The Other Part of the World

THE OTHER PART OF THE WORLD

by Andrej Koymasky (C) 2009

written on January 12, 2002

translated by the author

English text kindly revised by Bert Carley

USUAL DISCLAIMER

"THE OTHER PART OF THE WORLD" is a gay story, with some parts containing graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion, family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my welcomed guest.

Part IV - Chapter 15 - Life in Rio de Janeiro

When Dom Pedro II, age eighteen, in 1843 married princess Donna Teresa Cristina Maria of Bourbon, daughter of the king of the Two Sicilies, all that came from Italy became immediately very fashionable.

In Rio de Janeiro were organised several days of celebration to which all the aristocracy and the high middle-class of Brazil took part. The Gazeta of Rio de Janeiro published many articles about the weddings, the ceremonies, the parties and the receptions that followed.

Idelfonso De Fonseca Fernandes, who was at that time a well-known and established lawyer and who, happily married with Graa Maria, had already two children, was named director of the Gazeta. As the newspaper had been founded exactly in the birth year of Idelfonso, Graa Maria jokingly said that her husband and the newspaper were twins.

In the occasion of the celebrations, also Afonso went to Rio, guest of his brother, and he logically took with him also his Paulo, as he promised he would show him, besides the monuments of the capital, also the sumptuous throne of the Emperor that was in the Senate palace, that was leaning on two "passing" lions, and that was entirely covered in gold foil.

Afonso and Paulo, after one of their visits were back in Idelfonso's residence. Paulo accompanied his lover to his bedroom, and he was really excited and happy for the beautiful day spent together and the thousand interesting things he had seen.

He embraced, kissed him and said, "Do you know, Afonso, that I am terribly happy!"

"It is enough to look at you to see it, my love. Your happiness makes me too happy. Are you glad for this journey?"

"I am happy being with you, wherever you are or you take me."

While they were exchanging sweet effusions, Idelfonso, who had heard that his brother was back home, went upstairs to see him, because he wanted make him a very interesting proposition. In fact Idelfonso had been informed that a well-known doctor of Rio, who had his residence and his surgery in a nice building in a very central position, practically in face of the Senate Palace, having decided to move to Portugal, was trying to sell everything, including the equipments, to another doctor at a very convenient price.

Idefonso of course at once thought of his brother and wanted to propose him that business, a real golden opportunity, before the said doctor could find another buyer. He therefore went upstairs and when he was at the door of his brother room, he opened it without caring to knock, as he thought he was alone.

He stopped on the threshold, disconcerted, as he saw Afonso and his nurse Paulo who were tightly embraced and kissing. The two lovers, hearing the door open, hurriedly parted and turned, remaining frozen at the view of Idefonso and of his dumbfounded expression.

Idefonso, terribly embarrassed, said, "Oh, forgive me Afonso... I didn't want... I didn't think..."

Afonso threw a glance to Paulo and saw that his boyfriend's face had a dead-like pallor. He then took his hand in a tender, reassuring gesture, and turned again towards his brother.

"Come in, come in Idelfonso. I think it would be better we talk about it, at this point." he said trying to keep a firm tone in his voice.

"No, forgive me... I should not... I am sorry..." Idelfonso answered not knowing what to say, what to do, how he had to react at the scene he had just seen and to its unmistakable meaning.

"You anyway did it, and you saw. I think it to be timely that you and I talk about it. Come in, please, and let's sit for a moment. I want to talk of it with you." he insisted pointing towards the writing desk that was at the right of the wide canopy bed.

Idelfonso nodded and, trying to organize his ideas, he sat. Afonso drew near two chairs, had Paulo sit on one and he sat near him, facing his brother, separated from them only by the narrow and elegant writing desk.

Idelfonso was the first to talk, "You don't have any need to justify yourself with me, Afonso... I didn't know, I didn't think... but if you... but if you and he..."

"Yes, dear brother, Paulo and I are lovers, it is now for three years. You see, I never felt attracted by women, this is the reason why I didn't yet marry and don't either intend to marry. But as I well know how much my inclination is ill judged and even worst tolerated by our society, I always did my best to hide my real nature. When I was a boy I even tried to master and subdue it but, believe me, one cannot go against his true nature."

"I never imagined it, Afonso, I never suspected it. Possibly because it is just three years since you..."

"No, my dear Idelfonso. It is just three years that Paulo and I became lovers and started to live together, but the fact that I prefer and look for the company of people of my same sex and with my same inclinations... it is about fifteen years."

"Fifteen years? And all along this time I was never aware of it!"

"Neither you, nor our parents or anybody else, to my luck. You can imagine what would have happened to me if it came to light before..."

"But fifteen years ago you were just eighteen!"

"Yes. Do you remember, that year we went to visit our relatives, the Rodrigues Torres de Itabora"... And, if you remember it, at their residence there was as a guest also a young cavalry captain, a certain Gianio Arajo Alvares... That young man in his close-fitting and shining uniform at once fascinated me... He possibly understood what attraction he was exerting on me. He proposed me to do a short trip on our horses to the inland; we stopped at the river shores, he proposed me to bathe... It has been him who, in that occasion, introduced me to this kind of love..."

"He seduced you... he bent you to his yens, took profit of you who were still a na•f and inexperienced boy..." Idelfonso commented in an accusation tone.

"No, no dear brother, if anything it was me who seduced him, I can say. In fact I was already fully conscious of my inclinations. It is just that up to that day I never had the occasion, or the courage, to give room to my desires... Yes, it has been me who seduced him, so that he was my first man and that allowed me to fully understand that what I did with him really corresponded to my true nature..."

"But... tell me, Afonso, are you happy with your... with this condition? Don't you think a day to get married?"

"Yes, I am happy with it, mainly now that I can share my life with my Paulo. And no, I don't absolutely think to get married, as I want to go on sharing my life with Paulo and only with him."

"I see. In this case, well... I am glad for you, my dear brother... I am glad for you two."

"You amaze me, Idelfonso... I was afraid you would have a reaction... how can I say... a condemnation, disapproval, rejection if not even scandalised, offended reaction and on the contrary I see you are accepting what I am telling you with a remarkable calm, serenity... or so it seems."

"I have to confess you that possibly up to a few years ago I would have reacted exactly as you feared, I would have been scandalised and would have strongly disapproved you. But if I am today able to accept with serene tranquillity what I just came to know, I owe it to my dear and good wife."

"To Graa Maria? What do you mean? What has she to do with it?"

Idelfonso then told him Jo‰o and TomŽ's story and all the discussion he had with Graa Maria about the love binding the two boys, and how Graa succeeded in convincing him that there was nothing to condemn in their love and rather that it had to be respected and, above all, protected.

"You mean that also those two servants are... are lovers?" Afonso asked, slightly surprised.

"They are, in fact they sleep in the same room... and in a double bed. They love each other, and they also are so tender..."

For the first time, overcoming his shyness, also Paulo spoke, "We two too love each other, marquis. And I am devoted and faithful to your brother." he said and delightfully blushed, but sustained Idelfonso's glance.

The man smiled, "Good, I am glad for that. And if Afonso chose to give you his love, it surely means that you deserve it. But now, let me come to the reason why, so unexpectedly, I came to this room..." he said and explained to Afonso the question of the surgery and apartment that was available for sale there in Rio.

Afonso at first didn't seem so inclined to leave Curitiba and move to Rio, both because in Curitiba there was their family and also because he had a very good clientele, and he was esteemed and respected by the local community.

But Idelfonso said, "My dear Afonso, mainly now that I know the binding you have with Paulo, I think it would be much more suitable that you come to live here in Rio. You see, at your age, with each passing year it would seem more and more odd to our family, to our friends and acquaintances that you don't marry. Moreover, as for a sheer chance I came to know about your relationship, this could happen also there in Curitiba and then, besides the possible legal consequences, your life would become a real hell. You would loose the people's esteem and, what is even worst, all your clientele. I can't say that here in Rio people are not mean and full of prejudices, but the big city is anyway more anonymous, allows us to live with a bigger freedom and in our own way our lives. Of course here also you should be very discreet and prudent, but... Moreover you can get here an even more chosen clientele and you could earn much more than in Curitiba..."

Afonso told him he would think about it and would give him as soon as possible an answer. Then, before Idelfonso left them, he said, "If you want to tell Graa Maria about us, you can tell her without any problem, seeing how she thinks about this matter..."

"I was about asking you leave, but was hesitant. You know, between Graa and me there have never been secrets, but if you ask me, even though reluctantly I would have kept it secret. Therefore, thank you, my dear brother! Ah, and... I always loved you, you know it, and I also always admired you. Well, I want you to know that my love and my admiration for you did absolutely not change."

The two brothers embraced, then Idelfonso left the room.

"Afonso, we have been lucky, haven't we?"

"Yes, my love."

"But we have to be more cautious, in the future."

"Yes, I agree. But at least in these days, here, as now Idelfonso and Graa know about us, you can also come here any time we want and, I think, even spend the night with me..."

Then Paulo and his man discussed about Idelfonso's proposal to move to Rio de Janeiro. They valued together all the pros and cons, very carefully, and at the end agreed that Idelfonso vision of things was right and reasonable; they went therefore to see the place together with Idelfonso and Graa.

The complex was developing on three floors in an elegant corner building between two streets converging to a square, therefore with three external sides. On the ground floor and on the front faade there were three small gates, and on the central faade looking towards the square, there was the entrance to the surgery that, possibly with some pomp, was called "Clinic". The surgery was composed of a wide entrance hall that was used also as waiting room and that opened on three rooms, the doctor's private studio in the centre, and two surgeries, one at each side, to whom it was possible to enter by two doors, one toward the doctor's studio and the other toward the waiting room. On the back there was a narrow stairway that lead to the upper two floors, as well as a door leading to a depot for the coaches and the horses.

On the third faade there was a single nice gate with a beautiful stairway leading to the first floor, where was the doctor's apartment. This was composed by a saloon, a lounge, two bedrooms and a library, and had at its back the kitchen and all the other needed service rooms, and where led the service stairway leading down to the surgery and up to the second floor.

The second floor was entirely used for the servants, and was composed of five decorous small rooms, a dining room and another kitchen. It was reached by the back service stairway through a small door adjacent to the depot, that opened on the left street.

"It is really beautiful, but even too big for us!" Afonso exclaimed.

"I don't think so, dear brother in law. You will have many clients, therefore you would need a good staff - at least two assistants in the clinic, moreover cleaning staff, a cook, not less than a house-maid, possibly also a coachman... I think therefore that this place is just suitable. Just think that the doctor who lived here with his family found it even somewhat small, I've heard, insufficient for his needs..."

"Anyway the price seems rather high..." Afonso still objected.

"Oh no, not for Rio standards, anyway, and not for such a central place." Idelfonso said." Anyway, if you had some problems of cash, my wife and I would be more than happy to give you a hand. I have no problems of money, my dear brother. And if, knowing you, you would not accept my money as a gift, you two can easily and in a short give it back to me, thanks to what you are going to earn."

Afonso appreciated very much, besides the offer, the fact that Idelfonso said "you two can give it back", so including also Paulo in the business, with extreme naturalness.

"You are really tempting us, isn't it so, Paulo?" Afonso so said with a smile.

The boy nodded, joyfully.

Graa Maria, as the practical woman she was, said, "Listen, you two will of course live at the first floor, officially in the two bedrooms even though, I guess, you will use just one of them. This means that who will do the cleaning and work in your apartment has to be a trusted person, one who wouldn't go around gossiping. I therefore think, and I already discussed it with my husband, that we can ask Jo‰o and TomŽ to come to work for you and to live here, together, in the bigger of the five room at the second floor. Jo‰o is a skilled cook and TomŽ can be your valet and coachman.

"You have also to hire two nurses, better if women, just to have also the gentle sex around this house, a white and a mulatto one. So Paulo can be your assistant and take care of the most simple cases. You will moreover need somebody who cleans the clinic floor and the servants floor, as TomŽ will clean your apartment, and this one could be either a man or a woman, possibly a black one. You will also need a cook for the servants, and a washer and linen maid for the clinic and your personal linen, and they too can help for the cleaning. As you see, giving to the other servants the remaining four smaller rooms at the last floor, this house will be just fitting..."

"You really thought of everything, dear sister in law..." Afonso said with a smile. But do you really think that, besides supporting ourselves and paying back our debt with you, Idelfonso and Graa, we could pay a salary to six more people?"

"I don't have the lesser doubt about it. In a very short time you will earn much more money than you would have to spend. I also think to publish on my newspaper some short articles to announce the next opening of your new clinic... and you will see that soon the clients will come in crowds..." Idelfonso said.

So Afonso and Paulo went to sign the contract to buy the building with the clinic and the apartments, and all the medical equipment and furniture. Afonso anyway decided to change their apartment's furnishing and with Paulo went to choose the new furniture, the wallpapers, the curtain and all they needed to change it in an ambience they liked.

Jo‰o and TomŽ were really glad to go to work for Afonso and Paulo, especially when Graa Maria explained that they also were lovers, exactly like them.

When they finally installed themselves in their new house, Afonso and Paulo, the first night withdrew in their bedroom. They undressed and at once started to make love on the wide and beautiful bed covered by an elegant canopy.

"Are you happy my love?" Afonso asked Paulo.

"How could I not be, here in your arms, having around us good and kind people, and with an enchanting future in front of us?"

"I too am happy, happy mainly to have you, my sweet Paulo. Yes, life is undoubtedly generous to us. But with you I would be happy even if we had to live in a hovel, and if we did beg for our bread!"

In the upper floor, another couple was immersed in tender effusions, at the light of a lantern hanging from a hook on the wall, near the bed - Jo‰o and TomŽ.

All of a sudden Jo‰o asked, "Do you think that our masters, downstairs, are making love exactly as we are?"

"If exactly as we are or in a different way, I can't say. But I am almost certain that they too are making love. Didn't you notice, during the supper, with what desire they were going on to look, to smile at each other?"

"Yes, they were beautiful to be looked at... and it's evident that our masters love and desire each other at least as we love each other... But now take me, my beautiful young bull! You know how to make me happy..."

With a wide smile, TomŽ pushed his beautiful strong and hard pole between the little buttocks of his lover, found the hole that was already palpitating in await, sank in it with a long pleasure sigh and started to pump inside it with virile vigour. Meanwhile their mouths thirsty with love were searching each other, their hands were roaming on the lover's body, teasing it on the spots most sensitive to the loving caresses. Jo‰o was jolting in ecstasy under the pushes of his lover, moaning in a low voice with each of his strokes and following it with all his body movements.

Meanwhile on the first floor also Afonso and Paulo, in their beautiful and elegant bedroom, lit by four two branched chandeliers, were engaging in a merry love joust and also Afonso was pumping with virile tenderness inside his adored boy who was looking at him with luminous eyes filled with love and shining with pleasure.

Their mouths united in a deep, passionate and tender kiss, in an unconscious attempt to melt in one being, to really become one only flesh, as their souls were one only soul.

"Do you know that I will never get tired feeling you so, all inside me?" Paulo whispered gently rubbing the turgid nipples on the beautiful, hairless and strong chest of his man.

"And I neither will get tired uniting with you, my prince charming! And do you know that you become even more beautiful while I make you mine, like in this moment? My god, how much do I love you, my sweet Paulo!"

"I will never get tired hearing you say you love me... and I will never get tired telling you I love you!"

"Neither I, neither I..." Afonso whispered going on to move back and forth in the warm, soft and tight love channel of his lover.

"Do you think that also our Jo‰o and TomŽ, upstairs, are making love in this moment?"

"I really think so... they are two dear boys, young and full of energy, and they are in love as we are, aren't they? They are also really beautiful..."

"Never beautiful as we are, Afonso! We are the most beautiful couple in the world... I know it!" Paulo sighed, enjoying their passionate and long union.

Both the couples went on making love for a good time, never tired to show each other with their entire bodies the intensity and beauty of the love binding them, and only in the deep of the night, who would look at the house from the square, would see finally cease to shine first the light behind a window at the first floor, and not longer later, the other fainter light coming from a window at the second floor.

The two couples, finally happily sated, were lying each in the darkness of their rooms, still tenderly embraced, exchanging the last sweet love words, until the sleep caught them and they slept in a bliss, in the silence of the capital city night.

Soon the clinic got many illustrious and rich clients, as Idelfonso foresaw. Afonso was really a valiant doctor, his staff was skilled, good and had agreeable manners, including the two maid-nurses who sided their work. Paulo, although not graduated as a doctor, became a skilled assistant and it was practically him who managed the clinic, especially for its organization and administration side, with skill and competence.

TomŽ became, tacitly, a kind of servant chief and he too directed, with skill and capacity, both the house and the servants.

First Paulo, then also TomŽ, started to take to the clinic, in the evenings after it was closed, poor people they had known or met and who didn't have the means to pay a doctor. Afonso and Paulo healed them for free or for just a few coins. Slowly the voice spread and gradually increased the number of the poor people turning to them for the cares, mainly humble workers, poor immigrants and also former slaves.

Then Afonso thought to make a change, to be able to care in a more decent way also of those people. The depot was way too wide for their needs, in fact there was the place for six stalls for the horses and room for two coaches, but they had just two saddle horses and one draught horse for their gig. Therefore in the half of the space they made build a waiting room and a surgery for those outcast people, who could enter by the small door that was at the side of the depot's gate.

As Idelfonso came to know about this good deed, made some small articles appear on the Gazeta, so some benefactors and philanthropists started to send money grants to support them, so that Afonso and Paulo could soon hire two new servants to whom they taught to work as nurses. Amongst their benefactors, besides Idelfonso and Graa, there was also their uncle, the viscount de Itabora", who was the president of the Banco do Brazil, and also an influential politician.

From the early morning to half afternoon the coming and going of the patients, both at the main entrance of the clinic for the paying clients, and at the lateral entrance for the not paying ones, was almost unceasing. From the half afternoon to evening, Afonso and Paulo, using their saddle horses, went to do the house visits.

Paulo and Afonso cared with the same attention end application all their patients, be they paying or not. The fact that they kept them separated came only by the fact that on one side several of the poor would feel intimidated if they had to sit and wait near rich people and would have ceased going to the clinic, and also some of the rich would have felt ill at ease, some even offended, to have to sit and wait at the side of a poor and even to queue and wait to be received after one of them.

But Paulo and Afonso, with the help of their four nurses, were devoting their time and their care to all the patients in the same way. Making them enter and go out from different doors, and having them wait in different rooms, they solved all the problems. If a rich person had to wait before being visited, he didn't know if it was because the doctor was busy with another rich person or with a poor one, he therefore waited without losing is patience.

Brazilian society in those years was in evolution, the abolitionists and the open-minded and modern people, supported also by Dom Pedro II, were trying to gradually get to the total elimination of slavery. It was just passed a law according which the slaves' children could not be considered for that as slaves, therefore they didn't belong any more to their parent' masters. This law had been fiercely opposed by almost all the great fazendeiros, as, having already been abolished the slave trade from Africa, with this new law gradually there would not be any more slaves to work in their plantations.

Therefore amongst the owners of the great plantations was growing the discontent and more and more numerous were, amongst them, those who started to declare themselves republicans, thinking that, eliminating the throne, they could get the power, made their own laws and so granted the continuity of the slavery in their land, therefore in their fazendas. Amongst the more heated convert to the republican ideas, was Paulo's natural father, the baron Bas"lio da Cunha Vargas of Curitiba, who with this last law saw totally thwarted also his last project to start slave breeding.

About Eucl"des Quadros Dutra, Manoel's benefactor, and his sons Nicolau and Getulio, the situation was rather variegated - Getulio, the younger son, was fiercely republican and in favour of slavery, Nicolau was of moderate republican tendency, but absolutely an abolitionist. Their father Eucl"des was instead a supporter of the Emperor and of his politics against slavery. This often provoked heated and interminable arguments, especially when they were at the table all three together.

The debate was heated all over the land and in all social classes. The political situation was unsettled and uncertain. Who was against slavery also sustained that in order to get the needed manpower it would be enough to open the borders to immigration from Europe, and even encourage it. But several influential men, mainly the members of the aristocracy, were in great part against this, because they were afraid that a massive immigration would pervert the nature of their culture and of their Portuguese ethnicity - in spite of the fact that the greater part of them had totally agreed when it was decided to declare their independence from the Portuguese crown, many of the Creoles were feeling, in the depths of their hearts, still Portuguese...

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 16

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