SAND

Nunca me senti tão apaixonada em toda a minha vida. Durante a primeira semana que passei na quinta o Sand levou-me a passear de carro todos os dias até sítios bonitos, e falámos interminavelmente sobre tantos assuntos, que nem todas as pessoas que conheço juntas e todas as conversas que tive com elas me ensinaram mais. Numa manhã húmida de sol intenso, deitados num campo perto de um lago pantanoso, a olhar as nuvens brancas espalhadas pelo céu, ele contou-me as razões da sua filosofia vegetalista. Brincava com a minha mão, e explicava-me como amava os animais, o planeta, os rios, a natureza.

- And people? – perguntei-lhe. Sorriu-me, mas depois virou novamente a cara para cima e respondeu:

- People scare the shit out of me.

- Why, Sand?

- Because they have no conscience.

- But it’s getting better, don’t you think?

- In some ways yes, but in other ways we’re self destructing.

- Is that why you’re vegan?

- Yes. It’s one of the things I can do to respect the animals on Earth, preserve the fields and the natural cycles, praise and give good karma to this beautiful and perfect planet.

- Isn’t it natural to eat meat, though? – pergunto.

- I guess so, for some tribes in the desert, in Africa, in South America, who live of hunting and away from civilization. But they cherish and respect the animals that feed them, and they don’t eat too much meat, only what they need. They say prayers of thanks when they catch a prey. They thank the animal for its meat. Over here, we’re supposed to be civilized, and animals are no longer beings, they’re products for consumption. It’s very easy to separate the ham from the cow. You don’t question where it came from, how it was made, how did the cow live and die. Did you ever look in the eyes of a cow? They’re the sweetest thing, the most curious and tender animals, so big and yet so kind.

- So you never ate meat in your whole life? – pergunto. – Nor your siblings?

- Nope! Don’t know what it tastes like. Don’t need it either. Remember how fat I was when I was a kid?

- You were not fat… - respondo.

- I wasn’t skinny either. And my siblings were always very strong. My parents never believed in all that bullshit about humans needing meat to grow or whatever. Nor do I. As long as we eat all the protein and minerals we can find in vegetables, we’re healthier than a meat eater. No heart diseases, no animal fat, no animal killing for our ignorance.

- I think I’d miss eating meat if I stopped it for good, though.

- You probably would, ‘cause you’re used to it. But you’d probably feel much lighter and relaxed, too.

- I already do! – comento. – Somehow everything seems simpler. No meat, just vegetables and cereals, just a feeling of harmony that I can’t really explain. It’s quite amazing, but I don’t really understand it.

- I think it’s the release of bad karma. – explica.

- How so? – pergunto.

- Well, did you ever think that animals suffer when they’re killed?

- Yes. – respondo.

- But did you really think about it? - explica. - Or even that they suffer while they’re still alive?

- No. Not while they’re alive. Why?

- Because they don’t live a free life, they’re prisoners and suffer from this. And then they’re killed and their meat contracts from fear and pain. And then you eat their nervous and contracted meat, which brings bad energy and bad karma into your body.

- I see. – digo.

- Maybe that’s why you feel peaceful now.

- Maybe. This is too much information for me right now. – comento. – It makes sense, but I need some time to think it over and make up my own mind about it.

- You still have some time! – diz, com um sorriso simpático. – You have as long as the planet is able to recycle our mistakes.

E depois deita-se em cima de mim, os seus cabelos louros com cheiro a flores caem na minha cara, e os seus lábios finos e belos beijam os meus.