& Moira Bianchi: Short story, part 1/3

quinta-feira, 29 de março de 2012

Short story, part 1/3


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How William Darcy could have met Lizzy Bennett

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fanfiction inspired by Pride&Prejudice (unbeataed)

Blurb: Young Darcy meets young Lizzy in Brasil, during New Years' school break. 
rated MA (+18)

Para versão em Português, clique aqui.

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When you gonna realize,
that you don't even have to try any longer?
Do what you want to.
¹
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It is a truth universally acknowledged that the best advertisement is of the viral kind, and that's what could have brought Will Darcy and Lizzy Bennett together some ten years before they actually met.

John Dashwood was an English dentist that always had a dream of visiting Brazil so, after saving money for some years; he traveled to Rio de Janeiro for the best vacation of his life. He toured the city enjoying the clubs and samba school parties, where he met and fell for a very good looking guy. This guy, Bira, showed him the best of Rio de Janeiro – city and state – traveling the many beach cities and mountain retreats, but what took the Englishman´s breath away was a small village almost reaching the state border: Trindade.

Trindade was a small village, part of the colonial city of Paraty´s county, and a paradise for ecologists and surfers. Its´ absolutely amazing beaches, cross-country trails and waterfalls made Trindade the ultimate rustic retreat of Rio de Janeiro state. 

Dashwood fell for the village as soon as he stepped out of the uncomfortable five hour ride that brought him from Rio de Janeiro city, and he spread the word as soon as he arrived back in Europe, a month later. His friends and friends of his friends visited and liked, posted on the new born Facebook and Twitter, and eventually a huge web of positive spontaneous marketing was formed. One of these friends – Gerard, from France - found a lover at Trindade that turned into his husband, and they opened a cafe. That cafe was so successful that a t-shirt store was added to it when their friend, the previous owner of the faded book store next door, dear old Miss Jane died.

The cafe-store was then established as an international tourists´ spot at Trindade, it was common to hear several languages spoken there simultaneously. Trinity Babel - as the café was named - was a cool place to be, with hanging lamps and cute little tables placed close together. There, Gerard and his husband Diego offered help of (almost) any kind: food, Brazilian clothing, exchange, Internet, phone calls, directions, counseling, shelter, an international home far from home, and an overall safe atmosphere that enabled mingling.

Trinity Babel was the talk of the internet that season´, anyone that had access to internet and called him/herself popular had heard of the place. As on the first years, the huge social networks were merely on-growing sites spread amongst college kids; both Lizzy and Darcy heard of it and decided to spend New Year´s there to celebrate the beginning of a new period of their lives.

Lizzy – 19 years old Elizabeth Bennett – had just started Yale University as she always wanted since her late grandfather first told her his school years’ stories. Although close to her home at the small town of Meryton - Massachusetts, the famous college at New Haven- Connecticut was distant enough from her control freak mother, beloved father and dear kid sister. Lizzy decided to study finances, to the astonishment of the family of middle class scholars that were proud of being able to collect enough money to pay tuition.

Will – 25 years old William Darcy, Son – was on the verge of moving from Seattle – Washington to England for his MBAs at the ancient Cambridge University, following his father´s footsteps. As the natural heir of his family´s company – Darcy Inc. – he was supposed to get educated before being charged with more than the presidency internship he usually did during school breaks. His younger brother Richard was also expected to join the company, but he still had some years of Harvard to fulfill.

Even though both Lizzy and Will heard of Trindade and the Trinity Babel, they never heard about each other. And why would they? A beautiful curvaceous witty middle class girl from the East Coast and a charming tall lean taciturn rich male heir from the West Coast were as different from each other as water and oil. 

But it´s also a truth universally acknowledged, as well as feared, that fate has its twisted ways to dispose of our lives.



Lizzy joined her longtime friends Charleston Longborn and Dennise Lucas on this crazy dream of visiting a tropical paradise in the heart of South America. They saved for a long while, doing part time jobs and asking family members for Christmas gifts in cash. Now they were happily installed in a single tent on the cozy camping site near Main Street at Trindade for a day already, and they loved every minute. From the coach seats side by side on the ten hour flight from Boston to Rio, to the busy bus station and the chaotic bus ride facing the crazy holiday´s traffic, to the magnificent scenery that the road provided from the Nuclear Power Plant, until they finally arrived at the village.

At the camping they met Argentineans, Swedish, Brazilians from other states and even an Indian couple, and it all added to their delight. They agreed that every tour possible should be accomplished and every mingling done. But, the first night they went to bed early in spite of the party they were invited for: Forro Universitário. They were told at the Babel that it was a picturesque rhythm, very fluid and danceable, impossible to resist. It was expected to be a merry assembly that united the locals and the tourists – both Brazilian and foreigners, but they could not keep themselves awake past ten pm much to their chagrin: it was only nine pm on the East Coast.

Their second day started as soon as they woke up and had some breakfast at the crowded bakery. After a small orange juice, a grilled cheese and a coffee they roamed Main Street and dove right to Middle beach. Five hours later they concluded that they needed a more powerful sunscreen, Brazilian bikinis and trunks and a nice shrimp and fish lunch.

After lunch, as they were lounging on the Babel sidewalk, seated on the floor surrounded by the marijuana breeze that came from the tattoo parlor next door, Will arrived with his friends. The sight of the trio clad in shorts and tank tops, seated on the sidewalk and bobbing their heads to the Rasta song like turtles made him question again this decision of coming all the way to Brazil. Not that Brazil was an unpleasant idea to him, it sounded great. But, an ecologists´ retreat heard from social networks smelled conspicuously as bullshit to him.

He let himself be talked into this trip by his prep school friends Charles Bingley and John J Thornton, III but not without questioning every single plan they made. Thornton´s mother made them reservations on the pushiest resort on the area, but unfortunately it was almost an hour away from the village. Mrs. Thornton, the powerful lawyer, thought that her son and his friends – the Darcy boys, the Bingley boy from the retail stores´ major chain, Julius De Bourgh – the heir of a great pharmaceutical empire and the Brandon Real Estate son – Chris - needed a safe place to stay if they wanted to go wild in South America. Had she known, Mrs. Thornton would have made reservations for six rooms instead of five because Jane Philips from the renowned Seattle Philips’s was coming with them, as she and Charles Bingley had been inseparable since they started dating, a year ago.

They hated the resort when they arrived because it was just like every other resort they had ever been to, so Will was charged with the task of breaking their reservation and getting the resort travel agent to find them a place at the village. After an hour of convincing, they were booked on the best bed & breakfast at Trindade´s Main street, although only two rooms were available - much to their horror. None of them had ever slept piled up before, not even in school as they had single bedrooms on the dorm house apartments; and it was clear that Jane and Bingley would keep a room for themselves. The guys would have to share.

‘Either that or we stay at the resort, guys. Let´s man up to it.’ Will said in a stern face and a firm voice.

‘Well, that would be very hard for me, Will…’ Jane teased from Bingley´s lap where she was perched.

‘You don´t have to man up to anything, my love. You are the sweetest, most beautiful…’ Bingley went on as the guys groaned.

As soon as the rented cars they drove – two deluxe sports jeeps – arrived at the end of the stunning winding mountain road and found not only an absolutely marvelous beach, but a river going over a gigantic rock that they would have to pass over, they knew Trindade was the place to be. It was all very picturesque, even the marijuana aroma coming from the tattoo shop next door to the famous Trinity Babel.

Will thought the three pot heads seated on the floor were really beautiful people, both the thin blond haired girl with long arms folded over her lap, and the thin guy with the weird hairdo resembling a rapper´s. But who caught his eye was neither Dennie nor Charlo. It was the brunette beauty with luscious curves and wavy long hair with red streaks, skin red enough to make him sure she was a tourist as much as he was. It was a shame that she was mingled with such an atmosphere, he thought. So, when Bingley commented on the many good looking people, Will could not hold his tongue and in went his foot.

‘Good? They look as good as a pot head can. Certainly I am in no mood to give consequence to stoners.’

Lizzy was busy doing nothing, just letting Bob Marley deepen her into vacation mood when she heard the gorgeous guy say such a rude thing. She whipped her head to the side and stared at this Greek god, tall, handsome, lean yet brawny, dark hair and found… deep soulful eyes. It just didn´t make sense to her, this guy looking so good, sporting these eyes and being such an ass!

Will blushed furiously when he noticed that Lizzy heard him, and she blushed when he held her stare and she noticed that he realized she heard him. She looked down and then back to him, but he had already turned his back to her, heading for the b&b across the street.

‘Guys’ she said to her friends, ‘have you heard what that ass said about us? Stoners…’ she repeated it like a curse, setting her mouth in a thin line.

‘I didn´t hear anything.’ Charlo answered. ‘Was too busy evaluating that variety of hot men!’

‘Totally…’ Dennie added, faking a pot head intonation.

They laughed and changed subject, just as Bob Marley gave space to Gilberto Gil in a beautiful rendition of ‘Woman no cry’ in Portuguese. Before the Seattle guys could get back to Main street, the three Meryton friends were called into the tattoo parlor: it was their turn.

Will could not shake the discomfort of his faux pas being heard, especially since the beautiful curvy brunette had such fine eyes and a marvelous mouth. He had to apologize or vanish – whatever was easier. The fact that the only room available for them had a bunker, a single and a double bed didn´t help his humor at all.

When they emerged from the b&b, now clad in shorts and t-shirts, the three pot heads were nowhere to be found and all the bars and rustic pubs were crowded, bursting with music and life. The Seattle guys loved the mix of beautiful young people, warm weather and mostly Brazilian beer.


 To be continued....
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1- Put your records on - Corinne Bailey Rae

So, what do you think?  ;)

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