"Ulisses, are you going to sleep all day? Don't you have practice? How can you sleep in this mess?"

Sometimes I think I should record this line and save it as my alarm ringtone. But since she would just say that every day, punctually, at 10 AM, I figured I might as well let her dulcet tones wake me up instead and save memory.

"Practice is not until three" I yelled back at her. "Please don't... ugh" I yelled as she opened the drapes and let the blinding sun in. I let out a frustrated groan.

"And you think you're sleeping until lunch time? I need you to start sorting out the things you want to give away, and what you are bringing with you. And, baby, you have to figure out the Aquiles situation."

I looked at my phone screen. One message from Bia. That one I would have to read in private.

"Mother! Do you mind?" I said, holding the silicone liner for my stub.

"Aren't you showering first? You know this is not the waterproof one" she said, eyeing the leg charging."

"As soon as you leave. Please."

"Ok, Ok. I'm leaving. It's not like you are naked. Time to buy new Pjs, by the way.

I was wearing plaid pajama shorts. And they weren't that old!

"Since you are leaving, could you please get me the mechanic one, please? And the pad?"

She rolled her eyes, but walked to the door and picked it up.

"I think I left the pad in the bathroom last night."

"Lazy much? You need to have these things within reach." She yelled from the bathroom. "I wonder what the people in your skating school and your tough friends would say if they knew you're asking me to pick up after you. "You'd probably be... cancelled. is that what the people your age say?

"Thank you!" I gave her my best smile as I picked it up.

I got the leg with the blue plate, my very first. At the time, I had chosen a customized one in grafitti. It was a little worse for wear, with some scratches and not as shiny as it used to be. I put I put it on my stub, over the liner. Then the pad, which I vaccum sealed. oThe ritual got easier with time.

"Need anything else?"

"No, mom, thank you."

I let out a sigh of relief as she started to walk out the door, but again, she stopped by the bannister. "Have you decided what you are going to do? I don't mean to nag, but we really need to figure out what to do with the dog."

I lifted my head.

"What do you mean 'the dog'? How cold can you be, mom? We can't just leave him behind! He is not a toy do dispose of!"

It was her turn to let out a frustrated sigh and sit on the chair by my bureau. I felt a little guilty for giving her a hard time. She was still young and fit, at forty years old. She was way too shy to wear revealing clothes. But the dark circles under her eyes were apparent, and she looked so much skinnier these days, her nurse uniform looked loose on her waist. We had the same jet black, wavy hair, and similar mouth. For all the times I heard people mention that I was my father's son as a skater, I felt kind of proud to at least look like my mother.

"We've been through it, Ulisses. Where would we put him? We can't bring him to Belo Horizonte. The apartment we'll be staying in is tiny, there will be barely room for the two of us. That is, if you are coming with me." she said, pointedly. "And Aquiles is a full-grown pitbull. He is too big and too energetic to be confined to an apartment. I won't be able to stay with him, or walk him. And, if you come with me, you will be out all day, in school.

"But my dad..."

She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. I knew the answer.

"You know your father." she said.

I knew what she meant without her having to spell it out. He barely pays attention to the humans in the house as it is.

"Your father works all day too." she tried to be diplomatic. It was his idea to give Aquiles away. Come on, Ulisses, you know it would be cruel to Aquiles, to put him through this."

"I can't do this. We adopted him, it is a life commitment. We can't just leave him behind in the move."

That is why I am insisting that you make a decision, stat. He deserves a nice house, with lots of room and people who can take care of him. I know it is not idea, but could you live with the guilt of saying him unhappy? Aquiles would be depressed, could even die. And maybe you can even visit him when you come back to visit. It's decided. Either you stay here with him or he will have to go."

Yeah, easy choice: would you rather live with a complete narcissist or abandon your dog?

"I have to go to work. And you need to get ready to start the day. But this discussion is not over."

My parents' relationship had been on the ventilator for a couple years, but they finally decided to call the time of death when my mom got a job offer in Minas Gerais state. On the flip side, that meant a huge change, to a not so huge place.

I hopped to the bathroom and sat on the closed toilet seat, as I waited for the hot water to run. Then I took off my clothes and put on some music to listen to in the shower. I picked "Face to Face", by Ruel. Bia's message still flashed. Another situation I had to figure out.

Like I needed more drama. I met Bia in Physical Therapy. An amputee like me, she was the one who introduced me to a few people who danced forró, at a time I was depressed for not being able to skate like before. Just after Heitor and I had a fight. One thing led to another. And introduced me to another (very) fun activity. And now I was low-key ghosting her... What kind of SOB did that make me? She must be thinking I used her...But what was I going to say? Everything I thought seemed so lame...

And it wasn't her I thought of as I hopped in the shower. My mind sent me back to last night.

Gabriela and Estrela were peering at me from across the table. Next to me, were all our backpacks.

Estrela, who, up until that moment had been very quiet and somber, started talking about all the classes she took.

"It's not that different from athletes who can't go to regular school. Sure, I have to be more disciplined. Which I'm not that good at." She rolled her eyes. "Then again, since I have no distractions, I can do all my work fast, have more help in subjects I have trouble with, and dedicate the rest of my time to subjects I like more. And they are all connected. For instance, last semester, we were studying the Victorian Era, so I started reading the literature from that time, but also the History. I got hooked on Jules Verne. Then I started studying Steampunk a literary genre which Jules Verne's books originated. You know?

I nodded, in awe. It was the most and fastest I had heard her talk at once.

"Yeah, I've heard of it. It is a type of sci-fi, right?"

She smiled.

"Yeah, in a future that the writer envisioned with technology from that time." She went on. "So, instead of electricity, steam. Air balloons, Steam Boats, Zeppelins, candles, engines. Which got me interested in Physics. And led me to ...

"A bedroom full of pipes" Gabriela said.

"What do you mean a room full of pipes?" I asked.

"I was going to say it led me to Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials books. And to the Parasol Protectorate." Estrela said, glaring at her cousin. And that, in turn, made me like the asthetics. And my bedroom is decorated in that style. EMy book shelves are made of pipes painted in copper and antique gold. It looks cooler than it sounds."

Estrela seemed to think of something, because she got very flustered next.

"I'm sorry. I think I've talked too much. My mo... some people used to say I got too enthusiastic when I liked something."

"Grandma calls it Estrela's passions." Gabi said. "But she never says it in a mean way. She always says it must be very boring to not be able to get excited about what we like."

"Your grandma sounds like a great person." I said, omitting the fact that I did, in fact, know her a little.

Estrela seemed to struggle with something.

"Do you know Phillip Pullman?" she asked.

"Is it the one from "The Golden Compass"? That movie with Nicole Kidman??"

"Oh, no. Did he mention that movie!?" Gabi asked, with a dramatic flourish?

"He did" Estrela answered, clutching her heart, with her eyes bulging.

"Easy, guys! I didn't even like it." I raised my hands.

Some waiters came to the table to see what we were yelling about, which made Gabi laugh.

"Don't ever mention that movie. Unless you want to hear Estrela rant about it for days!" she warned me, with a very stern look in her eyes.

Our orders came, and Estrela said, as she was blowing on her tapioca.

From the corner of my eye, I could see the message alert on my phone going off. But I decided to open it later, when I had more privacy.

"Just read the books." Estrela insisted. "You'll understand what I'm furious about. You do like reading, right? I forgot to ask."

"Yeah. I mean, kind of. I do know Phillip Pullman, don't I? But I haven't stopped to read any fiction in a while.

Or school books, judging by my failing grades.

"And you admit it in public?" Estrela smirked.

I was startled by a knock on the bathroom door.

"Are you going to use all the water in the planet?"

I turned off the water, and picked up my towel to dry off.

I didn't know how, but I think I fell a little in love with Estrela when she told me she wanted to learn how to use a torch to weld metal and make her creations.

With every word she said last night, with every smile she directed at me, I wondered if it was indeed for me, or if she was just being friendly. That was the good thing about being a bit of a grouch. If I made a move on someone, they knew I was making a move. Then again, that was also kind of a problem...

And then we were talking about parties, like the upcoming Halloween party, and the recital. And then Gabi announced:

"Did you know Estrela's birthday party is in Decepber, the day after the recital? Are you coming?

Estrela almost choked on the rest of the juice she was sipping.

"I don't know..." I played coy. "It's the first I hear of it. I wasn't aware I was invited..."

"Of course you are" Gabi said, just as Estrela started breathing normally again. "I'm the party planner."

"Are you okay?" Gabi and I asked at the same time.

"I'm okay now. Thank you." Estrela managed to say, trying to look dignified. "And yes, Ulisses you are invited. If you want to come. If I have any say in the party planning..."

"I'd be happy to."

I really needed to talk to Bia.

"Baby, we have to talk. Can you meet me at Antares Skating School? It is inside that Catholic School across the street from the Bank."