THE COUSINS: CARMEN & LARA

Capítulo 7

Sebastiana had probably heard everything from the kitchen, but she did not appear in the hallway. The gardener might have noticed something, but he would also continue his work of planting seedlings outside. Only I felt the weight of this bad moment fall on me and my cousin.

I hugged Carminha and felt her sobbing on my shoulder, like a child watching her leave the house. For my cousin, the husband was the father, the older brother, never the husband. So I saw this marriage. The age difference between them was twenty years.

Already Carminha's age difference to his daughter was ten. But most of the time this difference between the two did not seem to exist. Carminha was like a sister, not like a mother-stepmother. And the two fought each other's love with their arms. It was a game nobody won.

In these five years of marriage, Carminha had two miscarriages. The marriage was losing its tune, because nothing, not even, the suffering of the loss of the baby, made Carminha mature.

-Listen, you do not have to tell me anything right now. Let's have lunch, okay? - I said holding her face and wiping the tears away with the tips of my fingers.

-Then you calmly tell me what happened. Let's eat something because, as my aunt used to say, empty bag does not stand upright". And then I think of that avalanche that came into your life.

Carminha would obey me as she always did when she was in trouble or in trouble and knowing that I would do anything to help. I knew her perhaps more than she herself, tried to change in her the things I felt were wrong, but almost always unsuccessful. I kept trying anyway. I was only five years older than her, but for me, in my head and way of thinking, it was so much more.

- Let's go! And I already know where I want to go. Campos do Jordão! I'm going to ask Sebastiana to bring us some wine to celebrate.

I did not believe it, but Carminha said it smiling "from ear to ear." A minute ago she was tears and humiliation. And now she was all excited. At lunch, he said,

-Let's stay at the best hotel, Toriba. And you Sophia can meet with us on Friday or Saturday.

- Alone? By bus? Sophia asked in disbelief.

- I have an idea! Said Carminha, looking at me like that, just like that, watch what I do now:

-Hector the gardener, he has a car, he can take you there. I pay for gas and I get some change. Carminha continued.

-Are not you going to do that? -  I said wanting to warn that hollow head.

- What 's wrong with that? He is our gardener and can provide us with an extra service. After Rio de Janeiro to Campos do Jordão it is only four and a half hours.

- What's his car? Sophia asked, looking offended by the offer.

- He can go with my car. I'd rather go by bus with Lara. I do not like driving on the road.

-If so -  Sophia agreed.

-I'll talk to him after lunch. But I think he'll take it. You may as well seek us all. A toast to our trip!