Home is who you are

Part Fourteen

14

When her sister Flávia arrived the first thing that came out of her mouth was "You've put on more weight, haven't you?", to which Gabi replied with a half-smile. They hugged long and tight. The guys exchanged an awkward handshake/half-hug/tap on the back thing and they went off to wait for a cab.

Flávia looked impeccable as always: fit, well-dressed, hair and nails freshly done. She looked so put together, Gabi hated her for a second. She became aware of how uncomfortable her jeans had become and how much her hair needed a trim. Not to mention that she couldn't remember the last time she'd been to a manicure.

"How was the flight? Could you get some sleep?" Gabi asked.

"Yes, we fell asleep right after dinner. We took a little pill." Flávia replied.

"Any trouble at customs?"

"Don't worry, I have your stuff."

"What stuff?" Tony turned around, curious.

"You'll see." Gabi winked.

Flávia, Rodrigo and Gabi sat in the back of the cab and soon forgot to speak English for the sake of Tony. All he knew was Oi, tudo bem?, por favor and obrigado, the rest was loud chatter and laughter. He should have made a bigger effort to learn Portuguese, he thought. He didn't mind it then, his wife needed to catch up with her family and hopefully their presence would cheer her up.

Their street was packed. The cab driver double parked in front of their building and told them to get their things out quickly. Gabi pointed around, telling her sister what was what. "That's the bakery, I go there a few times a week. The subway station is just down the street, there's also a bus stop close by but I prefer the subway. There's a supermarket ten minutes from here, we can go there later if you need anything."

"If you want to hang your clothes, I made space in the closet. We'll blow the air mattress later. Are you hungry? I baked a cake, there's bread, cheese, cookies..."

"Actually what I really need is a shower." Rodrigo said.

"Oh, sure! Come, I'll show you where everything is."

They chose a spot in the living room for their suitcases, Gabi got them clean towels, showed them how to get the shower temperature just right and Rodrigo went first.

Flávia took a package out of her suitcase, sat on the couch and motioned for Gabi to join her.

"Mom spent hours making these the night before we left, so that they would still be fresh when we got here."

Gabi ripped the plastic bag and opened the box to find a letter and the best sweets in the world: her mother's cajuzinhos, made of peanuts and chocolate and shaped like a big teardrop. She took one, smelled it and took a tiny bite, leaving it on her tongue for as long as she could.

The letter was written on plain notebook paper, in her mother's neat handwriting. It read:

"Dear Gabriela,

May these sweeten your days and replenish your heart.

We miss you here, but all I wish is for you to be happy.

I'm so proud of the strong woman you've become.

Never forget that our home is always your home.

Love, Mom."

"Mom, ever the poet." Gabi got up, put the letter in her pocket, quickly wiped a tear away and started setting the table for coffee. Her sister helped and they were alone and quiet for the first time since the airport. They glanced at each other across the table, at a loss for words. Rodrigo came out of the shower and they all sat down to eat.