As night fell in Lagoa da Italianinha, the beggar Rita de Cássia was sleeping in the bus station courtyard, hugging her doll Dalila, and was spotted by Malu, Valdenes, and Marlene, the owner of the bus station snack bar. Marlene said:
"Would it be a good idea to wake her up now?"
"No. Rita usually gets nervous when she's woken up," said Malu. "She might even smash that doll of hers against the three of us."
Marlene said:
"Valdenes, you and I have lived on the streets, just like her, and we've gotten out, so why does she want to stay like this?"
"She says she feels freer this way, without commitments in life..."
Malu said:
"Poor thing, I think she's had a lot of disappointments in life, an eternal child. I protect her a lot, she's a sweetheart, you know?"
"But you should take her off the street and put her in a clinic," said Marlene.
"No, we shouldn't force her to do anything. Rita, if she goes to a clinic, she can run away. We can't force her," said Malu.
Marlene said:
"Look, I still wonder why on earth she uses that pacifier and has a doll. She's over 40 years old; I met her on the streets when she was already an adult."
"She has the mind of a child, she acts like a child," said Valdenes. "She's always been like that."
Malu said:
"True, but let's leave her there peacefully, sleeping. There are no cars or buses where she is, let's leave her there. I always pray for her to be protected in this difficult life she leads, without a home or family."
"That's right, Malu," said Valdenes.
Malu, Valdenes, and Marlene left, and each went to their own home, while Rita de Cássia slept.
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