THE CRYSTAL CUP - Chapter Thirty One

 THE CRYSTAL CUP

Chapter Thirty One

 

After a few troubled days, Helena came to the conclusion that she should get out of her routine a little to clear her mind. And that's what she did... she asked for a week's leave from her job (she was already two years without a vacation) and tried to hit the road. Her trip would have to be by bus, since she didn't have a car at her disposal... but she decided to check how much renting one would be... suddenly, the value could compensate, with the comfort it would bring. While researching rental prices, she ended up falling in love with a cart that was in the yard of the rental company for sale... it was a two-year-old car, but it was really beautiful. As a result... he ended up going on a trip with his new car... a silver Ford Ka hatch, because after he saw it at the agency, he didn't calm down until he was able to close the deal. to arrange all the documentation for the vehicle and review it, to make sure it could hit the road with peace of mind.

She decided to go out into the world, without a certain destination. On a beautiful Sunday morning, she kissed her parents and hit the road. She would have a whole week to rest and, perhaps, get rid of the nightmares that tormented her so much. In fact, the pleasure trip had been a suggestion from her psychologist, who after listening to her, came to the conclusion that all Helena had was fatigue, due to working too much and resting too little... marked, but the doctor only wanted to see her after she followed her instructions and was away from the city for a few days. And that's what she did....

As the summer wasn't over yet, she decided to visit the Enchanted Valley... she would spend the whole day diving in the pool, and only at night would she continue her trip around the world... And she tried to have fun all day, making the most of it. the warm water in some of the pools... all day long she enjoyed herself... alone, yes, but it was as if she were with a group of friends... she managed to relax a lot. In the afternoon, she hit the road again, heading for the city of São Luis do Paraitinga, in the Paraíba Valley... she wanted peace and quiet, and São Luiz still had the bucolic air of a country town... she chose one quiet guesthouse to stay. She didn't arrive too late at the inn, as she left Biritiba Mirim around three in the afternoon. About six hours later, she was already comfortably installed in her room... after a nice and relaxing bath, it was time to think about where to eat... and she decided to go downtown, look for a quiet place.

 

The day dawned warm and serene, the scent of tree leaves spread through the air. Helena got up, ate her breakfast and decided to go out to see the city center. Yes, she had already passed through the city a few times but, no, she never had the time to get to know more closely the soul of the small village that was the center... I say "small village" because the center was very different from the rest of the city. .. the old constructions, keeping the architectural lines of when they were built, sent the imagination to a distant past, when the cattle campaigns crossed the streets of the small town. Sitting on one of the benches in the main square, closing her eyes, Helena could almost hear the sound of the horn calling the cattle on their way... yes, peace could be felt in the air of that locality. If there were no problems there? Where in this world is there none? But at least for Helena, at that moment, it was Heaven on Earth and it was the ideal place to scare away her ghosts...

After some time simply lingering, the girl came to the conclusion that it was time to get to know new corners... and she decided, after much thought, to visit the Serra do Mar State Park. She knew she could take a beautiful walk through the park's trails, and she didn't think twice... she went for it. The car trip to the Park wasn't long, and soon she was walking along the marked trails, enjoying the contact with the green spread around her. It was almost like a trip back to her childhood, when she walked through the woods accompanied by her parents and grandparents... whenever the family went to visit their grandparents in the interior, they took the opportunity to explore the large forest that was close to the village. Many stories were told about this forest. It was part of a long-abandoned farmhouse, and was reputed to be haunted. Of course, most people made fun of this story, but Helena always felt bad every time they went out on the trail. Quite different from the feeling she felt when walking through the park. The view was beautiful... from where she was walking, it was possible to appreciate the waterfall that fell over the rocks... it wasn't a very high drop, but that certainly made that stretch unhealthy to navigate. After all, a fall from seven meters high was really unpleasant... in addition to that, when reaching the riverbed again, the waters cut large blocks of stone, which would make it even more difficult for anyone to navigate that stretch. Helena went down to the riverbank, took off her shoes and entered the water, walked a little into the river and, realizing that she was alone in that place, decided to take off her clothes and swim a little in the icy waters of the place. He stayed for an hour or so, making the most of the warm temperature it was at the moment. She rested a little on the bank, waiting for the breeze to dry her body, since she hadn't taken any towel... after feeling dry, she put on her clothes again and started to make her way back... She was happy and satisfied. .. the ride had been pretty good up until that point. The nightmares that were tormenting her decided to give her a break and, after a long time, Helena saw the world in a more pleasant way...

It was already evening when Helena returned to her inn. She had already had dinner, even attended mass at the main church, and now all she wanted was a warm bed and a good night's sleep... and so she did...

Helena woke up the next day light and calm. The night's sleep was really restorative. She got up, had her coffee and got ready to continue exploring the outskirts of the city. After thinking a little about what she would do during her second day in the region, she decided to stop by Cunha, as the city wasn't that far from where she was. She was always fascinated by the history of the State, and decided to visit the Francisco Veloso Museum, where there were pieces referring to the Constitutionalist Revolution in its collection. It was her first stop. After appreciating the pieces on display there, and accessing the Municipal Library and being enchanted by the books on display there, she decided to visit the Ceramist Park in the city. After all, Cunha had in its roots the tradition of ceramist art inherited from the Tamoio Indians. Since the year 1000, when the Tamoios/Tupis expelled the Tapuias, who made rudimentary pottery art one of their high points... in the Noborigama kilns, introduced in the city in 1975 by the couple Toshiyuki, Mieko Ukeseki and Alberto Cidraes, using the space of the Municipal Slaughterhouse that was closed, by the lending regime, ceded by the Municipality of Cunha.

Helena was delighted with the pieces produced there and her impetus was to take as many pieces as she could. However, the physical space of her vehicle was an imposition on what to take as a souvenir, and she ended up choosing two vases, one of which would be a gift for her mother, and the other, she would stay at home... She consulted her watch and realized how late it was... so she decided to end her visit and return to the inn... but not before trying the Carbonara from Il Pumo... she had heard that this was an incomparable dish, and how crazy she was about pasta , would not miss the opportunity to try this dish, which just talking about it already made her mouth water... when that plate of spaghetti arrived with that crunchy guanciale (guanciale is a type of non-smoked Italian bacon, prepared with the pig's cheeks, where the meat is rubbed with salt and black pepper and cured for three weeks...) with that egg yolk, black pepper and grated parmesan sauce... well, she felt like she was in heaven with each mouthful I consumed from the plate...

After the meal, it was time to return to São Luís. She was happy because the day had been fruitful and fun. And the only thing she wanted was for the rest of the week to be as good as those first few days were...