THE CRYSTAL CUP - Chapter Sixty Two

THE CRYSTAL CUP

Chapter Sixty Two

After a peaceful day in the company of his daughter, Ricardo felt lighter. So much so that he ended up sleeping at his mother's house on Sunday night too, to be with the little one a little longer. Yes, he hadn't felt so light in a long time as he did in this break he had taken in his life. But she is dynamic, and never stops, no matter what is happening around her... they can be good or bad things, life continues on its journey, bringing new things to each one, distributing among mortals that part that fits. And so, at four o'clock on Monday morning, Ricardo woke up, ready to return to his usual routine. Five-thirty sharp he was already taking over his machine. He had twenty minutes to reach the terminal. Enough time, if his partner wasn't late to take up his post. But on that day, the companion lost time, and so that they wouldn't miss the exit, a collector on duty was assigned to work with him. Ricardo didn't really like working with people he wasn't used to, but he didn't have much to do... suddenly the person who was going to replace his partner could be nice and the day very fruitful. Finally they sent him the person who would work on his car that day. She was a newcomer to the company. The girl would have been thirty, thirty-five years old. She wasn't pretty or ugly... she was average, according to her assessment. She was friendly, talkative. At first glance, Ricardo liked his partner. Now it was just waiting to see how she would behave during the working day... after all, they would have four or five trips during working hours to get to know each other...

Six-fifteen in the morning his car pulled up to the terminal platform. The conductor was at his post, welcoming passengers. Everything as expected so far. Finally everyone boarded, the doors were closed and the car slowly pulled away from the platform. He passed through the terminal's exit control, took the access to the avenue and finally entered the corridor. He liked this line because it ran from terminal to terminal, so he didn't have to kill himself with risky maneuvers. In the early days, when he made some trips from the neighborhood to the terminal, he was apprehensive every time he had to enter a street... many times he didn't take a car by pure miracle, since people had no qualms about parking on both sides from the streets, even though they are narrow and articulated bus route. Many times he would almost touch the cars parked in the lanes. Of course, he took the utmost care in these maneuvers, as if he caused any damage to the vehicle, the damage would come out of his pocket. But not today. Today he was in paradise. It was a relatively short line... it was making Terminal Santo Amaro-Terminal Bandeira and the entire length of the line would travel in an exclusive lane for buses. And best of all... straight line, no sharp curves...

After completing the second trip of the day, his car was parked outside the terminal, as it was his lunch hour... he invited his partner to go to a snack bar. The girl was a bit embarrassed, said she had no money... it was her first day at work at the company. Like a good gentleman, she said he was inviting her, that she didn't have to worry about it. It would be a pleasure for him to have her in his company. Well, you're hungry, you don't have any money, you're invited to lunch with someone... of course you'll accept, won't you? Even if you have some reservations, you end up putting them aside and that's ok... your stomach speaks louder. In addition, Ricardo was a charming, charismatic and handsome young man. Yes, since he had his treatment he had regained all his former vigor. He was someone else now. At least externally...

As they devoured their meal, Ricardo couldn't help but compare his work partner with his two exes... she was coming out of a relationship that didn't work out, she had two children, a seven-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy, she was living temporarily with his family and their separation had not been the most peaceful. Her ex had threatened her with death and swore that if she didn't come back to her side, she would soon be living in a cemetery. Ricardo listened to everything very attentively. When she talked about her married life, the fights she had with her ex and asked his opinion, he said that she was right about her complaints. But, internally, the terms he used to classify her would horrify her, if she had the ability to read minds... but for her, Ricardo said she was absolutely right, how could a person act like her husband... well, he was exactly the same himself... Of course he wasn't going to tell the girl that, was he? When she asked what his status was, he said that he was single, that he wasn't with anyone, and that he didn't have any commitments... he was free and unencumbered... he noticed the young woman's interest in him, so he began to unravel his make-believe rosary... by the end of the day, the two were already great friends and left the garage together, embracing...

They ended up going to the movies together, then to a diner...the whole script. The only reason they didn't end up in a hotel was because when he hinted at that possibility, the girl jumped out of the water, as they say, explaining that she wasn't ready for it... besides, they'd just met. it is important to say that she was not angry or offended by the proposal, since he made it covertly... that is, she understood the hint, but the way he made it seemed more like a compliment to her person than anything else ... Ricardo was a seductive person... she apologized, as if she was wrong in not accepting the proposal, justifying herself by the fact that she had just left a frustrated relationship. Ricardo said he understood, that there was no problem... and asked if she would like to go out with her again. Of course the girl was delighted... she really liked the boy...

When he dropped her off at her house and returned home, his judgment of the girl was only one... "this one really sucks... a little more that I squeezed, and we'd be in bed, now... and still wants to pass herself off as a saint... she's just like Cecília... she's worthless"...