keys and a bottle of wine from the counter. He tugged me toward the door. “I
promise we’ll explore Lisbon tomorrow.”
We’d
spent the entire day in bed, intermittently drinking bica, eating pastries
Rafael secured from the corner bakery, planning our wedding, sleeping, and
making love. “I’m far more interested in meeting Benjamim and Eva,” I
confessed. I was hoping they’d offer some insight on the man I’d just agreed to
marry.
My
stomach did a little flip when he tucked me inside the Porsche.
“You
ready?” Rafael asked after buckling up.
“As
I’ll ever be.” Excitement won over fear when he turned the key.
The
tires squealed when he peeled out of the garage. “They don’t live far.”
Curiosity
got the best of me when Rafael drove outside the city center. We appeared to be
driving along the Atlantic coastline. “They don’t live in Lisbon?”
He
shifted gears. “They live in a nearby parish called Cruz Quebrada.”
We
drove past a number of post-apocalyptic looking buildings. Low income housing,
I presumed, based on the crumbling architecture, the decaying lawns, and the laundry
draped outside the windows. “What’s up with all the graffiti?”
He
glanced at the building on our right. “Graffiti is considered street art here.
It’s encouraged in some areas, discouraged in others. The city council decided
to make neglected and abandoned buildings available to street artists, so
they’ll leave the historic sites alone. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always pan
out that way.”
I
wished I could read Portuguese so I could decipher the words marring the
buildings. Abruptly, the landscape changed. This area boasted large single
family homes. Most of them were white with red tiled roofs. Rafael turned off
the main road and climbed a small hill. He turned down another street before parking
next to a house with a swimming pool overlooking the ocean.
“Rafael!”
Eva cried warmly. She kissed him on both cheeks and offered him a fierce hug
before lecturing him in both Spanish and Portuguese.
Rafael
laughed. “This is my fiancé, Kristine.”
Eva
smiled and kissed both of my cheeks. “Welcome. Welcome.” She tugged on my arm
while pushing Rafael inside.
Benjamim
strode across the room. “Rafael!” The two men hugged while exchanging hearty
slaps on the back. “This must be Kristine, the woman who unwittingly stole your
heart.” He scoffed at my outstretched hand and pressed a kiss to my cheek
instead. “Welcome to the family.”
“Thank
you, Benjamim, for everything. I understand you had the car serviced and the
apartment stocked in advance of our arrival. We haven’t had to worry about a
single thing.” I turned to Eva. “You must take me shopping while I’m here. I
love your taste in clothes. Everything you picked out for me has fit
beautifully. The red dress and heels…”
Eva
laughed when a low growl rose from Rafael’s chest.
“…
had the desired effect,” I finished with a lighthearted laugh.
Benjamim
popped open a bottle of wine. “We’re happy to help, although we do have an
ulterior motive. We’d like you to spend more time in Lisbon.”
Rafael
pulled me close. “I’ll admit, I miss being here. Paris was nice, and I do enjoy
living in Alexandria, but there’s no place quite like Lisbon.”
“It
has been too long,” Eva scolded.
Benjamim
handed us each a glass of wine.
I
looked at Rafael. “How long have you been gone?”
“About
a year. I spent the entire month of December here last year while you were with
your cousin in Great Falls.”
Eva
snorted. “Four weeks was not enough, besides you’ve been gone far longer than
that.”
Rafael
looked thoughtful, as if doing some additional math. “I moved… well, it was two
years ago in September. I spent the holidays in Lisbon that first year while
Michael was in Virginia and returned again in March when Kristine was in the
Bahamas. So, I’ve been gone a little over two years, but I’ve been back
promise we’ll explore Lisbon tomorrow.”
We’d
spent the entire day in bed, intermittently drinking bica, eating pastries
Rafael secured from the corner bakery, planning our wedding, sleeping, and
making love. “I’m far more interested in meeting Benjamim and Eva,” I
confessed. I was hoping they’d offer some insight on the man I’d just agreed to
marry.
My
stomach did a little flip when he tucked me inside the Porsche.
“You
ready?” Rafael asked after buckling up.
“As
I’ll ever be.” Excitement won over fear when he turned the key.
The
tires squealed when he peeled out of the garage. “They don’t live far.”
Curiosity
got the best of me when Rafael drove outside the city center. We appeared to be
driving along the Atlantic coastline. “They don’t live in Lisbon?”
He
shifted gears. “They live in a nearby parish called Cruz Quebrada.”
We
drove past a number of post-apocalyptic looking buildings. Low income housing,
I presumed, based on the crumbling architecture, the decaying lawns, and the laundry
draped outside the windows. “What’s up with all the graffiti?”
He
glanced at the building on our right. “Graffiti is considered street art here.
It’s encouraged in some areas, discouraged in others. The city council decided
to make neglected and abandoned buildings available to street artists, so
they’ll leave the historic sites alone. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always pan
out that way.”
I
wished I could read Portuguese so I could decipher the words marring the
buildings. Abruptly, the landscape changed. This area boasted large single
family homes. Most of them were white with red tiled roofs. Rafael turned off
the main road and climbed a small hill. He turned down another street before parking
next to a house with a swimming pool overlooking the ocean.
“Rafael!”
Eva cried warmly. She kissed him on both cheeks and offered him a fierce hug
before lecturing him in both Spanish and Portuguese.
Rafael
laughed. “This is my fiancé, Kristine.”
Eva
smiled and kissed both of my cheeks. “Welcome. Welcome.” She tugged on my arm
while pushing Rafael inside.
Benjamim
strode across the room. “Rafael!” The two men hugged while exchanging hearty
slaps on the back. “This must be Kristine, the woman who unwittingly stole your
heart.” He scoffed at my outstretched hand and pressed a kiss to my cheek
instead. “Welcome to the family.”
“Thank
you, Benjamim, for everything. I understand you had the car serviced and the
apartment stocked in advance of our arrival. We haven’t had to worry about a
single thing.” I turned to Eva. “You must take me shopping while I’m here. I
love your taste in clothes. Everything you picked out for me has fit
beautifully. The red dress and heels…”
Eva
laughed when a low growl rose from Rafael’s chest.
“…
had the desired effect,” I finished with a lighthearted laugh.
Benjamim
popped open a bottle of wine. “We’re happy to help, although we do have an
ulterior motive. We’d like you to spend more time in Lisbon.”
Rafael
pulled me close. “I’ll admit, I miss being here. Paris was nice, and I do enjoy
living in Alexandria, but there’s no place quite like Lisbon.”
“It
has been too long,” Eva scolded.
Benjamim
handed us each a glass of wine.
I
looked at Rafael. “How long have you been gone?”
“About
a year. I spent the entire month of December here last year while you were with
your cousin in Great Falls.”
Eva
snorted. “Four weeks was not enough, besides you’ve been gone far longer than
that.”
Rafael
looked thoughtful, as if doing some additional math. “I moved… well, it was two
years ago in September. I spent the holidays in Lisbon that first year while
Michael was in Virginia and returned again in March when Kristine was in the
Bahamas. So, I’ve been gone a little over two years, but I’ve been back
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