"The Circumspect Tourist (An Exercise in Trust)"

I wrote this on the flight from Rio to Sao Paulo, recounting an experience I had in Brasilia.

the circumspect tourist (an exercise in trust)
10.9.2011

HE ALMOST RAN ME OVER!

i don’t want an ice cream. i dodge his detestable bicycle with its delectable treats.

“that’s the foreign ministry.
there’s the executive building.
judiciary’s over there.”

i feign interest in a map of town -- gee, how judicious am i?

but it’s getting hot now.
and i want ice cream.
two minutes of coconut cooling after the embarrassment of a second encounter, and alone, i head back to our tour bus.

but look! he approaches me again.
“no quiero another one,” i’m firm.

with a warm smile, he points laughingly to his bike’s basket, takes my wrapper from me, and neatly disposes of it.

i have been placing my trust in the wrong people all this time.

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