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At the Threshold of a New Chapter

From THE LOST YEARS — PART 5

Araci Matos
Araci’s life
7 min readJan 7, 2025

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Taken by the author in 2012. Porto.

When the summer of 2011 arrived, it brought a greater distance from Porto. This was the first summer I spent far from all my problems, able to recharge my energy in the calm of the village. Just as objects expanded with the heat, time also seemed to stretch on those days of near boredom.

The extra time I now had on my hands led my father to enroll me in driving lessons. I spent my mornings at the school, attending classes and taking theory tests, and my afternoons wandering through what, just a few years earlier, had been the small town that framed my lonely teenage years.

Only three years and a few months had passed since then, yet I remember feeling like a stranger as I roamed those streets, walking through a land I no longer belonged to.

A few weeks later, I passed the theory test with no mistakes. That result restored my confidence in my abilities. It seemed to prove that I wasn’t stupid or uninterested but that I could achieve whatever I wanted with dedication.

With great courage, I began the practical lessons, sitting in the driver’s seat for the first time. The sensation of being the one in control was utterly strange. Even the slowest speeds felt like they were happening at the speed of sound.

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Araci Matos
Araci Matos

Written by Araci Matos

Trying to be the Portuguese Annie Ernaux or Elena Ferrante

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