THE GUMMY CANDY SELLER WHO TAUGHT ZECA TO THE KIDS

For decades, an old candy vendor traveled to schools across the country on his small motorbike, always loaded with sweets, worn-out records, and improbable stories. He was known everywhere: by the sound of his approaching engine, his sun-bleached cap, and a smile that seemed to know no bad days. But more than sweetening up recess, what truly brought him joy was teaching children about the magic of the singer-songwriters of the April Revolution. Between a fried-egg-shaped gummy and a chili-pepper-shaped one, he spoke to them of freedom, dreams, and music—especially the songs and memories of Zeca Afonso, which he cherished like true relics. When he died, he left behind a whole generation with sugar running through their veins… and stories that continued to grow in the imaginations of everyone who had listened to him. In his will—written in a crumpled notebook amidst chocolate stains and scattered notes—he left only two things to his two children: the old motorbike he used to ride between school campuses, and a musical collection dedicated to Zeca, Sérgio, Fausto, and José Mário, comprising rare records, worn ticket stubs, faded photographs, and stories that had never been told. To the siblings, who never quite understood their father’s passion, that inheritance initially seemed like an eccentric burden—until they began to discover it little by little, piece by piece, song by song.