9500 Kilometers - (8) Dream Beach

By now, Luna had finished showering and stood in the doorway with her hair still slightly damp. Amara showed her sister the Hello Kitty figure and took it to her room to place it on the wall shelf with all the others.

Luna wanted to take me to the beach I had only ever seen in her pictures. We walked a few meters down the street and boarded a light-gray bus that went halfway across the city, straight to the world-famous Copacabana Beach. Along the way, we first drove through narrow alleys before reaching a three-lane main road that passed through several tunnels. Luna nudged me and pointed to the statue of Jesus standing on the top of a steep, densely forested mountain.

Gradually, people got off the bus, and a seat near the back door became free. Luna pushed me firmly into the seat and then sat on my right leg until we arrived shortly after. Only a beautifully paved path separated us from the fine, light sand.

As I was about to walk further onto the beach, she stopped me and pulled a small tube of sunscreen from her bag. She indicated that I should take off my shirt and began applying lotion to my arms, shoulders, and face. Even though it was very warm, her tender touch immediately gave me goosebumps. We grinned at each other sheepishly and found a nice spot near the water.

Lying in the warm sand, we sunbathed for a while. When I noticed a shadow, I opened my eyes and saw a friendly-looking man standing next to us, selling green coconuts. A cardboard sign revealed that a coconut cost 9 Brazilian reais. I searched my wallet for the right red 10R$ bill, featuring a macaw parrot on the back, and handed it to him.

With a short machete, he skillfully opened a coconut and stuck a pink straw through the narrow opening before handing it to me. Luna and I took turns sipping the fresh, exotic coconut water while gazing out at the vast ocean, her head leaned gently on my shoulder.