I didn't even touch your belly! E... Where the hell is my mustache?

As it turned out, Vini's fake mustache, in some odd way, came down off his face and ended up on Belgium's belly. That didn't seem right, but what could he do? Well, removing the mustache from her belly would be a good start.

Vini managed to break the ice. The two kissed in a natural and indeed romantic way. They went from sexually insane homo sapiens to two romantics. Maybe it was the power of Luis Miguel. Or something else. Go figure. In any case, he lifted her blouse until it was completely off, leaving her wearing only a bra. Removing the buckle was oddly labor-intensive, Vini had a hard time unbuttoning it. But he was rewarded after about five minutes, because Belgium's breasts were beautiful, well defined, not too big or small, the perfect size. If only Playboy knew...

- Vini, honey, stay there a little longer. - she said, while he was on her bottom.

Oh yes, Vini and Belgium probably read the same website, as the article emphasized that communication is key when having sex. And both were talking more than soccer announcers. Enzo would certainly ask if Vini was having sex or broadcasting the Copa Libertadores final.

Three hours later, after much passion, love, La Incondicional(*) and more passion, Vini laid completely exhausted on top of Belgium's delicate body. After finishing his part of the action, he had no more strength in his legs to do anything. He just wanted to lie down on the bed and sleep.

- Oh, shit. - he said, breathless. - That was great. Baby, you are the best.

Belgium smiled, all goofy.

- Baby, you did great. I had a great time. Your idea was pure genius.

- Was it worth it?

- Very much so.

- Even lying to your father?

- Can we stop remembering this? So many things have happened, I don't want to recall this particular fact.

- Hey, what time is it? - Vini asked as he looked outside.

- 1 a.m. - Belgium checked her IPhone. - Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What? And what are we going to do until tomorrow morning? Do you want round two?

Vini didn't answer. He remained silent. Weird. And then Belgium looked at his face after hearing a funny noise. Yes, he completely fell asleep, so much so that he was snoring loudly, like a motorcycle with a broken discharge pipe.

- Oh, snap. - she wailed. - Well, I guess I'll just have to do it myself.

Still, it could be worse.

(*) Luis Miguel's song.