João Felipe
We were already having dinner when my brother arrived and joined us. I thought we would have a tense and animosity dinner between us, but to my surprise, dinner took place in a mild mood, with everyone talking as before. Apparently happy with my "return" home, João Pedro talked a lot, without using his mocking tone, at least not critically, just in jest tone.
Viviane, however, seemed to have been very angry with my presence and did not even go down to the family dinner, something that did not go unnoticed by anyone, because even my father commented on the fact.
Which made me think back to the moment in the garden, when she saw me and couldn't hide all the horror she felt at my unexpected presence. For what reason?
And then she married my brother and they both had a daughter. By then everything was following the natural order of things and I had come to the conclusion that I had no right to complain since I could not have offered the same to her since I had my whole life planned, and that she did not fit my plans for the future. There was also the fact that my mother would be totally against a union between us.
"That's how I think, and it seemed, I was completely wrong.
I was already in my room, the one in which I spent all my childhood as a teenager and in which I spent so many nights thinking about Vivi, about how we could never get involved, due to our social differences and the relationship patterns that my mother had determined for me throughout my life. I grew up hearing how much she disapproved of the friendship between João Pedro and Viviane and that she was happy that I did not "mix".
To see my mother treating Viviane with such affection and consideration, not to mention the love she felt for her granddaughter, was like a slap in my convictions. It even seemed that fate had armed all this to show me how wrong I was in refusing to live something because I thought about what society would think of it and that would hinder my future business.
I was already prepared for another sleepless night, something common for me, even more so today that I had seen Viviane with Sarinha and how she had become even more beautiful after motherhood. I had missed the opportunity to try to be happy with the one person I really liked and it was now impossible to go back.
I was not mistaken, because even with all the fatigue of the long hours of flight, I took a long time to sleep and ended up waking up late the other day.
When I arrived in the room where the table for breakfast was set, I found the place empty, for not even my mother, who had never worked in her life, woke up so late.
"Do you need anything, Mr. Felipe?" asked the young woman I had seen cutting vegetables in the kitchen the day before.
I asked her to bring me breakfast and after feeding, I went again in search of my mother and found her in the living room with Lúcia, they were talking in a relaxed way, but Sarah was not with them, as I imagined at first. I wanted to see the little one before I went to the company's headquarters, but it seemed that it would not be possible.
One more thing that had changed a lot was Mom's relationship with Lúcia. I noticed yesterday when I got to the garden and I checked for the rest of the time we spent in that place, after the untimely departure of Viviane, and we talked pleasantly. I then learned that Viviane's parents no longer worked for my family, as previously said by the employee who was in the kitchen, and that the two now lived in Jundiaí. Dona Lúcia was in town to help Vivi with Sarinha, while my parents were traveling, and with their arrival, she intended to leave that day and did not meet with us for dinner, because she and Antônio had preferred to pack their bags and have dinner with their daughter and granddaughter in the old house where they lived.
"I and Antônio are already missing our little house in Jundiaí and besides, my sister is a little sick and I would like to be by her side at this moment " Lucia explained.
I thought about meeting Viviane during breakfast, but by that time, she should have gone to her new job by now. I then asked for Sarinha, because she was not with her grandmothers either, but I soon saw that she was coming in the arms of a young woman, apparently, the nanny, coming down the stairs and when she saw me, she had already begun to smile and call for me, something that made me all silly. I would never have imagined how happy I would be for a little girl of just one year to be so happy to see me. It was a wonderful feeling to have that little person reciprocating all the feelings that seemed to overflow from my chest.
I went to meet the nanny and gestured towards her, indicating that I wanted to bring Sarinha into my arms, I almost couldn't hold her, so suddenly she threw herself into my arms.
" It seems like it was love at first sight, my son " joked Mom, before the scene with the little one.
"And it seems that she is reciprocated," added Mrs. Lúcia, seeing my big smile of contentment at hearing Mom's words.
" Yes, Mrs. Lúcia " I had to admit to them the unexpected feeling.
I even gave up going to the company, as I had initially planned that day, and stayed all morning with my little one because that was how I felt: that she was mine.
Viviane
The day at my new job was very full of activities and I ended up not being able to go to lunch at home, since the neighborhoods were very far from each other and I would lose precious time on the way, due to the naturally intense traffic of the capital of São Paulo.
Although I was sad that I could not be with my daughter during lunch, I knew that she was very well taken care of, both for being with her two grandmothers, as well as Isabela.
My mother would leave for her house today and yesterday we had dinner together, so we could say goodbye better.
I got home early, because I had a lot of things ahead of lunchtime, and I was already heading down the stairs of the mansion when I heard my daughter's laughter, something I was not surprised about since she was a very cheerful and expansive child. The strange thing was to hear João Felipe's laughter along with those of my daughter.
I followed the laughter that came from the living room of the mansion and stopped abruptly when I saw the scene happening there, trying to be upset that João Felipe was again with my daughter, knowing my disapproval, since I had made it very clear that I did not like him with Sarah yesterday. I refused to even join the family during dinner. But I couldn't.
Love overflows from my chest as I see father and daughter getting along so well. And the way Felipe was relaxed and smiling. I had never seen him so devoid of his air of arrogance, so characteristic of him, even when he was still a child.
I then decided to go out and let them continue with the game, because I could not be once again the spoils of pleasures, since Marta watched Felipe lying on the carpet in the living room and Sarah was over his belly, while he made strange noises, I believe trying to imitate some animals. Even though he wasn't performing well, he was achieving his goal which was to make Sarah smile, and that was the most important thing.
I took advantage of the fact that no one had seen me yet and turned around, heading back towards the stairs. I would go to my room, take a relaxing bath, and only then go down again looking for everyone.