Chapter 17

"And that's how a guy broke up with me because of the color of my hair," Helena concluded the story she was telling to her coworker, Lúcia, as they walked along the busy  Paulista Avenue towards the office.

"No way! You left town after getting dumped just before your wedding, and you went to Parati, and..." Lúcia began to say before taking a generous sip of coffee.

"I got dumped again," Helena interrupted, raising her coffee cup towards her friend. "Cheers to me."

"Seriously, the drinks later are on me," Lúcia said.

"Thanks, I'll need it. Especially because I still have to face my mother, who has been warning me all along, and I didn't listen."

"In the end, moms are always right," Lúcia concluded.

"Well, at least I got to see wonderful places and a decent distillery," Helena commented. "I even brought back a bottle of cachaça as a souvenir for you."

"Thanks, friend," Lúcia said, entering the building with Helena.

"The worst part i