Theo continues his pattern of meeting beneficiaries at the same bench on the south side of the fountain, a spot he has come to think of as “his” bench. To preserve privacy during bestowals, Theo arrives early, sits in the middle, and uses his belongings to mark extra space as taken so conversations are not interrupted.

During an early-summer bestowal, Theo meets a woman named Lena on the bench, but Theo forgets to block off a seat. A loud, self-important middle-aged man in “business casual” sits beside Theo and dominates the space with a booming phone argument, making it impossible for Theo and Lena to have the serious, intimate conversation the bestowal requires.

Theo apologizes to Lena and shifts closer to the man, first humming persistently to disrupt the call. When that fails and the man keeps escalating his volume, Theo switches tactics and begins singing, increasing his volume line by line while Lena watches with anxious amusement.

Theo’s song becomes the Portuguese national anthem, “A Portuguesa,” sung loudly enough for passersby to hear over the fountain. Irritated and embarrassed, the man finally breaks off his call to insult Theo, then storms away in frustration as Theo finishes the anthem.

Lena and Theo laugh together, relieved. Theo reclaims the space by placing his hat and the portrait on the vacated seat, then calmly returns to Lena’s story and prompts her to continue explaining her life in Golden.