THE CRYSTAL CUP - Chapter Eighteen

 THE CRYSTAL CUP

Chapter Eighteen

Janet was worried. First, the news of Cecilia's disappearance. Then, the pregnancy before Estela's time. What else needed to happen? Thankfully, at least Helena was centered… it's true that it had been a long time since they'd spoken, but at least she knew that her eldest daughter thought very well before acting… and it was difficult for her to put her feet in her hands. Janete was finishing preparing dinner when the phone rang. "Okay, more bad news", she thought. Her first impulse was not to answer, but then she decided to see what it was. Maybe it was something really important...

- Ready?

- Hi, mom... I'm calling to say I have news from Cecília...

- And then?...

-She's fine… she came to town today, but she's already gone back to the countryside….

- Did you talk to her?

-No… but she sent me a message… she is working in a store in Minas…

- Mines?... In which city?

-She didn't mean it... the only thing I know is that she is separating from Ricardo...

- Finally, you're going to let go of that piece of shit...

- Mom, don't talk like that...

- Hey… did I tell a lie?

- Look, we better not even get into this subject...

The two were quiet for a few seconds. Finally, Janete broke the silence….

- And how do you know it was Cecília who sent you the message?

- Well, we have our secret codes...

- I tended…

- What matters is that she's okay. Better than us, if she wants to know...

- But what came into that girl's head, to leave like that?

- She had her reasons...

- What would they be...?

- Well, she promised that later she would come visit us, and then she would explain everything...

Janete's thoughts began to wander throughout the Universe, and she ended up disconnecting from the conversation with her daughter. Her daydreams took her back to her youth, when she still lived in a small country town. It was on a feast day for the patron saint of the place that she met Mario, a very nice boy. They ended up liking each other, falling in love and getting married. All this in less than a year after they met... Mario was a good-looking boy, who had his roots in the same city as Janete, but who left his parents' house very early to try his luck in the State Capital. He couldn't complain as he had been successful. A quiet, soft-spoken young man, he had gradually earned his place in the sun at a company in the field of agricultural equipment sales. By the way, that was the reason for his stay in that village… he was visiting a possible client, who had requested more information about an agricultural implement he was interested in…

- Did you understand everything I said, Mom?

Janete was abruptly called back to reality. She didn't know what to answer her daughter, as she hadn't heard a single word she said… but she tried to hide it…

- Uhn, uhn… of course, Helena…

- Great! So just wait for her to show up… now I have to hang up, mom… kisses… bye!

The phone hung in the air. The hand was still suspended, although the device was away from the ear. Of course, after all, the call had already ended. But Janete was trying to understand what her daughter had told her on the call… after all, who was going to come to her house? Cecília was not, since Helena had stated in all the letters that she was in the countryside and that she did not intend to return to those surroundings any time soon… so, who could it be, my God? ....

- Is there a problem, Jane?

- Huh? Oh, no… nothing, no…

- You got a little strange after you answered the phone...

She tried to change the subject...

- Did you know that Cecília is living in the countryside?

- This is news to me… since when?

-When she took the disappearing tea, she had gone to the interior with her suitcase...

- Did you go to Guará?

- No… actually, Helena doesn't know what her destiny was. The only thing she knows for sure is that she's gone somewhere lost in the countryside...

- But who said that to Helena?

- Cecilia herself. She even said that she would come here at home to explain everything…

- When?

- That she didn't say. She just said she would come...

- I do not know…

- Well, we can't do anything... the most we can do is wait...

- Cecília was never one to act that way…

- And do we know what goes on in people's heads? All we see and know is what is in front of our eyes...

- Yes…

- But at least we know she's okay...

Mario didn't answer. He was thoughtful, lost in a whirlwind of memories… in a way, what was happening with Cecília and her husband he had already experienced with Janete. A long time ago, the two quarreled and the wife left the house without telling him where she was going. It was more than a month of anguish and despair, as I had no idea where she could be. Logically, her in-laws' house was the first place she looked, without success. Then, friends' house... acquaintances... until she didn't know where else to look. They had been married for a short time at that time. None of the girls had been born yet. It was after they reconciled that Helena, the eldest daughter, was born. And they never had a fight on the scale of this one again... Of course, arguments always happened, but every time he realized they were going to take on a bigger dimension, he would retreat to a corner and wait for his wife to calm down. And so they went on with their lives. It is fair to say that, just as he tried to avoid as much as possible any friction with his wife, the reciprocal was true. The two tried to live a peaceful relationship, without major problems that could harm them. And with that, they were already married for thirty-five years…

Mario and Janete came from Guaratinguetá, a city in the Paraíba Valley. Mario came from the countryside, had been raised working in the fields. When he turned fourteen he thought it was time to change his life story, and left for São Paulo, with the blessing of his parents. With a lot of effort, he completed his studies and got a job in a company dedicated to the sale of agricultural machinery. In a short time he managed to master the art of selling and became one of the main representatives of the firm. And as he was from Serra da Mantiqueira, he ended up being responsible for assisting customers in that region. And it was on one of these work trips that he ended up meeting Janete. Janete was the daughter of a teacher and a pharmacist. She had always lived in the urban area, and although her mother taught in the countryside, she was not used to going out there. Her outings, in fact, boiled down to Sunday masses and walks with her friends through the city square. There was always some attraction on the bandstand, and she loved to honor them. And on a beautiful day… in fact, at night… the two met at the festival of the patron saint of the city… it was the 13th of June, the day of Saint Anthony. Santo Antonio is famous for being a matchmaker… and didn't he end up marrying the two young people? Eleven months after they met for the first time, they exchanged rings and vows of eternal love in front of the priest and all their family and friends. A year later, the couple's first and last ugly fight, when Janete simply disappeared into space. A whole month gone, without anyone having the slightest idea where she could be. Then reconciliation. Four more years passed, and finally the stork brought them Helena, the most beautiful baby in the world... they waited another four years for the stork to bring them Cecília... and four more for the arrival of their youngest, Estela... and so, they played. life, slow and unhurried.

Helena, the eldest, has always been the most focused of all. Introverted, she didn't like to participate in family gatherings. When uncles and cousins got together, she sought refuge in some corner, staying out of everyone's sight. She was discreet to the extreme, always trying not to be noticed by anyone. Few people could say they knew her… Cecília, the second, arrived when Helena was already four years old. For that reason, they weren't very close, since they never had converging interests. After all, when Cecília started her first year of elementary school, Helena was already a pre-teen... and when Estela reached the same stage, Helena already had other interests...

- Mario, is everything okay with our girl?

- I hope so, Jane... but who can say?

- I pray to God that everything works out for our girl…but I swear I don't understand… why did she decide to do such a thing?

- Well, she had someone to pull...

- …

- Remember when you did the same thing?

- I…

- I almost went crazy! I looked for you everywhere and couldn't find you... I even felt sorry for Ricardo... because I know what it's like to go through that...

-Well, if Ceci did that to him, it's because she deserved it… just like you, back then.

- I don't even remember what happened...

- When?

- When you took tea of disappearance...

- It was because of that blonde...

- What blonde?

- The daughter of the Fontouras...

Mario pulled his memory, trying to remember the girl his wife was talking about. He couldn't. He didn't even remember the name. But of course his wife didn't quite believe that. Not to say that he didn't remember any Fontoura, the only one he remembered was Biotonic, which he took a lot when he was a child...

- Was her name Fontoura?

- Stop pretending... Fontoura was the surname. The girl was called Laura...

Laura... Laura... Mario really didn't remember anyone with that name...

- But come here... did I get to talk to this girl?

- I caught you two making out, you shameless…

Now she screwed up… how could he have gotten tangled up with someone and not been able to remember? Okay, it had been over thirty years, but still…

- Well, I swear I don't remember...

- I just didn't end up with your party when I caught you, because I know myself enough and I wouldn't be good... so I preferred to disappear...

“Wait a minute”, thought Mario, “you mean I went through all that trouble because she confused me with someone? This one is hard to swallow…”

Knowing that if he continued with the conversation, they would end up fighting, Mario decided to end the conversation. He just hoped that Janete would decide to forget about the incident, and leave him alone...

- I think I'll call Helena. So she can let me know what happened...

- Do it, but after dinner. I'm on my way to the table...

Estela had just opened the door. She heard her mother talking about setting the table. She immediately warned...

- I won't eat… my stomach is not feeling well…~

- Daughter, you have to eat, yes… the nausea is due to your current condition. Soon it will pass.

- Your mother is right. You now have to eat for two. And don't worry if you throw up. Then just eat something again...

- Then I'll eat something... now I can't really...

And she went upstairs to her room.

Mario shrugged. As her father always said, you don't force anyone to eat, just work... and if the girl didn't feel like eating now, later she would surely attack the fridge. So he stocked her with his favorite delicacies. After all, he didn't want his first grandson to arrive weak in the world. After they had dinner, he called Helena. He had tried to call Cecilia directly, but the “phone out of coverage area” message was the only thing he could hear in his attempts to call.

- Helena?

- Hi, dad... what's up?

- Your mom said you talked to Ceci...

- Yes, she called me...

- Do you have her number?

- No… she used the “private number” option…

- Why?

-It's just that she said she's only going to come talk to us when she feels ready for it...

- But she called you...

- Yes, but only to make people calmer about their destiny. She said she didn't expect so much fuss with her decision to leave town for a while...

- And what did she expect?...

- I don't know, dad… anyway, only Ricardo and the police talked to her personally today. She called me when she had already left for Campinas... but that's not where she's living at the moment. She only took this bus to trick Ricardo...

- Poor guy...

- Poor thing, why? If she hadn't dropped the ball, none of this would have happened...

Mario was silent for a few moments… you couldn't tell he had already been through a similar situation a few years ago…

- Well, let us know if you have any news...

- All right, dad... good night...

- Good night, daughter... stay with God...