Pamela and Melissa said their goodbyes, the latter retreating into her house with the package tucked under her arm. Once safely in her bedroom, Melissa eagerly tore away the wrapping to reveal Fabrício’s peace offering.
She had to sit down on the edge of the bed, her breath catching in her throat.
Inside the box was a Walkman. In 1980, this was the bleeding edge of musical technology. Having been invented only a year prior, it was a luxury item far beyond the reach of the working class. But for a boy like Fabrício, whose family flourished in a different economic strata, it was a simple purchase.
Melissa spent long minutes tracing the buttons of the device. The idea of private music — of listening to her cassette tapes through headphones while the rest of the house was filled with the no
