Standing in Salt is a customer I haven’t seen before: a white man probably in his late thirties, tall and fit in an expensive-looking black suit. He only half glances at Mom, his unusually light blue eyes scanning the room.

“Good morning,” he says after a few long seconds, like he’s just remembered to reply.

He doesn’t look like a tourist—there’s no camera hanging around his neck—so maybe he’s a new neighbor looking for breakfast before heading to a Saturday morning business meeting.

Mom frowns a little, but she’s holding the smile.

“Welcome to Salt,” she says. “Let me know if you’d like to try a sample.”

“Will do,” he says, sticking his nose in Grandma’s flour jars.

When he finally approaches the main counter, he goes straight to inspect the goods Mom’s already put on display this morning. Empadões sit behind the glass, the round, perfectly golden brown pot pies loaded with shredded chicken and green olives.

People usually know what they want when they walk into our bakery. Five loaves of bread. Shrimp empadinhas. Maybe some lunch quentinhas, the warm to-go box filled with couscous and carne de sol. But the man seems unhurried, browsing more like an inspector than a shopper.

“These are my favorite,” I say, pointing to a tray of coxinhas, doing my best to welcome him like Grandma would have done. “They are filled with catupiry cheese. Would you like to try a sample?”

“What are you doing?” Mom hisses at me in a low voice.

“I was hoping I could help at Salt today.”

“Lari, no—” Mom begins to say, but the man suddenly stops browsing, and her attention shifts back to him. “What can I get you?” she asks him with another smile.

He pulls a business card out of his suit pocket, which he then hands to Mom.

“My name is Ricardo Pereira,” he says, flashing a smile that’s more teeth than cordiality. “I’m a lawyer representing the supermarket Deals Deals. We’re looking into purchasing a spot in the neighborhood to open up our new cafe and I’d love to make you an offer.”

7

SATURDAY, APRIL 23

Deals Deals appeared in the heart of the neighborhood two years ago.

The whole construction was fast, like the building and massive parking lot popped out of nowhere in the middle of the night. Car traffic was even rerouted to benefit them. Foot traffic on our streets emptied, too, our potential new clients and tourists falling for their gimmicky events.

On their first Christmas here, they had a guy dressed as Santa Claus land with a helicopter on their parking lot. People were stunned. It gathered hundreds of customers and TV crews.

“This year, I’m closing the factory!” Santa announced to everyone listening. “I sent the elves on vacation, because I’m shopping at Deals Deals and so should you!”