47 - WHILE THE WIND DOESN ' T COME...

 47 - WHILE THE WIND DOESN ' T COME...

 

- Do you have any idea when they'll arrive?

- I don't know, Rosa... I think in about three or four days...

- They're a bit long, aren't they?

Grace, looking out the window, staring at the horizon...

- It's just that the herd has almost a thousand heads... it's not easy to lead such a large group...

- And do you know where they're going?

Walking around the room, always looking at infinity through the window, Graça replies to her friend....

- Yes... but let's wait for them to finish the trip first...

- What if the man they're looking for leaves straight from the farm?

-And why would he do that? As far as he knows, no one is looking for him...

- I know, Grace... but you know how it is... suddenly...

-Girl, let's think positively .... Zé Ferreira is going to take the money from the trip and come spend a little in the bars of the camp ... suddenly, he might even come to stay here ...

- What if he recognizes you?

- Difficult... we never saw each other...

Rosa looked at Grace in surprise. She couldn't believe what she had just heard... what do you mean, they had never met the man they were looking for? If they had never seen him, how would they know they found him?

- Rosa, I know what you're thinking... but we're going to find this goat.

- In what way? You don't even know what he looks like...

Grace shrugged... yes, it was true... she had no idea what the man she was looking for would be like... that's right, he worked as a cowboy for some time at Fazenda do Lagedo... but he never was to the city or any other farm in the surroundings... it was then that Maria decided to speak...

- Graça never saw the guy, Rosa... but I knew him well... I went to Lagedo several times with my father, and I was a friend of the girl he killed... that's why I decided to follow Graça on this hunt ...

- So he knows you...

- I don't think so... we saw the goats working with the cattle, but they didn't have time to chat with us... besides, he was crazy about Rosinha, he only had eyes for her...

- Creed in cross... did she have the same name as me?

-Yes ... she was also called Rosa ... poor thing, she died young, and by a fatality of fate ...

The three were silent for a few moments. They lowered their heads, as if they were saying a prayer... then Rosa spoke again...

- That's why I don't like parties... where there's cachaça, things never end well... even more so with those big heads going to the party armed...

- I agree with you... but to do what? The world is like this...

- But we had to try to change that....

- Again I agree... but change how? If we can't educate children to think differently, nothing will change in this life....

And the three were silent again, each lost in their own thoughts. Graça thought of her mother, whom she had left in the care of Maria's parents, Maria thought of her parents, siblings and... even Tonhão, could you believe it? The distance was making the girl start to think about that boy with the dark complexion and slanted eyes... yes, suddenly nostalgia attacked her heart... and although she had never cared about the boy, these days he was constantly in her thoughts... Rosa thought about the life she left behind, and hoped never to face a life as difficult as the one she had led... but she knew that life is a constant coming and going.... all she could have was hope.... and that, she had in abundance.... Grace, as always, is the first to break the silence that has taken over the room...

- Guys, are you going to be holed up in here? The sun is beautiful outside...

- And what can we do?

- Well, first I think we should go to church... to say thank you for all the good things that have happened to us so far...

- And then?

- Then we can walk around... it's good to get to know the place....

- But do we go armed in the Church?

- Of course not, right Maria? The weapons are here in the room...

- What if someone comes in here and steals them?

- And who's going to want to steal that, my God in Heaven?

- Anyone, huh, woman... or do you think these... things... are cheap?

Grace stopped for a while and was thoughtful... Maria was right... it wasn't safe to leave weapons in the room at the inn... maybe someone would come in there and... but she didn't want to be locked in the room for two hours, three days... had to stretch my legs...

- Okay, we're not going to church, then... but you can walk around the shops... and you can practice a little more with the lasso and the bola...

- So let's go....

And the three left towards the center of the village. They visited the Praça da Matriz... Graça left her weapons with Maria and went to pray a little... Rosa accompanied her. After a while the two girls returned, and Graça asked her friend if she too wanted to go to church, but Maria declined... she wasn't feeling very religious at the moment... you just wanted to stretch your legs, enjoy nature .... the prayers, he would say them when he was back with his parents...

The three friends took their mounts and headed towards the mountains... they wanted to find a place where they could practice handling their weapons without the curious around them... even because they still "beat" to use their... tools . They were aware that, when the time came, there would be no room for any kind of error. For this reason they decided to train as much as they could. As always, the "brilliant ideas" always came from Grace. that she invited her friends to ... go out on her arm, as if they were really fighting. Maria didn't like the idea very much, neither did Rosa... but Graça's argument was unbeatable... if they didn't train with each other, how would they manage when they had to face a real fight? Reluctantly, the two ended up accepting the girl's suggestion... Rosa and Maria were the first to "arm out", with Graça standing to the side, encouraging her friends to exchange punches. When she thought the "footprint" wasn't good, she corrected her friends' posture....

- Rosa, no pulling hair... remember that most goats are bald! Maria, use your legs... kick the opponent, woman! Rosa, try to punch the face!... Guys, no bites, just the hands and legs! Maria, a knee! Rose, punch in the stomach!...

  Half an hour later the two stopped the "training"... both had several bruises and were really tired of fighting. When Graça tried to get her friends to face each other again, Maria refused...

- Graça, are you our friend, or the jaguar's friend? That way, when Zé Ferreira arrives, he won't even have to fight with us... after all, we're slaughtering ourselves... for me, that's enough!

And Maria leaned back against the trunk of a tree and closed her eyes, to rest from the beating she had taken from her friend Rosa... who was in as deplorable a state as she was.... Graça shrugged... they were both right... She lay back with her friends and closed her eyes, resting while basking in the autumn sun, meek and peaceful...