C11 Carlos inquires

PRAÇA DA GRANJA - DAY

Ed is riding his bike until he came across Miriam sitting on the same bench, now without the book. She is meditative and worried. He stops the bike beside her and she realizes, waking up from the trance.

"How are you, Miriam?"

"Hi, Ed, it looks like you were right. They are attacking my almost-boyfriend."

"'Are they' in the plural?"

"There are more girls who like Chief Roldão. I'm not the only one. And now I'm here thinking about how I'm going to do it in front of them."

Ed says poetically. "In love or war anything goes, right?"

Miriam smiles, "I, at least, intend to play fair."

"That's the way it is said. Huh, Cassio scolded me early in the morning, fearing you would get crazy."

"I talked to Sandra earlier. It's okay."

"I will go on to pedal, burn the calories I acquired in those cheese pastries."

“Cheese pas/”

Miriam doesn’t finish, Ed straightens up on his bike and rides again.

STREET

Carlos goes this time in uniform and with the police car to the same house where the clandestine connection was made. However, when he approaches...

...He sees Escelsa's car doing the right repair. Carlos reacts surprised and curious. He parks the car, turns off the engine, and leaves. He gets closer. Anestor, the neighbor, is talking to one of the employees, he is scratching his head. When Carlos gets closer, the conversation becomes audible.

"Understand, I didn't mean to harm anyone."

The Escelsa’s worker explains seriously to him: "I understand, Mr. Anestor, but you have the option of talking to Customer Service so that we can help you in the best possible way. However, this clandestine connection, in addition to being a crime, caused an inconvenience in all your neighbors who are interconnected on the same network."

"Good morning, gentlemen!" Carlos says, "I'm sorry I heard part of the conversation, but I came here to check this situation out."

Anestor turns paled. "It is not necessary, 'your cop'; they have already restored the original connection."

The worker reports: "Several complaints to our complaints department. This morning we did a check."

"Well, the technical part you already took care of, now the penal part is missing. Come talk to me at the police station, please, sir..."

"A-A-Anestor..." He stutters in fear.

Carlos is smiling, but still expressing authority. And Anestor got without escape.

MALTHUS SNACK BAR

Annie and Jonas finish their lunch; the other friends have already left. Aurélio counts the day's earnings.

"Annie, I'm going to pay the bill."

"I wait for you."

Jonas goes to the counter. Aurélio keeps counting. On purpose, Jonas disturbs him by asking suddenly.

"How much is it?!"

Aurélio gets scared, smiles slightly, and puts his hand over his heart. Then he looks at the table where Annie is.

"What are you looking at, man?" Jonas asks angrily.

"What she did eat. Do you remember?"

Jonas is very annoyed. "Ah, you know what? Everything here is R$ 10.00!"

Jonas takes out his wallet and takes out another ten reais bill, throws it on the counter, and doesn't expect change. He turns to Annie. Different tone, more gentle and romantic: "I will accompany you home, sweetheart."

"So let's go."

Jonas extends his hand and Annie stands up like a princess. The two of them smile at each other and leave in that romantic mood. Aurélio recounts the earning of the day.

"These young people today..."

POLICE STATION

Smooth activity. Carlos and Anestor are at the desk, the last sweating profusely. The officer is calm.

"Let's be straightforward, Anestor. I can't believe you dared to do it there alone. In fact, it is never done unless the person is already an expert on the matter. Someone helped you."

"Chief, you put me in a tight skirt."

Debauchery is not enough for Carlos. "No way, you don't look good in a skirt, I wouldn't do that. You seem like a good citizen who just gave way to madness."

"It turns out that I was probably the only one in the neighborhood to do that. If I open my mouth and tell you who did it, he'll go after me!"

Carlos smiles victoriously. "We already made progress, you said 'he', so it’s a guy."

Anestor in a panic attack, cover his mouth with his hands.

"And is he that dangerous?" Carlos insists with a feline smile.

"I-I don't know... he doesn't look like a soap star."

Carlos throws the bait. "Looks like a vodka fan?"

And Anestor takes the bait. "Yes, yes!"

After a great fail, Anestor notices the second slip and slaps the same hand on the forehead. Carlos chuckles.

"Anestor, by God, it's not like that. I'm looking to help you."

"Putting me behind bars?" Anestor sneers at him.

"Everybody who makes 'cats' is not arrested every day. But, yes, there is a penalty of one to four years in prison and a fine, because what you did was characterized as theft: Article 155, paragraph 3 of the penal code."

"It's awesome..." Anestor says it dumbfounded.

"However, you can get out of prison by paying in advance the amount corresponding to the energy you stole." Carlos explains patiently, "And what did your ‘cat’ last for? Two days? It's a piece of cake, my friend!"

Anestor gets offended: "If it were a piece of cake I wouldn't have made the ‘cat’!"

Carlos turns tough. "Borrow money from a friend or neighbor."

Did Anestor understand the emphasis? Carlos goes on: "Enjoy that Escelsa hasn't made a formal report yet. And we are just a neighborhood police station. At most, what I can do is prevent this from happening again."

"Okay, sir, I'll see what I can do."

Carlos smirks. "I know you will. You don't want to go to the National City prison."

Anestor gets up, trying to gather dignity. "I just wish that my family didn't stay in the dark and that our food didn't rot in the refrigerator. Excuse me, officer, good night!"

Anestor, in a rare moment of daring, leaves without being released by Carlos. But, the officer lets the poor guy go.

"Take it easy, Anestor. It's obvious that you didn't mean it. You shouldn't even know about typing. Now, this Ricardo... Good to keep an eye on him. Something tells me he didn't do this job for free."

Carlos remains sit and thinks.

STREETS - NIGHT

Sandra is going home, this time Cássio accompanies her.

"Honey, I will be forever grateful that you are accompanying me. But, I can't help thinking about the time for you to go to yours."

Cassio is with hilarious confidence. "Don't worry about me being a male, woman! My role is to protect you, this way the father-in-law expects."

"Don't let my dad hear you."

"In fact, while they don't improve our police station, Roldão alone cannot be at the same time everywhere. And I protect you because I love you."

Cássio and Sandra are so moved by the conversation that they don't notice that they are approaching the same group from yesterday. And the same young man in suspicious clothes is approaching them.

Sandra is the first to notice. “There, Cassio, it's they again!”

Cassio acts as a protective comic. "Don't worry, dear! Stay behind me."

The two try to go unnoticed, but the young man gets even closer. Cássio steps forward and "faces" him.

"High there, you freak! What do you want, huh?"

"Calm down, Cassio, don't you see who I am?"

Cássio and Sandra are surprised, there's recognition.

CASSIO’S LIVING ROOM

Moments later, Cássio is sat on the couch with Célio and Luis Diniz, 19, blond and always with the attitude of being two steps behind humanity. The three are with beer cans in hand, are already old.

"Really, did you guys think I was a criminal, a gang?"

Célio scoffs: "You've been scaring Rosa, Sandra, and a bunch of helpless girls."

"But, is it my fault? Me and my neighbors just stood there on the sidewalk talking about everything! Do we look like criminals?"

Luis is wearing black clothes, plus a coat and cap that make it difficult to say otherwise.

Cassio opines: "You with those clothes in the dark, the streetlights still that old style..."

"Incandescent", says Célio.

"It's nothing really decent lighting. So, tell us, what are you doing with your life?"

Luis answers them: "I think I'm in the same situation as you: my father said it was time to leave the nest and here I am."

"Célio and I are working at the Residents' Association. I want to pay the bills and he wants to be the next mayor."

Célio scolds him. "It's not like that, hello, big tongue. Let's take it easy, first I'm learning, listening, and watching how a leader acts."

Luis laughs. "Learning from Tito? Man, if you want to know about great leaders, study Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan."

Cassio asks: "The actor?"

Célio and Luis burst out laughing.

RICARDO’S LIVING ROOM

Ricardo is in tank top and boxers, answering the phone, sleepy and stressed.

"Anestor, did you wake me up for this? I told you to be careful!" beat, "They caught you, and this is it. You can get rid of the maximum penalty" beat, "Of course I know what's in the code criminal!" beat, "Okay, okay, let me fix this! Stay calm, go back to sleep. I'll tell you more tomorrow. Good night!"

Ricardo hits the phone hard. He walks in circles, snorting, and thinking of a way out without compromising so much.

"If people were smarter... But, better this way, because I take advantage... With Anestor it didn't work, but I'll give some way."

FÁBIO’S LIVING ROOM

Fábia Peres and Fábio are together on the sofa, watching a romantic movie. Fábio's interest is only in Fábia: he kisses, caresses, and smells her neck... when he wants to move forward, Fábia comically distances herself from him and leans towards the television, supporter.

"No, you dumbass, he didn't betray you! It was the fault of that odious woman who claims to be your friend! Do you trust women more than men? Stay with him, he loves you!"

"Have you ever stopped to think that the actress isn't listening to you?"

Fábia never stopped to think, but she doesn't want to give in. "Oh, Fabinho, we are just cheering. After all, the actor is a bloody gorgeous guy and that's why she has to stay with him."

Fábio reacts ironically. "I thought the most important thing was true and faithful love."

The donkey girlfriend does not know the irony and thinks that Fábio is interested. "Oh, dear, I'm glad you liked the movie! Tomorrow we'll watch another one, I'll choose at the video store."

Fábio straightens up on the sofa, wide-eyed. "No!" he fixes, "Ehr... It's just that tomorrow is Friday and I was thinking we could go out, right?"

Fábia definitely doesn't capture his change in tone and behavior. "Ah, yes, let's go out and enjoy it. As long as your parents keep the credit card... I don't want to do my nails and then have to wash dishes because the card wasn’t accepted."

Fábio relieves himself and leans back against the sofa. Fábia leans back against him and eagerly watches the movie. And we stayed with Fábio already falling asleep.