He told them about the traditions, especially the wine festival. It started in Câmara de Lobos. That's why there were so many tourists. They were the heralds of this festival, and it was well publicised. The festival was a joint effort between tourists and residents alike. Anyone could take part in the grape harvest, from picking the grapes to treading them and enjoying the festival. Tourists were the most enthusiastic about this activity, without a doubt. The festival would end with a procession in honour of the grape, a very beautiful and important event for the population.

The wine festival is a big deal for the whole region and brings in lots of tourists. The farm had a special involvement that the workers really enjoyed, and which also gave it more visibility and attracted more tourists. These were the "living pictures", where people dressed up in their own clothes and rode around in a wagon with older wine-making equipment. They paraded along the entire route, and of course, they were from the quinta they represented.

The festival, with its many other attractions, lasted for a week.

Thomas was blown away. It wasn't just the scale of the event that was impressive, but also the amount of work that went into it, and yet everyone was happy.

Everyone was happy to get involved. In the evening, Thomas chatted to Emma and Martins about what he'd learned. Emma even suggested creating a schedule so that everyone could chip in and coordinate tasks. Everyone agreed and headed off to bed, ready for another busy day.

Thomas woke up to a loud noise and realised it was already late.

He went downstairs and asked Mrs Sonia what was going on.

- It's the oxen. They have to be cleaned to take the cart, and they also have to have an ornament on their head that needs to be measured. But as you know, the oxen are restless and don't like to be told to work.

Thomas knew almost nothing, but he agreed, had breakfast and went to the others.

The week was exhausting, but on the other hand brilliant, a success and a lot of fun.

Thomas considered his bath of fire. He was really becoming a Madeiran.

After the party, everything had to be put in place and that also meant a lot of work.

However, Thomas thought he should give everyone two days to rest from the party and gain the strength to work again.

So Thomas took the opportunity to try to create a plan and organise the house in his own way.

There was a lot of old stuff and a lot of "rubbish" that he wanted to get rid of.

He wasn't sure where to start, but he thought his bedroom would be the first to be studied. From there he would see.

He went into the bedroom. It was a large room, with a large bed, bedside tables, a wardrobe and a dressing table. All big and made of wood. The bed was plain, but with a few flowers on the top of the headboard. The bedside tables and the dressing table had marble tops and the wardrobe followed the lines of the bed and the flowers.

Thomas thought he really needed to do something with his room. He wanted new windows, new furniture, of course, and a bathroom.

He needed to start by contacting professionals and getting quotes. It would take time and patience.

He went to Martins and told him what he wanted to do. Little by little, the house would be transformed, making it cosy but modern.

- It would definitely be worth contacting a company that would take care of everything! That would be a great option for you!

- Absolutely! That's a fantastic idea. I'll definitely check the budget.

Martins laughed heartily.

- You're not used to having money, but you will be soon!

- Absolutely not! I'm not going to start spending it all as soon as I get it.

Thomas said, beaming with excitement. Martins replied with a big smile:

- Absolutely! You still have to do the maths, but it'll be worth it! Because you want to make changes to the whole house, right?

- Right. And not only that! You know the house called the caretakers' house next door? I want to remodel it too. When you come round, you can stay there and bring a girl. We'll sort it out later, you can keep it, it's yours.

- Hey man, it's so nice to have a good friend who's a millionaire!

They laughed and hugged each other, their joyous laughter filling the room. Emma came closer and exclaimed,

- Wow! I'm already feeling a little jealous! Oh, I can't wait to hear the good news!

They explained, and she was absolutely thrilled! That's when Martin said,

- Listen up, mate, I've got some amazing news to share!" Emma and I are in a relationship!

Thomas looked at them both and smiled.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. I'm very happy for both of you. And at the wedding I want to be best man."

They promised you would be.

So as well as the wine, Thomas had this new task of hiring a company to do the remodelling of the house. He began to research and try to find various alternatives so that he could then choose the best one.

Another day passed. Thomas woke up feeling refreshed. He'd had an excellent night's sleep. He hadn't slept so well in a long time. He was about to go downstairs for breakfast when suddenly the third key for which he hadn't found a lock came to mind. He had to deal with that too, so that he could put an end to this story that was as "surreal" as it was fantastic, which was, after all, his life.

He had breakfast and went to get the key

He sat down on the sofa. He was very tired, but he needed to think about where the lock could be. Eventually he fell asleep.

It was 11.30 when there was a knock on the door and he was woken up. It was Mr Ricardo.

- I apologise, but we're taking the oxen, I thought you might want to watch.

- Oh yes, Mr Ricardo, you did very well, I really do.

They made their way to the warehouse and Thomas was able to appreciate the work involved in getting the oxen out of the cart and back to the pasture. However, without knowing much about the subject, he thought the animals behaved very well.

He looked around and was surprised to see that it was more like a huge warehouse with lots of old things and junk.

In one corner of the cellar, he noticed a very old piece of furniture with two doors. He walked over and tried to open the doors, but they were locked. He asked the workers who had the key to that piece of furniture. Mr Ricardo was happy to help and said:

- Only your uncle. Only he could open the door.

Thomas was surprised and suddenly ran into the house, grabbed the last key and took it to the cupboard.

He opened it. He'd never find out again, that was lucky.

Inside, there were only two bottles of Madeira wine from the fifth special edition: one from 1939, the year Jaime's father was born, and the other from 1965, the year he was born.

Thomas was really quite confused. So it seemed that his uncle had also spent his whole life following everything that happened on the continent. Oh, what a waste! Such sad, sad lives. Although he somehow understood the beginning, had it not been for his parents' untimely death, everything would be different today.

He had more reason to share his good fortune and allow more people to feel good. Money doesn't bring happiness, but it can help a lot. That's why he wanted his long-time friend to be able to enjoy the same joy.

Thomas left the bottles in the same place and locked them up.

He returned to the house to find someone to do the remodelling. He sat down in front of the computer, when suddenly there was a loud noise, as if the house was being attacked. He got up and went to look out of the window.

It was pouring outside. Thick rain that felt like it was going to break the whole house. It lasted 15 minutes.

As it came, as it went.

It was the unique microclimate of Madeira. Everything was new and an invaluable learning experience. In fact, it was the start of a whole new life for him.

In his wildest dreams, he'd never imagined himself in this incredible reality! He went back to his research with a spring in his step. He already had a list of companies; he couldn't wait to start contacting them. He emailed all five and got up, eager to see what they had to say. He decided to go to the farm where Mr Ricardo was and enjoy his new teachings and new reality.

He returned home, had dinner and rested. He deserved it after an intense day.