“Hey Hey hey.” – Davi said running after the other. – “I'm Davi!”

“Pedro.”

Davi looked at Pedro, his social clothes, with tie and all, something that no child, not even one, had ever worn to go to that school. Davi had never seen that boy before. He had tanned skin and his eyes were a dark green, streaked with aqua green, unlike the amber and gold eyes of everyone else.

“You're new!”

“I'm not! I am already seven years old.” - Pedro pointed it out, embarrassed.

With that Davi burst out laughing, while Pedro, blushing ashamed, walked quickly away from the boy who was bending over, holding his belly with laughter.

“Davi! That was rude!” – Davi's mother, Dona Lourdez, interrupted the boy's chatter. – “You have to apologize to the boy Pedro when you find him.”

“But mom!” – Davi crossed his arms with a frown. – “I haven't finished telling the story yet.”

“I'm sorry my angel, go on then, but first get the oven running for mom, yes?”

Before she finished speaking, the boy was already running out into the yard to heat the clay oven.

Then, with his cheeks aching with laughter, and his eyes burning with tears, Davi ran to the schoolyard looking for Pedro. In the makeshift patio, children from the school's four classes played. Davi saw Pedro with some ease, not only because of his looks, the boy was the only one who was not sharing the toys.

“Found ya!” – Davi shouted, running towards the boy who was leaning against the school's fence.

“What for?”

“Well... it's just... I don't know really.”

Pedro wasn't looking at Davi as if he have found something very interesting on the ground.

“I'm sorry.” – Davi said, and that finally made the younger boy face Davi, without, however, saying anything in response.

“I... it always happens, I'm really sorry, just...” – Davi gestured with nervous hands. He stopped for a moment seeing that Pedro kept his expression neutral, took a deep breath, and said the first thing that came to mind. — “I am a tapir.”

“And I am Pedro.”

Davi was astonished, his mouth open, while Pedro let out a muffled giggle.

“Only you would do such a thing.” - The mother stroked her son's tangled hair. – “You did good apologizing. So now you guys are friends?”

“Yea! He's my first friend!” – The boy said innocently, to which the mother looked with some dismay. Her little angel was always smiling, energetic, curious, and prone to getting hurt, she didn't know if she was happy with that prospect. – “Can I go play outside?”

“Of course my angel, but be back in time for lunch!”

The front door slammed before the mother finished speaking. It was going to be a big day - she thought.

Davi was always running. His mother said that as soon as he had taken his first little step, the next minute he was already running around the house. For Davi everything was too fast, so much to see in such a short time, he didn't like to run, but it was necessary. Pedro was the first thing that ever had been able to stop him.

In Ribeirão das Dores, there were about a thousand people, as far as Davi had counted. He knew almost everyone's name. In the morning, before returning to class, Davi asked Pedro where he lived, who replied: “With the Pelegrini's.”