Viviane
That terrified me. I hadn't thought about the possibility of Felipe deciding that Brazil was enough for him. Something I thought was so unlikely that it hadn't even crossed my mind. His visiting the city was one thing I could handle. But living here? Always be around? Oh, that I wouldn't know how to handle at all!
"We arrived, ladies," said Fabiano, the driver who had been hired to fill the position that had been my father's for so many years.
He was a young gentleman, about forty-five, and very kind.
" Let's leave this matter for when the "time" comes"
I tried to play with the expression she had used to refer to Felipe's return to Brazil. Something I was sure wouldn't happen anytime soon.
After the meeting with the buffet organizer, Marta returned to the mansion and I followed my schedule, where I resolved all the remaining outstanding issues concerning the party.
When I got home it was already past nineteen o'clock and everyone was gathered in the living room.
"Good evening, beautiful people" greeted everyone. " Where is Sarinha? ''
"It's with Isabela. She needed to take a shower, after all the play in the garden" Marta explained, with a big smile on her face, which showed how much she loved her granddaughter.
" She got quite ready today, " Mr. Rodolfo added.
" We were waiting for you to serve dinner, my dear " Marta spoke, getting up and pulling me for two little kisses on the cheek.
" It seems that it has been days since you saw Vivi, Mom " João Pedro made a point of playing with the usual way of greeting his mother's people.
He was sitting comfortably on one of the couches in the large living room. He was in an informal outfit, with a white basic shirt and wine-colored shorts from a famous clothing brand.
His mother, as always happened, was very beautiful and tidy for dinner and her husband followed his son's style.
"I need to shower and change my clothes. I walked a lot today and I need a shower to relieve my muscles. I'm exhausted. ''
" I will get a massage later, my love " João Pedro joked, with a mischievous look, that his parents interpreted differently from what it was. He was joking and his parents didn't know we didn't have a sex life together.
" Of course, dear " I got in on the joke. " I'll be back soon. ''
"Feel free, Vivi. No need to hurry," Marta spoke, returning to sit elegantly in the armchair.
" We know that you miss Sarinha and will stay with her for a while, before anything else " Mr. Rodolfo spoke and was completely right.
I was dying of missing my daughter and ran up to my room, willing to be with her soon. I wanted to hug and kiss my little girl a lot, who was in her room, which was right next to what I shared with JP.
She was with Isabela and seemed to have a lot of fun with some blocks she was playing with. Sarah was a very curious and active child, like every healthy child. Isabela had already bathed and changed Sarah and she was in lilac pajamas with several laces, which had been a gift from Cecilia when she returned from a work trip to France.
"Good evening, Isabela. How's my little one? " I said, already taking Sarah in my arms, who was already clinging to my hair and smiling at me, looking happy to see me.
" All quiet around here, Viviane " Isabela spoke, getting up from the carpet on which she was sitting, accompanying my daughter.
"What about you, my love? Were you missing Mommy? ''
"Mom... mom... She kept repeating between smiles, all pleased to be repeating what I was saying.
"Yes, daughter. It's Mom" I said thrilled to see my daughter well and happy.
It's a wonderful feeling, to come home and hug a beautiful little package of those. My little bundle of love.
João Felipe
I walked into my apartment and was soon throwing myself onto the comfortable couch. I was exhausted and it was still Tuesday. But it couldn't be any different, since I worked all weekend last weekend.
I was negotiating a multimillion-dollar contract with a European company, based in the United Kingdom and it had been necessary to dedicate what would be my free time, favor business meetings with some investors, to close some more complex issues. As they had appointments in the Netherlands during the week, we then scheduled these meetings for Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Now I felt tired and without any patience, since I slept very little, preparing the contracts and meeting by videoconference with the legal sector of our company, which is in our headquarters in São Paulo.
Miguel had complained a lot about having to sacrifice his time off to work and I agreed then that he could take a few days off, not a full month, as he would like, but ten days I could give in.
Since we had started business in our American branch, we had not taken vacations or extended time off, and the closest employees were beginning to complain continuously. I was getting quite upset about this situation, but now, after spending two weeks working without rest, I was beginning to understand, at least a little.
I thought I'd call my parents. It had been so long since we had talked. It was just a brief dialogue, and I was starting to feel uncomfortable with this unusual distance between us, but when I picked up my smartphone to make the call, a new message arrived on my phone and I was afraid it was Megan, again. But they were messages from my mother, which made me extremely relieved.
My meeting with Megan was a fiasco and yet she had sent me several messages since then. I had been feeling so unhappy with everything, that not even the possibility of a night of sex lifted my mood and I simply declined her invitation to go to her house after the vernissage.
I knew I needed to distract myself a little and relax, but since I didn't feel any willingness to go out or even meet with anyone, nothing better than knowing how things were at home.
I was feeling my mother was more different every day, I couldn't explain exactly what had changed, but she seemed a less talkative and expansive person, and when I questioned her, she always replied that it was my impression, only.