I’m thinking of the sun. The one with beautiful rays that glisten like gold. The one that reflects all that looks upon it. The one that I bought at Praça Quinze on a very sunny day. I had been at the flea market for some time already and was taking another walk through before heading back to my apartment with a car full of finds. The bright sun hit the mirror just right and the piece caught my eye. Scientists tell us to not look directly into the sun, but I was captivated. And a moment too late.

The sun was eclipsed. Clouds rolled in. The sky turned grey. Pedro was holding one of the fantastically carved and gilt rays. Pedro was a friend as well as a dealer. The antiques business is the same wherever you go. Things are bought. Things are sold. As Pedro bargained mercilessly with the vendor, I strolled up beside him and feigned interest in some mediocre stuff on the table. “Oi Pedro. Tudo bem?” I asked in a nonchalant, but obviously desperate kind of way. “Oi gatinha. Olha isso. Que lindo, neh?”





Being this close to the sun was making my palms and brow sweat. I HAD TO HAVE IT. But Pedro wasn’t letting go. He knew I wanted it. But I knew something too. Pedro was cheap. Mão de vaca. So I waited. It was all part of the game. And I’m a player. Pedro saw that in me. It was what connected us. And what would come between us. He knew that his bargaining chip had been reduced to crumbs by my presence and his cheapness prevented him from paying the vendors price.



As he walked away with his head hung low, I grabbed the nearly three foot wide, hand carved, gold gilt, antique Italian sunburst frame with convex mirror. “Oi senhor. Qual é o preço por favor?”. He heard my accent. His eyes glimmered as I saw him mentally adding zeros to his asking price. He knew he had me. “Seiscentos reias.” I couldn’t get the money out of my pocket fast enough. With a favorable exchange rate, that price was a fraction of what I was prepared to pay. Back in NYC, the sun shone for just a day or two as it was purchased almost immediately. Maybe they had a favorable exchange rate too? ;-) hkv