THE CRYSTAL CUP - chapter twelve

THE CRYSTAL CUP

chapter twelve

Cecilia was absorbed, totally involved in the novel she was reading, sitting on a bench in the square. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, so peaceful, as she did now. It is true that she needed to make some important decisions about her life. For example, she had to talk to her family about what she had decided for her life. She knew her mother would not take her decision to divorce her husband very well. And she knew he wouldn't take it that easily either. But she had to move on, and surely that would be what was best for her. But this wasn't the time to worry about that. Now she should simply make the most of the beautiful sunset she could see… and enjoy the book she was reading. She was rereading “The Mists of Avalon”, a novel that she liked a lot… she was traveling in the world of imagination, when she heard, far away, someone talking to her. She tried to ignore it, but the insistence was so much that she ended up leaving the fantasy world where she was, and returned to reality. She looked up. Opposite her was a young man… handsome, really, but not that handsome, like… he was trying to strike up a conversation with her. She looked at him with an air of indifference, but the boy did not give up. In an attempt to strike up a conversation with her, he glanced at the cover of the book and started talking about what the novel would be about. Of course, she didn't say anything about the story, but her ideas were interesting... after a few moments, Cecília even started to laugh at the considerations he made about the novel. They started talking about various things, until the boy invited her to have a snack. She ended up accepting, since he managed to attract her attention. She wasn't looking for romance at the moment, but what harm could there be in taking in a friend to clear her mind a little? Suddenly, talking to someone was all she needed right now. Yes, because it had been a week since she'd talked to anyone, and although she was normally a withdrawn person, every once in a while it was nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of. And so, there the two went, talking as if they were longtime friends…

It was almost midnight, and Cecília was still talking to the boy. She found out, because he said so and not because she wanted to know, that the boy lived in the neighboring town of Silverania, and came from one of the several rural properties at the foot of Mantiqueira. He was studying Agronomy in Lavras, and he was in town for a few days, as he wanted to refresh his mind a bit… just like her, Cecília suddenly thought. With the difference that she wanted to get away from life for a while, not from a school course... she finally decided it was time to retire, and headed to her hotel, always accompanied by her new acquaintance. They arrived at the hotel door, he tried to kiss her goodbye, she simply turned her face away, thus demonstrating that she didn't want any kind of intimacy. They said goodbye, and the boy left.

Already in bed, Cecília started to think and couldn't contain an outbreak of laughter, remembering that the first time she had had contact with Ricardo, it had been exactly like that. She was in a square reading a book… it just happened to be “Brumas”… when her husband appeared and started talking to her. The main difference was that he wasn't a student like the guy she had just met. He was someone who had a steady job, and had some ideas that matched his life projects. And that's why they ended up getting together… Their second date was a few days later. He called and invited her to walk around Horto Florestal. She loved the idea. And when they met, he gave her the music box... it was a simple thing, a cheap little gift, but the music was so beautiful, it had so much to do with her personality, that she kept the treat with great care... so much so that, even after almost seven years, the box still worked perfectly. The third date was to go to the movies. She no longer remembered the name of the movie they watched… in fact, saying they watched something was just rhetoric. She didn't see the credits of the film, not even the trailers... they were so close together during the entire projection of the film, that if someone unsuspecting saw the two in her seat, she would think that one person was just occupying the two places...

And so, little by little, Ricardo won over that shy girl. And they had been dating for three years, when he asked her to marry him. Of course, she accepted right away, since she wanted to live next to the one who would be her prince charming. And she chose a beautiful dress, white as tradition says, very waisted, full skirt, forming a very large cup, a bouquet of colorful flowers, where red roses were undoubtedly the highlight, the bodice of the dress, the skirt and the sleeves all adorned with beautiful white roses, and to hold her veil, a delicate pearl tiara. Yes, she was beautiful and even more beautiful on her wedding day, when she looked like a princess out of a fairy tale…

When she entered the church, everyone turned to see her. And Ricardo, with his black tailcoat, was very proud to have that beautiful girl as his companion. After the ceremony and reception, after being greeted by all the guests, they left for a little trip, as a honeymoon. Ricardo liked the sea, Cecília liked the mountains. So, so that the two could have their turn, they spent two days on the beach and then two days in a small town at the foot of the mountains, in a farm hotel. Finally they returned to the city, now husband and wife, living in the same house. And that's when the broth started to spill. If as lovers they agreed in everything, when they shared the same space, differences began to appear. And the first discussions were emerging. At first, they seemed silly things. But a couple's fight that is not immediately resolved, and that neither of them bothers to try to reach a common place, grows little by little, until it reaches an unsustainable point. And that's what ended up happening to the two of them. Little by little, without realizing it, they moved away from each other. That magic that connected them when they were simply lovers no longer existed. It got to the point where it seemed like they couldn't stand each other. However, when they were away from each other, she missed him. But she didn't give in, her pride wouldn't let her get closer to her husband. And then, he started coming home later. First, it was an hour or two late. Then he started arriving at dawn. And after a while, he started going out on the weekends… alone. She was upset about the situation, but she never wanted to take a step towards concord. And so was he. Anyway, they were living more or less… they managed to keep up appearances, at least at first. But, with the passage of time…

Her mother was sometimes unbearable, not even Cecília could stand her. Beata, she had her ideas about how a couple should live. And she never hid from anyone that she didn't like her son-in-law. Her father was calmer, but he never took sides with the boy when his wife humiliated him in front of his daughter. So it was no surprise that he avoided seeing his wife's family, since he didn't make out with his sisters-in-law either. In short... Cecília's family was partly to blame for the failure of their marriage...

The only times the couple didn't fight was when Ricardo brought his wife a new book as a gift. A voracious reader, her greatest happiness was to start reading a new novel. And her husband knew her tastes well, and from time to time he would present her with a novel that she had mentioned at some point at home... this showed that he, although he did not have the same love for books as she did, paid attention to what her I heard...

And so they sailed along for a while… he gave her some treats that he knew she would appreciate, and they moved on with their lives. Until that fateful day when Cecília got on the bus that her husband was driving... and saw him falling in love with that woman. Alright, their relationship as a couple was pretty deteriorated, but he could have at least respected his official wife… Kiss that slut in front of her and not even care about it? What was he thinking? She didn't have the blood of a cockroach and wouldn't admit having a partner in her marriage. So when he got home from work that night, she decided to have a serious talk with him. And that's when the broth spilled for good...