Lesson #2: Nina is rich.

Nina, our former next-door neighbor and the boys' surrogate vovo, refused to let us pay for anything--breakfast, dinner, lunch the next day--because apparently she'd come into some money. "I am rich!" she kept declaring. "In August, when you come back to Salvador, I will have rooms for you to sleep in and a new car!"

As it was, we happily slept on old mattresses, all of us on her living room floor, and squeezed into her tiny 17-year old Volkswagon, luggage and all.

The boys played soccer and swam and played more soccer. Nina took us and Deena and Kaimana out to dinner. ("Put your money away! I am rich!").