Texto Verdade Tropical

I fondly remember the way she referred to him. At least she did it once, and it left a deep mark, saying: Caetano, come see the Black guy you like. The way she said 'the Black guy,' smiling tenderly like she did, gave it a strange flavor that intensified the charm of the art and the personality of the guy in the video.
It was as if that added to what I saw and heard, another grace, or as if the confirmation of that person's reality, manifesting like a blessing, deepened their beauty.
I felt joy for Gil's existence, for him being Black, for him being him, and for my mom acknowledging all of that so directly and transcendentally. It was clearly a big deal, the appearance of this person, and my mom celebrated the discovery with me.