II

Contrary to what might have been expected, the revelation did not change Léo's routine. On Monday, he returned to college and the hospital. Alex, on the other hand, was devastated after the revelation, fearing he wouldn't be seen the same way. He was afraid. Perhaps they would think he didn't need help.

The computer was delivered. A technician named Renan gave a lengthy explanation differentiating between computers, microcomputers, and supercomputers, but in the end, he installed it properly, with the telephone cable connected to the modem. Alex eagerly jumped on the equipment. As promised by the salesman, when he inserted the CD into the read/write drive, a course with videos began, detailing the most basic instructions: how to turn it on, how to turn it off. He moved the mouse and watched the cursor, click after click, he read all the texts, especially the help sections, and leafed through the magazines he bought. He knew how to type thanks to Tiburtino, and by six o'clock when Léo returned, Alex was already demonstrating skill with the machine. Léo, who already used computers at work and in the college lab, had good knowledge.

Although Alex was excited by the day's experience, Léo remained silent, holding his cutlery, knife and fork, while they looked at his friend who, seeming to have read his companion's thoughts, fell silent and remained dejected. The sadness was a difficult paranoia to comprehend: he felt like a traitor, he felt bad.

— Have you ever cut yourself? — Léo asked, holding the knife.

— Yes...

— And how was it?

— It hurt... Badly... Wouldn't it?

— Of course, but since you're immortal, I thought you couldn't get hurt.

— I'm not Superman.

— And what if you were hit by a car or lost a limb? Your head?

— Heavens!

— Or if your body were incinerated, ground up.

— Stop! — Alex shouted, feeling nauseous just imagining it.

— Say you've never thought about this.

— I don't torture myself with these thoughts.

— Why don't we make a small incision to see what happens. — suggested Léo, already getting up with the knife.

— Of course not! Are you crazy?

— It's just a small cut, we need to know if you bleed, or not.

— Of course I have blood...

Léo got up, knife in hand, and chased Alex from the kitchen to the living room, and from there to the backyard.

— Come here! Be a man, we need to know...

— You need to know... Get out of here! Are you out of your mind?

Alex slipped at the edge of the pool and fell sitting down. Léo took the opportunity and crouched nearby.

— You'll let me, right?

— No!

— Let me?

— No!

— Let me!

— Just a little prick. — said Alex, showing intense revulsion — Ouch!

— Done. Now let me see.

Léo looked attentively at the cut on his thigh and asked:

— It won't disappear?

— It used to...

— Good grief, there's a lot of blood coming out. — said Léo with a hint of regret. — Shouldn't it heal quickly?

— It should, but it isn't...

— Are you immortal or not? This way you'll die from blood loss.

— Very consoling of you... Now, shut up and go get a cloth!

What a "little immortal" you are. — Léo whispered as he walked back into the house.

The doorbell rang. Alex, who was nervous, slowed his breathing, and as he calmed down, he noticed that the bleeding was stopping. The cut was still visible.

What joy he felt opening the gate and seeing Maria. Léo returned with a cloth and a sarcastic smile:

— He cut himself with the knife.

Maria looked at the wound, which seemed insignificant.

— A little scratch.

— What's the reason for this visit? — asked Léo.

— She doesn't need a reason to come here. — Alex intervened.

— Uhm! — Léo insinuated.

— I had nothing to do tonight in Goiânia and decided to come. I thought I'd check on the house and see how you're behaving. I've already checked Léo's room and I couldn't believe the organization and cleanliness I saw here last time. — Maria was already reaching the living room, and what she saw justified her concern.

The drowning incident on Sunday, the computer that arrived, were some of the reasons for the neglect in house organization. The computer packaging and the juice carton Léo was drinking when he saw Alex drown were lying in a corner by the kitchen door.

— I was right. — Maria affirmed.

Alex ran to the kitchen, grabbed a plastic bag, and as he picked up everything that was out of place, he commented:

— We've had a lot of new things happen lately. For you, a computer might be simple, but for me, it's a lot.

— Can I see?

— Of course, let's go...

In the bedroom.

— It's messy, I'm sorry. I spent the day writing and describing some things, I wanted to write down everything that happened, but I can't type the text.

— Type?

— Yes, type. I've already written something, look:

"How long!" This was the phrase that went through my only thought the morning I arrived. I disembarked at noon, walked around the vicinity. The bus station seemed deserted; I had never been there, maybe it was always like this. A taxi driver...

— So I found you. Sitting alone in the front seat, as if reserving the seat for me.

— It's true. Maybe I knew I would find you.

— Maybe...

— Why don't you continue?

— It's not a bad idea.

— I'll get paper.

— Can't I write here, on the computer?

— Yes, you can... but I don't know it very well yet. — said Alex with a disappointed and embarrassed expression.

— I can type, thank you. — said Maria, already taking the keyboard and opening the text editor, she began to write:

The church was full when I arrived, I walked down the aisle between the rows of chairs, hoping to find my uncles there, who used to leave a gap, which would be very useful to me. The day had been difficult! [...] He quickly stood up and showed me the seat, raising his hands slightly. "Please," he said.

— You remember! — exclaimed Alex proudly.

— Of course I do. I wouldn't forget.

Maria smiled slightly, knowing Alex's feelings for her. Léo, who had taken care to hide the bulk of the mess, had just entered the room:

— I hope I'm not interrupting anything.

— You're not. Look at the beginning of our romance. — said Maria.

The word "romance" sounded strange; everyone fell silent for a few seconds and then smiled. Léo quickly read the text and smiled again:

— You're much further along than I thought. — whispered Léo.

— What? — asked Maria.

— Nothing. I want to add something!

— Go ahead, I'm going to the bathroom. — said Maria.

Léo took the keyboard and began to type:

And as my friend Alex says: "They were in what they called destiny." There, he and she together. It wasn't long before the mass began...

Contrary to what might have been expected, the revelation did not change Léo's routine. On Monday, he returned to college and the hospital. Alex, on the other hand, was devastated after the revelation, fearing he wouldn't be seen the same way. He was afraid. Perhaps they would think he didn't need help.

The computer was delivered. A technician named Renan gave a lengthy explanation differentiating between computers, microcomputers, and supercomputers, but in the end, he installed it properly, with the telephone cable connected to the modem. Alex eagerly jumped on the equipment. As promised by the salesman, when he inserted the CD into the read/write drive, a course with videos began, detailing the most basic instructions: how to turn it on, how to turn it off. He moved the mouse and watched the cursor, click after click, he read all the texts, especially the help sections, and leafed through the magazines he bought. He knew how to type thanks to Tiburtino, and by six o'clock when Léo returned, Alex was already demonstrating skill with the machine. Léo, who already used computers at work and in the college lab, had good knowledge.

Although Alex was excited by the day's experience, Léo remained silent, holding his cutlery, knife and fork, while they looked at his friend who, seeming to have read his companion's thoughts, fell silent and remained dejected. The sadness was a difficult paranoia to comprehend: he felt like a traitor, he felt bad.

— Have you ever cut yourself? — Léo asked, holding the knife.

— Yes...

— And how was it?

— It hurt... Badly... Wouldn't it?

— Of course, but since you're immortal, I thought you couldn't get hurt.

— I'm not Superman.

— And what if you were hit by a car or lost a limb? Your head?

— Heavens!

— Or if your body were incinerated, ground up.

— Stop! — Alex shouted, feeling nauseous just imagining it.

— Say you've never thought about this.

— I don't torture myself with these thoughts.

— Why don't we make a small incision to see what happens. — suggested Léo, already getting up with the knife.

— Of course not! Are you crazy?

— It's just a small cut, we need to know if you bleed, or not.

— Of course I have blood...

Léo got up, knife in hand, and chased Alex from the kitchen to the living room, and from there to the backyard.

— Come here! Be a man, we need to know...

— You need to know... Get out of here! Are you out of your mind?

Alex slipped at the edge of the pool and fell sitting down. Léo took the opportunity and crouched nearby.

— You'll let me, right?

— No!

— Let me?

— No!

— Let me!

— Just a little prick. — said Alex, showing intense revulsion — Ouch!

— Done. Now let me see.

Léo looked attentively at the cut on his thigh and asked:

— It won't disappear?

— It used to...

— Good grief, there's a lot of blood coming out. — said Léo with a hint of regret. — Shouldn't it heal quickly?

— It should, but it isn't...

— Are you immortal or not? This way you'll die from blood loss.

— Very consoling of you... Now, shut up and go get a cloth!

What a "little immortal" you are. — Léo whispered as he walked back into the house.

The doorbell rang. Alex, who was nervous, slowed his breathing, and as he calmed down, he noticed that the bleeding was stopping. The cut was still visible.

What joy he felt opening the gate and seeing Maria. Léo returned with a cloth and a sarcastic smile:

— He cut himself with the knife.

Maria looked at the wound, which seemed insignificant.

— A little scratch.

— What's the reason for this visit? — asked Léo.

— She doesn't need a reason to come here. — Alex intervened.

— Uhm! — Léo insinuated.

— I had nothing to do tonight in Goiânia and decided to come. I thought I'd check on the house and see how you're behaving. I've already checked Léo's room and I couldn't believe the organization and cleanliness I saw here last time. — Maria was already reaching the living room, and what she saw justified her concern.

The drowning incident on Sunday, the computer that arrived, were some of the reasons for the neglect in house organization. The computer packaging and the juice carton Léo was drinking when he saw Alex drown were lying in a corner by the kitchen door.

— I was right. — Maria affirmed.

Alex ran to the kitchen, grabbed a plastic bag, and as he picked up everything that was out of place, he commented:

— We've had a lot of new things happen lately. For you, a computer might be simple, but for me, it's a lot.

— Can I see?

— Of course, let's go...

In the bedroom.

— It's messy, I'm sorry. I spent the day writing and describing some things, I wanted to write down everything that happened, but I can't type the text.

— Type?

— Yes, type. I've already written something, look:

"How long!" This was the phrase that went through my only thought the morning I arrived. I disembarked at noon, walked around the vicinity. The bus station seemed deserted; I had never been there, maybe it was always like this. A taxi driver...

— So I found you. Sitting alone in the front seat, as if reserving the seat for me.

— It's true. Maybe I knew I would find you.

— Maybe...

— Why don't you continue?

— It's not a bad idea.

— I'll get paper.

— Can't I write here, on the computer?

— Yes, you can... but I don't know it very well yet. — said Alex with a disappointed and embarrassed expression.

— I can type, thank you. — said Maria, already taking the keyboard and opening the text editor, she began to write:

The church was full when I arrived, I walked down the aisle between the rows of chairs, hoping to find my uncles there, who used to leave a gap, which would be very useful to me. The day had been difficult! [...] He quickly stood up and showed me the seat, raising his hands slightly. "Please," he said.

— You remember! — exclaimed Alex proudly.

— Of course I do. I wouldn't forget.

Maria smiled slightly, knowing Alex's feelings for her. Léo, who had taken care to hide the bulk of the mess, had just entered the room:

— I hope I'm not interrupting anything.

— You're not. Look at the beginning of our romance. — said Maria.

The word "romance" sounded strange; everyone fell silent for a few seconds and then smiled. Léo quickly read the text and smiled again:

— You're much further along than I thought. — whispered Léo.

— What? — asked Maria.

— Nothing. I want to add something!

— Go ahead, I'm going to the bathroom. — said Maria.

Léo took the keyboard and began to type:

And as my friend Alex says: "They were in what they called destiny." There, he and she together. It wasn't long before the mass began...