βYou be RIGHT there, lass,β said the small, round fellow with clock-face eyes. He looked like a gnome-gremlin crossbreed. βHow can I be helping?β
βIβd like to make a small change to the spec.β
βRIGHTβ¦ Donβt have time for yer nonsense, lad. Good day.β
βHave time for a drink with me, Jack Daniels?β
βBlack label, the good stuff. β Donβt mind if I do. Just a wee sip.β
Definitely some leprechaun too, I thought.
β Β§ β
βA weeee changy pooh here, and weeeeeβ β the dials in his eyes spun madly β βweeee change thereee.
My first impression was one of Spartan elegance. It was jarring after the roar and excess of 1920s Paris. Instead of the riotous laughter of the Folies, I heard the murmur of people talking and the occasional clink of a glass all #around me. The room was a lounge lined with aluminum tables and chairs, all lightweight and purposeful. Soft-colored fabrics upholstered the seats: beige, lavender, and gentle pinks. Murals adorned the cloth walls in dreamy pastels: parrots, palms, and Rioβs own Sugarloaf Mountain. It was utilitarian and efficient, a tasteful example of modernism.
From the murals, my eyes were drawn to windows showing the countryside drifting below. A sparkling river was so close that the people on the barges were visible. #Beyond, quaint villages nestled in the morning mist.
Finally, a couple arguing caught my attention. On second glance, the argument seemed one-sided. A woman in a white linen dress addressed her twin sister, seated at one of the tables, in a shrill, New York-accented voice. βYou need to listen to me. Please, itβs important. Youβre going to die.β
Her sister paid no attention and instead calmly talked to the man across from her. She took languid sips of a red cocktail. Despite her sisterβs vehement words, she was as unruffled as the liquid in her glass.
Then it hit me. No one was paying attention to the woman. Normally, if a person makes a scene, people peer at them. Instead, everyone continued their conversations, reading their papers, or watching the scenery go by without blinking.
The woman at the table looked past her sister in my direction, said something to her companion, and laughed. Whatever she said caused the woman in white to turn around. Our eyes met, and shock spread across her face.