18 - ON THE EDGE OF THE TUIA

 18 - ON THE EDGE OF THE TUIA

  Although they were on a trip scheduled for the following day, Zé Cardoso and his group decided to participate in a drag-foot that would take place on a farm near Santa Helena. Juca was invited to play at the party, and invited the entourage to have some fun, before hitting the road again. After all, life working with cattle was not easy, and opportunities to be distracted were scarce, since the cowboy has to be always attentive, so as not to be taken by surprise by the circumstances that may occur during the trip. And at some point, wearing the best clothes they had in their saddlebags, combed hair, polished boots, there they went, accompanying the people from Santa Helena to have fun. Of course they carried their weapons with them, after all it wasn't very smart to leave them in the camp... maybe one of those weapons decided to walk around while their owner was away... it was rare for someone to steal belongings from others, but it made life easier for the others. other people's friends was never a good idea. And so there they went, out on the road, playing, making jokes and singing too, why not? At a certain point during the walk, Zé Cardoso pulled out his guitar and, even mounted, began to play some notes on the instrument. Seeing this, Juca did not want to be left behind, and he took out his guitar and started to accompany his friend. Soon the two were singing songs as they rode along with their people. Of course, such a feat required extra skill from the two viola players, but years of experience on the road made it easy...

Although they had never sung together before, their duet was perfect. And the friends who accompanied them from time to time echoed their voices. After a couple of hours of singing, they finally arrived at Fazenda do Lagedo, where the party would take place. The group of about thirty riders headed towards the tuia, where the party would take place. Tonhão was the first to dismount, followed by his companions. Seu Leôncio, the host, already took them out for something to eat and drink, while they listened to the guitar players who were already enlivening the party. Of course, Zé Cardoso and Juca approached the singers, with their instruments already tuned... after all, they had been singing all along the road. Chiquinho, the cook, had brought his accordion and was getting ready to accompany his friends in their performances. When they saw the accordion player arriving, the duo who were singing invited him to join them in a song. Chiquinho did not hesitate and played "Saudade de Matão" on his instrument, one of his favorite songs. The duo didn't do badly, following the accordion player in his volleys with the instrument. Incidentally, the guitar player also made miseries with his punctuation on the guitar, owing nothing to the accordion player. And the group that was in the thuia to dance was simply amazed by Chiquinho and his instrument.

Rosinha, Leôncio's daughter, fell in love with Zé Cardoso. After all, he was a handsome man. Tall, hair starting to silver, eyes as black as a moonless night, easy laugh but a face that could turn hard depending on the situation. And he had a voice that made girls dream of heaven when he started singing. Zé noticed the girl's interest. He wasn't interested in pissing her off even more, but he couldn't hurt to sing a few fads to honor the little one, could he? And, accompanied by Juca and Chiquinho, he paraded waltzes, toadas, cururus, all talking about love and passion, while looking at the little one, who felt like the inspiring muse of his intended. Yes, the party was good. But all that's good...

Zé Ferreira, one of Lagedo's cowboys, was in love with Rosinha and, although she didn't give him the slightest importance, although she had never given him the slightest opportunity to make him feel like something of his, the cowboy didn't allow anyone to approach him. from the girl. Violent genius, possessive to the extreme... in fact, that was one of the reasons that made Rosinha not want anything to do with the boy... Zé Ferreira threatened anyone who tried to get close to the girl. And he didn't look kindly on the exchange of glances between his beloved and the newly arrived guitar player. At first he still stayed in his corner, brooding over the jealousy that gnawed at him from within. But as the night progressed and the alcohol content in his blood increased, the fury against that abused violist, who offered songs to his beloved, increased. Until...

Without any kind of warning, without giving the slightest sign of his fury, at one point Zé Ferreira advanced on Zé Cardoso and threw a glass of cachaça in his face. Cardoso did not expect this and remained speechless for a few moments. Immediately, Ferreira landed a punch against his opponent. And then the confusion started. No one knows exactly what happened during the melee. What they say is that, after some time, when everyone was scrambling for the space where everyone should be having fun, a rumble similar to thunder was heard. Everyone was instantly paralyzed. And Rosinha's lifeless body was lying on the ground, and Zé Ferreira, incredulous, looked at everyone without understanding exactly what had happened... in his hand, the revolver that had just taken the life of the girl who had so many dreams to come true. and whose only sin that night was being enchanted by the songs of an unknown guitar player...