CHAPTER 6 – WIFE

But the captain said it was good for the boy. The boy wanted to work for the captain. He wanted to be a sailor. Finally, I agreed.

The ship was on the way to Brazil. We arrived there after twenty-two days. I said goodbye to the boy and the sailors.

Brazil was a new state in South America. Many people started a new life there. It was the same for me. I didn’t know anybody there.

Soon I met people who had sugar plantations. They became my friends. I liked Brazil very much and soon I learnt the language. I had some money from the captain and I bought a small land in Brazil.

I started to produce sugar. I didn’t produce much for the first two years, but then my plantation was growing fast.

I was single but my life was good. I was independent and my financial situation improved every month. We paid only small taxes in Brazil. The society was new and we didn’t have many rules from the government.

Soon I had enough money to be able to hire a lady for cleaning my house. I asked my friends if they knew about any good woman. One of my friends said, “I have a daughter who is eighteen years old. I think she could work for you. She is also a very good cook.”

The next day his daughter came to my house. She was friendly but a little shy. She was also a very pretty girl.

We talked shortly about what I needed from her. The next day she came to my house. She cleaned the dirty floor and my furniture. She took out the rubbish.

She came to my house every morning on Monday and on Thursday and she was working for four hours. She cleaned the house and she also cooked for me. She gave food to my cat too who soon started to be a little fat. I was always happy to see the girl. Sometimes we had breakfast or lunch together and we talked.

Then she was sick for a week. She couldn’t come to my house. I felt a strange feeling when she wasn’t in my house. I really missed her. I thought, “Maybe, I am in love with her.”

One week later she came to my house. I was really happy to see her. I could see she was happy too. I hugged her. Then I kissed her. It was a long kiss.

Two weeks later I went to her father’s house. I asked him if I could marry his daughter. He was quiet. I was waiting for his reaction. Then he said, “I agree.”

I was the happiest man in the world. Two months later I married the daughter of my friend. We started to plan a family. This period of my life was great.

We had big plans for our family and our plantation. We needed a bigger house and we needed more money to be able to build a bigger house. I thought about the business in Africa. I knew I could make a lot of money in Africa quickly. I spoke about Africa with my friends who started to be interested in this idea.

WORDS FROM CHAPTER 6