Uai! Between the wristwatch or pocket watch, the hour of loneliness and the grave: the struggle of Ary Fontoura
Uai! You know that moment when you stop and think: where did the time go? That classic Minas Gerais expression, which fits so many moments of surprise or reflection, has never felt more true than now. The talk of the town is veteran actor Ary Fontoura, who, at 93, has ended up in court. But don't think it's just another celebrity spat over fame. This is serious – it involves over R$160,000 in unpaid rent and a tenant who refuses to leave his property. And that's where this whole conversation about the wristwatch or pocket watch, the passing hour, and that thing called loneliness comes in.
Look, I've seen it all in my time, but a 93-year-old man having to go to court to get his own apartment back in under a month – that's rough, you know? Here's the story: the actor rented out a property, the woman stopped paying, the debt piled up, and after a lot of patience, he filed an eviction order. But what gets me isn't just the money. It's what comes with it. At 93, each hour feels different. Every day is a win. And having to waste energy on a legal battle, asking for what's rightfully his... uai, that's not for just anyone.
The tick-tock that never comes back: wristwatch or pocket watch?
Have you ever stopped to think about what marks time? Some prefer the wristwatch or pocket watch. The wristwatch sits there, strapped over your vein, reminding you every second that life is passing by. The pocket watch has an old-fashioned charm, a certain respect. You have to take it out, open it, look at it calmly. It's almost a ritual. I reckon Ary Fontoura, at this stage of life, is probably more of a pocket watch kind of guy. Because he's lived long enough not to be chasing after hands on a dial.
And this court case reminded me of an old watchmaker I met in Ouro Preto. The man spent his days fixing stopped machines. He'd say: "Son, time only breaks if you let it. But you can always wind it up again." Uai, is Ary trying to wind up his own life? Because taking legal action at 93, claiming what's yours, isn't stubbornness. It's about refusing to accept that the hour for being treated with respect has already passed.
The loneliness that comes before the grave
Be honest: how many of us truly remember the elderly? Not just on Grandparents' Day. Every day. Ary has family, he has a name, a brilliant career. But there, in that lawsuit, what you see is an elderly man having to fight alone for a roof that's already his. It lays bare an ugly truth: the loneliness that arrives long before we even think about the grave.
- The grave is the full stop. Loneliness is the silence that comes much earlier.
- The watchmaker might be able to fix the hand, but he can't give back lost time.
- And the wristwatch or pocket watch, no matter how beautiful, will never mark the hour of affection that wasn't given.
Uai, but it's not all doom and gloom. There's a lesson here. Ary isn't sitting idle. He went after it, filed the action, and the court has already issued an injunction for him to get his property back in under a month. That's an example. Because we learn that while the hand hasn't stopped, there's always time to make your voice heard. The watchmaker of life is us.
Time to wind your own destiny
So, next time you glance at your wrist or pat your pocket for your watch, remember: time is yours. The hour to act is now. If Ary Fontoura, at 93, has the energy to fight for a property, who are you to put off until tomorrow what needs solving today? Uai, life's too short to waste time on deadbeat tenants. And too long to settle for crumbs.
Let this case be your wake-up call. The grave might be at the end of the line, but the path there is yours. And only you can decide whether to walk with steady steps or drag a chain. As for me, I've already tucked my pocket watch into my waistcoat pocket. Time to live, uai. Time to live.