I know the title sounds very strange, but hear me out please. I’ll start with a little background.
I grew up in a small village in northern Brazil. The village is in the middle of the rain forest, along the Amazonas river, and it’s only accessible by boat or helicopter. The house where I grew up is on stilts to account for water level variations, and we have little canoes that we use everyday to go about our business. My brother and I were lucky enough to have our rich auntie from the big city of Manaus (about 2 hours boat ride upriver) pay for our education, and we spent the past few years living with her and going to private school. I’m currently attending a private university. That’s where I learned English, and by the way sorry for any grammar mistakes. My brother was able to get internet connection to our village for the first time last year, and it’s spotty but it works.
Anyways, last December we were back home for the summer vacation, and a neighbor decided to throw a big celebration on account of his first grandchild’s birth. Invitations were sent to nearby villages, other small communities also along the river, and everyone was excited. Lots of people showed up, many old friends, and a few strangers.
It is customary for young women to dance with a variety of people at such parties, and I certainly did. I had lots of fun dancing with childhood friends, young guys from nearby towns, and even a friend of my grandpa’s who is about 90 years old. I ate lots of sweets and cake. I don’t like alcohol so I’m positive I did not drink (this will be important later). I was almost ready to go home when my life suddenly changed forever.
A gentleman about my age, who I had never met before, asked me to dance. I was about to say no, since I was getting tired, until I looked into his eyes. As soon as I did, I was lost. He was the most handsome, most fascinating man I have ever seen. He wore formal clothing and an old fashioned hat, which should have been strange but somehow looked perfectly natural on him. Suddenly I felt warm all over, my heart started beating faster, and I wanted to do absolutely anything that he asked me. Dancing with him was like being in a dream, and I felt like I was the luckiest girl in the world. We talked a lot, but I cannot recall what we talked about. In fact, I have very little recollection of the details of that night, as if I had been drinking heavily.
What I do recall is that he asked me to go down to the river bank with him, and that he made me an indecent proposal. I would have normally been outraged and refused, since I believe in waiting for marriage, but at the time I thought I was going to cry out of happiness, just because he liked me. Well we found a secluded spot by the river. I let him remove my dress and I did not feel embarrassed at all. He was the most perfect looking man you could imagine once his suit was gone. I noticed he would not remove the hat, but at the time this did not seem strange. We made love and I thought I could die now, because no other feeling would compare to this.
Afterwards we were cuddling by the river, and he asked me if I’d like to take a swim. Of course I said yes. Unfortunately, at that moment we heard the frantic voices of my brother and a few of my friends, searching for me with flashlights. The beautiful man looked sad for a moment, and then he quickly ran into the river. And disappeared, just like that. Everyone was relieved to find me, and as I was led home, I looked back at the river. There was one lonely, pink dolphin watching us go.
A few weeks later, I found out that I’m pregnant. My parents and brother have tried to look for the man at every nearby village, but no one seems to know him. As my belly grows, I think about him more and more. I’ve started having disturbing dreams, of swimming naked in the river and catching fish with my jaws. They want me to go have the baby in the city, but I refuse. I belong by the river now, and every time I look at the water I see a dolphin again. I feel like it’s watching me. I’m hoping the beautiful man will come back for me soon, so I can feel that boundless joy once again.