Summary

The narrator sits at a café on Copacabana Beach musing on his life. He used to be an astronaut although his appearance suggests he never accomplished anything. His clothing and accessories are worn and stained, making him look like “a person of no past and less future” (1105). He used to believe this about himself and felt abandoned by everyone. Now he is beholden to American tourists to buy him drinks and show him attention. He used to live in a small apartment at Ipanema with his wife and mother, but they forced him out (1105). He has been living alone in a small room above the Luxor Cinema ever since. Although his past has been difficult, he has begun to feel differently about his life. He cannot remember much from his space-travel days, but he is certain he “was once an astronaut” (1105).

Before the...