By MARIA RITA KEHL*

Reflections on Brazilian daily life

I'm not going to lie because everyone saw it. I really did. And? The guy was worthless. Foreigner wanting to get along here. Besides being foreign from who knows what place in Africa. Nigeria, Congo, those poor countries over there. As if Brazil needed more black people, isn't there enough here?

This one came here not long ago, he was fucked up, I gave him trouble. Is not good? Then he came to complain about me here, in my piece. All full of "rights". I gave up on his rights.

It was in my backyard, you know? The beach is public, but this kiosk here is my piece. I give work to anyone who asks, I don't discriminate against anyone, not even black people like that one. Here he could have lunch, drink water whenever he wanted. There it is loose. Come ask for a salary. Did I combine salary? Is there any paper signed by me that stipulates salary? No, I'm not a beast. If I signed a salary contract, I would have to register, pay some INSS and I don't know what else, who can become a successful entrepreneur like me paying that much tax and more the salary of these bums?

If he had a vision of the future, he could very well continue here, earning a tip here, another there, he could even buy a bean to feed the bunch of children he must have, because these black people are hell to make a bunch of black people. I dont care? I have nothing against; each one is free to have as many children as they want, but I have no obligation to support them. If I can buy a bean with what I pay, the kids won't starve anymore, isn't that great? And when they grow up a little, they can help their father, sell coconut water on the beach, Styrofoam isn't even that heavy. You can't call it child labor because the kids are on the beach, you know? They can take the opportunity to bathe in the sea, since in the suburb where they live there must be no sea, is it or isn't it.

You have to have perspective for the future. The boys start selling coconut water here, suddenly a lady finds one of them cute and takes it to work at her house. The kid will eat well. Who knows, maybe even learn to read? That's the future perspective.

Look at those people from São Paulo who thought they could build a shack on the slopes. The rain came, took everything. Did the guys not think of this before? Didn't have a safer place to install the cafofo? I bet they didn't even look. One went there, the others follow. Bunch of cattle. They got it wrong, wow. Not even God, may God forgive me using his name, protects those who don't take good care of themselves. Is the governor to blame? Of course.

This guy, I don't even remember his name, looked like Moses, but he wasn't Moses because Moses was white. There is no black in the Bible. I don't think so. This guy wanted to go up too fast. Today I'm here, owner of my business, but do you think I didn't work hard to get where I am? I climbed the way it was. And, I'll tell you: this wasn't the first time I had to get the bullet out of my way. Some I didn't even have to erase: it was just showing the stuff that the guy had already sneaked out, shitting himself. Only that one, and another two or three that I've already forgotten, took lead. You can't say it was for them to learn because dead people don't learn anything anymore, right, hahaha. Sorry for the lack of respect.

Now that's enough, I'm not giving any more interviews. You journalists are also a bunch of vultures on top of the carrion left over from the perrengues we face. I've said what I had to say, get out of my flap. What did you want me to do? I'm not a gravedigger, man.

*Maria Rita Kehl is a psychoanalyst, journalist and writer. Author, among other books, of Resentment (Boitempo).