"Flávio"

It was as if Manu's glow had turned to darkness as soon as her phone started ringing. She trembled, her smile closed, and her eyes tensed, just as her body stiffened.

"Damn! It's my mom again," Manu said with a tone of apprehension and a touch of sadness.

"Honey, answer it. She won't stop calling, I'm sure of it."

"I'll answer it at the apartment." Manu sighed. "I'm not going to college. The professor who was supposed to teach today had to miss class and sent a message to the group letting me know. I turned on my phone to check the messages and forgot to turn it off again."

"Good for me, I'll be making out with my little girl all night." I opened the apartment door and she came in, her cell phone ringing again. This time she answered, put it on speaker, and left it on the coffee table, sitting on the sofa with a sad expression, her joy from minutes before gone.

"Manuela, who do you think you are, you little brat?" The female voice sounded belligerent on the other end of the l