54 - A LITTLE REST...

 

54 - A LITTLE REST...

- Graça, wouldn't it be better for us to take the day off to rest?

Maria, seeing her friend's deplorable state, trying to convince her to stay in bed a little longer...

- Maria, have you seen what time it is?

_Yes... it's almost two in the afternoon...

- And until now I haven't been able to sleep for a minute... why do you think that, if I stayed here in the room longer, I would be able to rest?

- I don't know, my friend... what I can say for sure is that you're not in a position to go anywhere...

- If I didn't know you better, I'd say you're drunk... you can't even stand up straight...

- Rosa... I know you two are right... but what can I do? I just can't close my eyes and rest... maybe if I go outside... maybe I can get some sleep somewhere... and when the time comes to act... maybe I will be... "sober"... because, I admit... I'm sleep-drunk...

And so, as there are no arguments against facts, the three took to the street... they took their horses and left towards the field... perhaps, breathing the air of the woods, Graça would recover... in any case, that wasn't the case. the best day for Graça to feel as finished as she was feeling... after all, if all went well, they would finally be face to face with the one who really interested them... after all, Zé Ferreira had something that attracted them like moths they are attracted to light... their head was worth a fortune, and the three of them couldn't wait to get their hands on the prize offered by a father with a broken heart...

Of course, they only tried to think about the prize they were going to win... after all, if they dehumanized their target, it would be much easier to capture him... and, for that, they always invoked the image of the girl being shot down by the gun of the one they wanted to capture. . It was the best way, and they couldn't give up that vision... after all, each one of them needed the money offered to solve some problem in their life... Rosa wanted to start over in a place where they didn't know her. And she promised herself that she would never allow anyone to step on her again... Maria wanted the money to be able to help her parents... although he was the foreman of the farm, Zacarias didn't earn that much, so much so that they lived in a situation of poverty... Of course, there were people in worse situations, but if she could improve her parents' living conditions a little... Graça was desperate... her mother needed treatment in the big city, and for that she needed money to pay for the hospital. And it wasn't little, no... that's why she decided to run after Ferreira... even if they divided the reward by ten, it would still be possible to pay for her mother's stay in the hospital, without any additional expenses beyond what was usual. . Yes, Zé Ferreira's head would save his dear mother's life...

Of course, they were counting on the money without even thinking that something could go wrong. And the worst part is, if there's a chance something could go wrong, it sure will.

After riding for some time... and several times Rosa and Maria supported Graça on her mount so that she wouldn't fall... the three decided to make a stop in a wooded place. The cool afternoon helped Graça to surrender to Morpheus' arms, and in a few minutes she was relaxing at the gates of Paradise... yes, the girl was tired and the stop was essential for her to rest her body and mind after a night that , if it wasn't clear, it also didn't allow him to rest for a second.

It is not possible to say that the cause was the pure air of the forest, the field not so flowery due to autumn, but what is certain is that Graça fell into a deep sleep and remained that way for a good couple of hours... without agitation, without no dreams, no nightmares... just rest... when she finally woke up... on her own, since the only thing her friends did was watch over her sleep... she felt light, rested. All that tension from the sleepless night was gone. Admittedly, she didn't sleep much, but her rest left her ready for whatever needed her attention. Graça got up, stretched her body like a wild cat and finally the happy, playful girl was back... Yes, the nap she took under the kapok frond left her as good as new... Graça even decided to run for a while little by the field, as if she were still a child... and, in her imagination, Rina was still with her...

Maria and Rosa watched their friend and finally calmed down. The old Graça was back, happy, cheerful, full of energy... yes, now the three of them were ready for whatever came next... well, of course, first they would have to face a good plate of barreado. .. Graça complained that she was hungry as if she hadn't eaten anything for days... without saying a word, the friends mounted their horses and started walking towards the village... destination? the Pensão restaurant, of course...

- Girl, I thought you weren't going to stop eating anymore...

- Stop being annoying, Maria... I was hungry...

- Hungry? My God in heaven... you ate for the three of us together for a week...

- Yes, Graça, Rosa is right... you've never eaten so much... not until today, at least...

- Girls, understand... I was starving... and I needed to quench it... and it's not my fault if the food was so delicious...

- Yeah, we noticed... you even ate eggplant....

- What's wrong with the eggplant?

-Well, Rosa, Graça hates eggplant... and today, she ate almost a whole pot by herself...

- Maria, it's not my fault... that polenta with the chicken and the eggplant was very good... I couldn't stop eating it...

- All right... are you satisfied now?

- Yes...

- So, how about we walk a little so you can digest?

- And you two, no?...

  - Us too, of course... but we didn't eat a third of what you devoured...

- Exaggerated...

The three laughed... they paid the bill and walked down the street towards the village square. There were some duos singing and Maria asked them to watch... it had been a while since she enjoyed a musical performance... and why not take advantage of the opportunity, right?

While enjoying the parade of guitar players performing on the bandstand, the three friends watched the people passing by. They were looking for a person... and for that reason, they were attentive to each new face that appeared in the crowd. As Maria was the only one who really knew Zé Ferreira, every time Rosa and Graça saw someone who matched the characteristics given by Maria, they tried to consult her... but a couple of hours had already passed and by then the vigil was over. proved fruitless. But they knew they shouldn't give up. The best chance of finding "your" person was there... after all, who doesn't like to hear a well-tuned guitar, accompanied by a perfect duet, right? And so, the three remained, with one eye on the fish and the other on the cat, as they say....

At a given moment, Maria whispered in Graça's ear, to which she immediately replied...

- You're crazy, aren't you?

- Graça, we sang together... and from the top of the bandstand, you can see the whole square...

- I know, but...

  - And it's no use making that face... I know you like to sing... and strum a guitar a little...

- Okay, okay... let's say I was up for it... we don't have an instrument to use, have you noticed that?

- Do you want to bet how much that any one of these guitar players lends us a guitar? And if you want to accompany us playing, even better...

- Okay, you crazy girl... come on... what do we have to lose?

- Exactly... what do we have to lose?

Rosa looked at the two… seeing that they were serious, she asked…

- And me? What do I do?

  - Stay tuned... anything, come to our rescue...

And the two walked towards the bandstand...