JOÃO FELIPE
I stared at the message in disbelief that she was dismissing me!
I was furious at being thwarted again by Vivi. It even seemed like she didn't care to be with me. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
She was right, I knew, after all, she got home after nine in the morning, and her parents, I knew them very well, wouldn't want her to be spending consecutive nights out of the house.
I had to think of a way to find us without arousing suspicion.
I decided I would read some reports. It was the best and so I spent my Saturday night.
I ended up waking up late that Sunday because I was focused on work until dawn. Taking advantage of my lack of sleep to do something really useful with my time.
I got to the breakfast table and my parents were still at their breakfast.
" Good morning Dad, Mom " I greeted them both with kisses on the cheeks.
"Looks like we all woke up later today!" Mom said excitedly. "We are planning to invite some friends over to spend the day at the pool. We haven't done that in so long. Just sunbathing and chatting without any major complications."
"I thought we were doing just that yesterday at the club," Dad said, as usual pointing out the obvious to Mom. However, his tone was gentle and soon he was taking her hand and kissing her wrist.
" Honey, you're always so boring!”
" And you're always so kind to me.”
They talked and looked at each other with a lot of love. They had been together for nearly thirty years and were still totally in love.
"I'm getting embarrassed," I said, pulling them out of their bubble.
I should be used to it by now because it's always been like this since I was just a kid. Time had in no way diminished the complete devotion they had for each other.
" You should have gotten used to it by now, my son. His parents have always been like that.”
Mrs. Lúcia said, entering the room with a tray of fried eggs, toast, and orange juice. Everything I liked to eat in the morning and she knew it perfectly. It was many years working with my family in the mansion.
" Why are you serving us, Lucia? You shouldn't be doing this job, even more so on a Sunday" my father said crossly.
" I just came to make breakfast, Rodolfo. Judite had to go see her daughter at the hospital because she had a baby yesterday " she explained.
Judite had been our employee for several years as well and probably today was supposed to be the Sunday she would work. The time off schedule for the mansion's employees was made in such a way that everyone worked only one Sunday a month, with the exception of Lúcia and Mr. Antônio, who had time off every Sunday.
To make up for Sunday work, they had a Friday and Saturday off together. My father made a point of being fair to everyone, regardless of title or whether he was an employee of the company or the mansion. He was an admirable man.
" I told Lúcia that she didn't need to," Soon, Ms. Marta was justifying herself. I believe that to confirm that she had nothing to do with the fact that Lúcia was working on your Sunday off. "I would make something for us to eat myself."
My father and I were unable to contain our expressions of horror and Mrs. Lúcia soon gave one of her characteristic laughs. My mother didn't even know how to fry eggs.
" Why did you make that face? I was just trying to help! " My mom said, sounding hurt.
"Don't be like that, honey. Just that your son and I didn't want you to burn yourself like the last time you tried to make that toast, remember, João Felipe?”
" I would like to forget," my brother said, entering the room where we were, making a funny face.
" Son! " My father scolded him.
"Dad, she forced us to eat that burnt thing, blackmailing us with the fact that she had burned herself trying to feed us.”
" I have to agree with João Pedro," I said, smiling a lot. "I was twelve years old, and I never forgot that awful toast.”
" I created two ungrateful ones! " My mother said, but she was already smiling too, as were all of us at the table.
" Lucia, my love, what are you doing here in the middle of a summer Sunday? " João Pedro said, grabbing Lucía and placing several kisses on her cheeks.
" Let go of me, boy! You smell awful. I think it’s coming from a party now, isn’t it? " Mrs. Lúcia said, moving him away from her and heading towards the kitchen, without even waiting to hear João Pedro's answer.
The face he made gave it away, for indeed he seemed to be arriving now. He then began to sniff himself, as if looking for that awful scent.
" Lúcia! Come back here! This perfume is very good, that's for sure! " He said, following her towards the kitchen.
My mother made an expression of disgust at the scene and continued to eat her pieces of papaya as if nothing had happened. I soon followed her example and started eating what Mrs. Lucia had brought me.
When the two returned from the kitchen, my mother had already left the table, as she intended to make some calls to her guests.
" Sit here with me, Lucia, my love. Take advantage of that Mom is already out" João Pedro said, pointing to a chair next to him.
" I would sit the same way even if she was still here if I wanted to," she answered naturally, not bothering her that the mother had always shown her feelings towards the old employees of the mansion.
" And you are more than right, Lucia. I always made clear your position here in my house and that you shouldn't mind Marta's certain attitudes " my father said, and looking at João Pedro he concluded: "Your mother never mistreated anyone here in this house. You shouldn't joke about such serious matters, João Pedro!”
" I'm sorry, my dear father. It's not here anymore who played.”
" Leave the boy, Rodolfo! I'm used to this kid's jokes.”
"You spoil it, Lucia. Always defending him and doing his will. He is no longer a little boy.”
I looked at João Pedro and for the first time, I came to the same conclusion.
João Pedro was no longer a boy, he was always attached to Vivi and that could very well be more than just a childhood friendship.
I decided that now I would pay more attention to that interaction between the two.