WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIAS Chapter Nine

WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIAS

Chapter Nine

Rosa hadn't visited Izabel for a while... after all, life as a teacher is a bit hectic... preparing lessons, correcting lessons, preparing tests, updating class diaries... but that day she decided to stop by her shop. friend. Well... friend, friend, you couldn't say who she was... after all, the two hadn't seen each other for a long time... after Graça left for the Capital, the two ran into each other a few times... in the end, these encounters became more and more rare. How long had it been since Rosa visited Izabel? And Izabel, did you ever visit her? No matter how hard she strained her memory, she couldn't remember. Okay, that wasn't important. Anyway, Rosa thought it was time to visit her…whatever…friend. And she went into the store. The clock said two o'clock in the afternoon. Izabel was in the office looking at some documents. She was distracted. Rosa stopped in the doorway and knocked lightly. Izabel raised her head and saw her close friend standing there, looking at her... she made a sign for her to enter the room...

- Rose... how long has it been!

- That's right... me, with my group, you with your shop... busy life, isn't it?

- Yeah... when we realize it, time has passed...

- And the life how is it?

- In truth? Or would you rather I lie?

- Is it that bad?

- Well, life has its ups and downs... let's say mine is on the low side at the moment...

- I didn't understand...

- Don't worry... when you get married, you'll understand...

Rose knocked three times on wood...

- Get out there... I was once married, have you forgotten?

- That's right... what a head of mine...

- All I can say is that, in this trap, I don't fall anymore...

Isabel laughed...

- Let's put this... issue aside, okay? Can I help you with something?

- Bel, actually I came to invite you to lunch with me... and then we could have a little chat...

Izabel got up from her chair, grabbed her purse and got ready to leave...

- You came at a good time... I haven't had lunch yet, I had a fight with Juca in the morning and I need to relax a little...

- So let's go...

And the two left towards the square, not before Izabel gave some instructions to her maids. Her husband had left and had not yet returned. She would probably be mulling over the morning fight until now, as she was doing... Lageado was growing... it even had a restaurant, evolution of the pension that existed in the main square of the town. as the region grew, the service was changing and today it had the air of a big city... Yes, Lageado was changing! The two arrived at the Restaurant, looked at the menu and each ordered their favorite dish... Izabel asked a Strozzapreti, with pancetta sauce sautéed in olive oil, mixed with cooked pasta with a lot of pecorino cheese and raw egg yolks, cooked slightly with the heat of the pasta, fresh parsley and black pepper. The egg yolks, together with the pasta water and the cheese, formed a fine and creamy sauce... Rosa wanted to enjoy an Orecchiette with tomato sauce and brascioles (meatballs). To accompany, a white wine... They exchanged cards for some time... as I said before, the two weren't very intimate, but when they remembered their crazy times, they had fun with the memories. After devouring their order, they decided to end the party with a tiramisu... and by then, the clock in the square was already showing more than half past three in the afternoon. The two girls ended up not seeing the time pass. Izabel thought it was great... after all, she needed to clear her head a bit. Sometimes the overload of responsibilities... the store, the employees, the husband, the children, the house... there were times when she felt like throwing it all away...

They left and decided to continue the conversation sitting in the main square... Izabel wasn't too worried about her shop... after all, by now her husband should have returned from his appointment in Quiririm, where he had gone that morning. And she thought it was good that Juca had a little headache with the store now and then. it is clear that she understood that her husband could not fully dedicate himself to the store, since he worked as an administrator of the Nardi farm, a position he inherited from Izabel's father. But sometimes she pretended she didn't know that. And she pressured him to take over the reins of his enterprise....

Rosa noticed that her... friend... even though she was trying to look happy, she was a little down, so to speak. And she started asking casually about what was going on. Slowly, she broke her friend's resistance, which gradually opened up. Izabel confessed that she hasn't been sleeping well lately. She was having nightmares, the likes of which she had never had in her life...

As they talked, they began to walk. And, step by step, they ended up reaching the river, which was not that far from the center of the village. Izabel started talking about her nightmare... every night she dreamed that she was riding through a meadow... at first, the place was clean, beautiful... but as she went on, everything ended up taking on a dismal aspect. The hardest part was when she arrived at her destination... a shadowy canyon, with a twisted tree, whose shadows projected on the wall resembled souls from hell. And she felt an indescribable horror... and woke up terrified, not infrequently without moaning with fear! Yes, these dreams were killing her... she was even thinking about visiting Dona Rosaria, a healer who lived at the foot of the mountains, because she didn't know who else to turn to... Rosa decided to talk about her strange experience the night before. And she told her friend everything in detail... the two were silent for a few moments, looking at the water of the river that flowed gently to somewhere further ahead... When she described the path she had taken to reach the place where she had found her friend. the toy rabbit, Izabel looked at her, incredulous... it was the place where her nightmare began...

- But what is happening to us, Rosa?

- I don't know... but it's weird, isn't it?

- How can we both dream of the same place?

- I have no idea... all I can say is that I've never seen it before...

- Neither do I... does the priest know how to tell us what to do?

- Better not... he's very attached to the norms of his church... maybe...

- Yeah, you're right...

And the two were silent again, this time each one immersed in their thoughts. After some time, they decided to go back to the village... they went straight to Izabel's store, as it was time to close shop. Juca was closing the store doors when the two arrived...

- But is this time to arrive, woman? Where were you?

- Juca, go fill another one... I was talking to Rosa...

- But at work time? They could have left it...

- Enough... I don't want to argue now. She needed to talk and that's what I did...

- I think I'd better let you...

- No, Rosa, don't worry... Juca didn't mean to offend you... right, Juca?

The boy was speechless. Izabel looked at him, said she would go home later, and left with Rosa, as they had a lot to talk about... that's what she said to her husband...