Setting: A cozy café in São Paulo. Both friends are sipping coffee. Rafa has their handbag awkwardly placed on their lap, balancing it like a baby sloth. Léo notices and can’t help but smirk.
Léo:
Rafa, I have to ask—why are you cradling your bag like it’s made of Fabergé eggs?
Rafa (half-whispering):
Shhh! Don’t joke. If I put it on the floor, my money will vanish. You know that.
Léo (laughing):
Come on. It’s not like the floor is a financial black hole. You think R$200 is going to just teleport to someone else’s bank account if it touches tile?
Rafa:
I’m serious, Léo. My aunt Luciana put her purse on the floor once during a party. Next day? Her wallet was empty and her bakery sales dropped for a week.
Léo:
Or maybe she just had a slow week and didn’t notice her teenage son “borrowing” cash for PlayStation credits.
Rafa (defensive):
It’s not just her. In our whole family, no one risks it. It’s common sense! Even Dona Sônia at the corner store has a little sign that says “Bolsa no chão, dinheiro no vão.”
Léo (grinning):
Catchy rhyme, I’ll give you that. But that’s just a saying, Rafa. Like “step on a crack, break your mother’s back.” Doesn’t mean physics backs it up.
Rafa:
And yet, how do you explain my friend Carla? The one time she dropped her tote on the floor at work, her salary got delayed. Coincidence?
Léo:
Yes. Exactly that. Coincidence. You know how many people put their bags on the floor every day and still get paid on time? I mean, I left my backpack on the metro floor yesterday—and surprise! My bank account still looks equally sad.
Rafa (smiling despite themselves):
You always were the skeptical one. But what if it’s not about physics? Maybe it’s about energy. Like… you’re disrespecting your money if you treat your bag carelessly. The universe takes offense.
Léo:
So now the universe is a grumpy cashier?
Rafa (laughs):
Maybe! Think of it like this: if you toss your phone around, eventually it’ll break. Same with money—disrespect it, and it slips away.
Léo:
Okay, that analogy almost makes sense. But that’s behavior, not gravity. Placing your bag on a clean floor isn’t disrespect. It’s practical! You’re here juggling coffee, phone, and now your bag is playing hot potato on your knees. Why suffer?
Rafa (shrugs):
Because the one time I did put it down, I lost my bus card and had to walk ten blocks home.
Léo:
You also once dropped your phone into a toilet. Are we going to start saying, “Never use the bathroom, or you’ll lose communication privileges”?
Rafa (mock serious):
Honestly, it was a cursed day.
Léo:
Look, I get it. Traditions feel comforting. Like little rituals to keep chaos at bay. But let’s not mistake correlation for causation. If keeping your bag off the floor makes you feel better, fine. But don’t let fear drive your logic.
Rafa:
And maybe you should stop acting like science can explain everything. Some things are just part of our culture. You know, the spice in the feijoada.
Léo (nodding):
Fair. But culture’s best when it’s balanced with reason. Otherwise, we’ll start blaming burnt toast for relationship problems.
Rafa:
Too late. My cousin actually dumped her boyfriend after he burnt her pão de queijo. Said it was a sign.
Léo:
Your family could write a telenovela.
Rafa (grinning):
We probably should. Title it “Amor, Dinheiro, e a Bolsa no Chão.”
Léo:
I’d watch that. As long as the script doesn’t require me to hold my backpack like a baby the whole time.
Rafa (chuckling):
Deal. But don’t come crying to me when your finances fall through the cracks.
Léo:
Only if those cracks are on the floor. Near my bag. During a full moon.
[They both laugh and clink their coffee cups, the conversation settling into the warm mix of affection, friendly disagreement, and cultural quirks that define real friendship.]
Science Vs Superstition 
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