#roberto sobral

"Wow, this even sounds like the plot of that H.G Wells book, The Time Machine," Beatriz, their door neighbor, stopped by her friend. She couldn't help but listen to the conversation as she passed by.

"I don't blame you for not believing me, but do you know what this is?" Lydia pulled her phone out of her suitcase. "There's no signal because it wasn't invented yet, but you can see what's already inside."

"A small… screen?" Beatriz looked at the phone intrigued.

"And there's a photo, who is this boy?" Glorinha saw the picture of Nathan on the phone's lockscreen. "It looks like a mini TV."

"It's almost like that, it's called a smartphone. It's a phone, but I can take it anywhere. It also takes photos, you can film with it, it accesses the internet… the internet is like an infinite library of information inside the smartphones or computers," Lydia grabbed her laptop as well.

"Oh my God! But you have to be joking!" Glorinha gasped while Beatriz examined the device, fascinated.

"It does everything, it's a calculator, flashlight, gives you the weather forecast, you can read the news on it when there's signal, it works as a voice recorder, you can buy things with it, send messages to other people, listen to music, watch videos, it's an alarm clock, translator, it has games…"

"All that in this little thing?" Beatriz smiled amazed. "How is this possible? Show us, show us how it works!"

Lydia showed them some of the phone's functions and even took a selfie of them to show the device's potential.

"You take the picture and it's there! You don't need to develop it!" Glorinha touched the screen and laughed. "Look, either England is way ahead of us, or you're really from the future! How is it? Tell us how things are!"

"I don't know if I can talk about it too much," Lydia sat on the bed, not wanting to cause a commotion.

"Yeah… if you tell us too much, the future might be different, but tell us just a little bit, please!" Beatriz got on her knees next to the bed.

"Um… gay people can get married in several countries. The United Stated had a black president-"

"A black president? That's amazing!" Glorinha clapped in excitement. "So racism doesn't exist in the future?"

"Well, it does. I think it always will, but lots of people fight against it. I'm not gonna lie and say things are great, but it's better for minorities, thanks to the work that starts now."

"Good news at least," Beatriz seemed happy to know that despite everything, the world would evolve.

"But tell me something… you didn't answer. Who is the boy in the picture?" Glorinha pointed at the phone.

Lydia huffed as she lied down. She didn't even wanna think about that, let alone talk about it, but she couldn't run from the subject forever.

"This is Nathan. He was my best friend and I fell in love with him in 2019. He was already married, so my plan was to go back ten years and win him over before his wife could, but I messed up really badly and now I'm here with no way of going back… so I'm stuck in this time period."

"My gosh," Beatriz frowned, she knew quite well that feeling of loneliness and helplessness. "If you came from 2019, you must have been born when? Late 90s?"

Lydia nodded and Glorinha took her hands, trying to comfort her.

"Not even your parents were born yet then? But look, you are not alone, my friend. If you don't have a family now, we can be your family, right Beatriz?"

"Right," she agreed. "Family is the one that chooses us, but also the one we choose for ourselves."

"Thank you, girls, I'll really need all the support I can get. Look at me, nobody is gonna take me seriously like this. I need new clothes, a job…"

"That's easy, Snow White," Glorinha caressed her friend's colorful hair. "But we'll think of that tomorrow, tonight you need to get a cute costume, we're going to Gente Fina. And don't even tell me you're not in the mood, it'll be a gas!"

Lydia sighed, there was nothing to be done, there was no use in losing her mind. That was her life now, so why not enjoy it?

"Very well, I'm gonna get ready. I have a costume I brought it for a fancy dress party that would happen in 2009, it should work."

In the suitcase, there was a long black wig along with a bodysuit and a cape, her Shazam costume that she wore to the last MCM. She put on the costume, the wig, and did some quick makeup with some eyeliner and red lipstick.

"Oh my!" Beatriz laughed in disbelief when she saw Lydia coming down the stairs. "You are…"

"Fantastic!" Ana Maria murmured. "That's a beautiful costume! Of course it's imported from England."

"I made it myself, Ana," Lydia smiled. "I can make you one too."

"As long as it's decent and not too expensive," Iolanda intervened in the conversation. "Let's go, the cab is waiting."

**

At the Gente Fina Club, Beto was talking to Ulisses while they drank some beer.

"I broke up with Bia," Beto said. "She's too spoiled, snobbish, childish…"

"She's only 17," Ulisses shrugged. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe you're demanding maturity she might not have?"

"Bia thinks she's better than other people, I'm done! I never promised to marry her, but I'll talk to her parents tomorrow. All I know, my friend, is that today there's no crying or lamenting, it's carnaval! Now I wanna move on, I wanna open my heart to the surprises life will bring."

"Like that dolly with the blue hair?" Ulisses chuckled. "You've been completely mesmerized since you first saw her. I'm starting to think you'll glue that photo you took of her above your bed."

"Oh, but that little Brit…" Beto let out a low whistle. "She's gorgeous."

"I think she might be Bloody Mary, we spoke of her and she showed up," Ulisses nudged his friend's arm and looked pointedly at the entrance.

Lydia now had black hair, wore a tight red bodysuit with a yellow lightning bolt on her chest, white cape and white boots. She stood out compared to what the other women wore.

Beto's heart stopped for a moment. She was even more stunning than he remembered. That outfit was incredible, every eye on the room was on her as if she was magnetic.

"Bloody hell…" Lydia murmured when she saw him.

"What is it?" Glorinha asked.

"That man, the blonde one with freckles, I met him earlier. He was the first person to help me out in Rio."

"He's with Ulisses, let's go, I'll introduce you properly."

Before she could though, Beto approached the ladies, taking off his hat and fixing the collar of his polo shirt.

"Hi," he smiled. "What a coincidence seeing you again today. How's your hand?"

"Ah, it's brand new, it's not the first time I need to punch some bellend trying to take advantage of me," Lydia laughed. She didn't want to, but every single time she saw him, her heart raced, the butterflies went crazy in her belly… but no, that wasn't right, it wasn't Nathan. Even if Nathan wouldn't be born for another thirty years.

"Good thing I was able to escape your fury."

"Oh I'm sorry, I was so nervous."

"No, it's okay. You ran so fast, we couldn't even talk. I'm Roberto, but you can call me Beto."

"I am…" she nearly forgot her name, lost in his brown eyes. "Lydia. My friends call me Lyds or Lyddie."

"Lydia?" Beto's eyes widened and he took a step back. The boy that was already pale became white as a ghost.

"Yes…" She furrowed her brows, not understanding his reaction.

"B-but it's Lydia with a D?"

"Yeah, L-Y-D-I-A. My first name is actually Blossom, Lydia is my middle name, but since I don't like the first one, I use the middle one."

"That's a shame, Blossom is so beautiful," he cleared his throat uncomfortably, at least it was Lydia with a D. "But I understand, Lyddie."

He put himself back together after the scare and placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"Doll, how did you two meet?" Glorinha asked.

"We met at the street carnaval earlier," Lydia tried to hold back her wide grin so as not to look too eager. "He came to help when those men tried to get me."

"I've seen you around with Ulisses," Glorinha sat on one of the folding wooden chairs. "And speaking of the devil…"

"Look who's here, Glória Regina," Ulisses leaned against one of the chairs as well. "And the babe who nearly punched my friend."

"The babe just moved from England and is living at the inn with me. If any of you try anything funny with her, know you're messing with the wrong girl and getting a new enemy."

"That's right," Beatriz added, bringing a couple bottles of water. "Now we're sisters from another mother."

"Don't worry, I would never imagine causing any harm to um… her," Beto still had a hard time saying her name, but didn't want that to ruin his chances with such a pretty girl. "Can I have this dance?"

"Of course," Lydia took his hand and they both left.

Glorinha just watched, still a little suspicious of him, as she was of every man.

"Relax, Beto is hardworking, honest, respectful. He's what a good lady might call a catch, he just became single," Ulisses tried to calm her down.

"I haven't known Lydia for long, but I already know she can't get her heart broken right now. She already has too much to deal with."

"Her name is Lydia?" He huffed a laugh. "It's pretty similar to his mother's name, not the best first impression."

**

While they danced cheek to cheek, Beto softly whispered the lyrics in Lydia's ear.

"Quando por mim você passa fingindo que não me vê, meu coração quase se despedaça…"

He wanted more than anything to steal a kiss, but he was very respectful, like Ulisses said, he would never do that without knowing for sure she really wanted it too.

"I wanted to know more about you, would you like to talk outside? It's noisy in here," he asked.

"Let's go," she accepted despite that queasy feeling in her stomach telling her she was cheating on Nathan.

Little did they know, while they went to the balcony, Bia, accompanied by her mother, ditched the fanciest gala in Rio to look for her ex-boyfriend and make up after their fight.

"I can see your colorful hair is hidden," Beto pointed out. "I've never seen hair like yours."

"Where I'm from, it's pretty common," Lydia mumbled. "But I have to admit this wig is pretty uncomfortable, especially with how hot it is."

"Your costume is also amazing, you seem like… like a character from a movie, I don't know. Like you are different from everyone, as if you know something we don't. Where are you from again? England?"

"Yeah, I'm from Wertham, it's in London," she explained, not wanting to give you many details. "But what about you? Do you always come here?"

"Always, Ulisses brought me here for the first time when we were still kids. His parents are two of the founders. Sebastião and Vera still work at home, he's our driver and she's like a housekeeper… a mom, she helped raise me."

"You call her mom? Doesn't your real mom get jealous?"

"My mom… well, that's not something to talk about during a party," he avoided the topic as delicately as he could.

"I get it," Lydia chuckled softly. "So no talking about your mum, tell me about you."

"Well, I'm a photojournalist, I work at a small newspaper covering all sorts of news."

"Seriously? By your outfit, I could've sworn you worked somewhere more posh. I don't think you're flaunting your money, but this shirt isn't cheap."

"I'm not gonna lie… I'm privileged, my dad owns a marketing firm."

"And you don't work there because you're a rebel who wants to follow his own path, right?" Lydia poked his shoulder. "I know what that's like. My parents have a firm too, Daddy is an architect, Mummy is an engineer. I am… a musician."

Beto once again was disturbed, as if it wasn't enough that her name brought so many memories, she also worked with music just like his mother. He knew he couldn't blame the lady for his own trauma, but those coincidences were, at the very least, pretty cruel.

"Musician? Are you a singer?" He asked.

"I can sing, but I also write my music, I play the drums, guitar, piano, I take a jab at the bass sometimes, despite not being that good at it…"

"Wow! How can so much talent fit in one person?" He smiled relieved. "I also play guitar and drums."

"That's awesome! Beto, the next pop punk sensation!"

"Pop punk? What's punk?" He chuckled.

"Oh, nothing, it's something from back home."

"Speaking of home, do you have plans to return to England?"

"No," Lydia frowned. "I don't have anything to come back to. Everything I know, all my life… it doesn't exist anymore."

"Your family, your friends? They're not there anymore?" Beto asked.

"No, but that's not something to talk about during a party."

"That sad look doesn't match this pretty smile," he murmured while he caressed her jaw with the tips of his fingers. "I want to see that smile reach your eyes."

For a moment everything went silent, even the music inside seemed muffled to Lydia in comparison to her own heartbeat. She slowly closed her eyes and leaned in, waiting for a kiss, but instead she heard a high-pitched scream:

"Beto? What is going on?"

"What?" She opened her eyes and was facing a girl who probably didn't even finish secondary school yet, dressed in a classic Columbine costume.

"Oh my God… that's why you argued with me, Beto? To come here at this nasty party fool around with some slutty chav?"

"You have a girlfriend?" Lydia looked at him angrily. "And she's a little girl who's barely out of nappies?"

"No! I don't have a girlfriend!" He started getting a little desperate. "Bia, we broke up before I came here."

"It was a silly argument, because you wanted to drag me here instead of going to the gala. Why did you do that? To cheat on me?" Bia crossed her arms in a petulant manner.

"I am not cheating on you, we broke up!" Beto insisted.

"I think I better leave, I have too much on my plate to deal with other people's drama," Lydia tried to stay strong, she couldn't cry in front of them. That could only be a heavenly punishment for daring to think of any other man besides Nathan romantically.

"No, Lydia! Please, let me explain!" Beto took her hand. "We only dated for six months after she insisted a lot, it was never serious."

"Look… honestly, if you really broke up with this overgrown ankle bite, you better make that clear to her, because it seems the girl didn't understand. Then you come looking for me, alright? Then I'll think about talking to you if I'm not in England yet."

"Who are you calling an ankle biter? You… hussy!" Bia narrowed her eyes facing her rival.

"Hussy?" Lydia turned around, she was way taller and stronger than the girl, she could easily destroy her, but she held back. "Is that an American accent I hear? You’re not better than me. I know you Americans think you are God’s gift to the world, how pathetic. Who the fuck do you think you are? Dirty little brat! First you grow up, then you come talk to me, you stupid cunt!"

Bia was stunned, she never heard anyone talking like that, let alone a lady. The word wasn't even that bad for people in the UK, but in the US it was one of the most vile things a person could say.

"Did you hear what she said, Beto? She cursed at me! This word… it's the worst thing someone can be called!" The girl was on the verge of tears.

"You're the one who started, Bia!" Beto ran after Lydia, but stopped when he saw the look in her eyes.