João Felipe
We both burst out laughing until I started moaning from the pain in my rib area.
"We shouldn't be making fun of such a serious matter," she said in an attempt to get serious and we smiled at each other in a complicit way.
"We shouldn't."
After that moment of complicity between us, she excused herself and left my room quickly.
I was feeling alone, because although we had not lived our love in a complete way, the moments in which I was with Viviane, throughout life and especially when we met in the apartment that I bought specifically for our clandestine meetings, I felt completely and fulfilled. It seemed like life made perfect sense in those moments. But I was an idiot and didn't know how to give it my due value and now I needed to run after that woman!
I was trying to watch something on TV, but despite the many channels and the wide variety of programming available, I couldn't focus on anything. I should have been taking advantage of the small opening in Vivi's armor and trying to find more space in her life, but I was lying there, suffering with every movement, which was making me quite angry.
Until I heard a little cry of unmistakable joy coming towards my room. I raised my head and saw that it was my mother bringing my little one.
"My little one! I missed you, my love," I said, stretching out my arms so she would come closer to me.
She grimaced very funny, much like her mother had done that afternoon in my room and I cracked a big smile. I was in love with those women.
" Uncle?” Sarinha spoke uncertainly as if to make sure I was her own uncle.
Although I loved that little creature, I didn't understand the rejection I felt every time she called me uncle, because it was like it wasn't right.
I put that feeling aside once more and spoke to her so that she could recognize my voice, since my face was in that pity, as my mother said.
"It's uncle yes, Sarinha. She sits here next to me, my little "I indicated my side of the bed so that my mother would sit down too, which she did, arranging Sarinha so that she could be close, but not so much that it could hurt any of my injuries.
I was playing with her for a long time, but not enough, because when my mother warned me that it was time for Sarinha's bath and to put her to sleep, I was disappointed. Time passes so fast when we are with those we love.
When my mom was leaving, I asked something I had been wanting to know since she arrived in the room, but I didn't think it was a good idea. Curiosity won the battle and I asked the question.
"Does Viviane know that you brought Sarah here?"
"Of course, son. But what a silly question " My mother smiled, making a gesture of carelessness with her hand.
"And where is she? Usually, she spends all her free time with Sarinha."
" It's organizing Sarah's stuff, because Isabela has already left, since she is off duty and only returns on Monday. " my mother explained.
After she left, I was thoughtful, trying to find a way to have a few more moments alone with Viviane, a way for us to understand each other, but it was difficult, even with João Pedro thousands of miles away.
Viviane
In the days that followed, João Felipe didn't leave me alone, with his attempts to talk to me, which actually translated into convincing me to give him a second chance, something I really wasn't willing to do at all.
He returned to work at Mendes the following Tuesday, but he was always at home at the same times as me, always making meals when I was at the table with him and when I came home from work he was already at home, playing with Sarinha, which was leaving me with my nerves on edge.
I was leaving the foundation that late afternoon, when I looked around, in search of Fabiano's car, because the family's driver always left me and picked me up at work, when a car stopped in front of the building caught my attention because it was the same as João Felipe's.
I thought I was imagining things, when a person got out of the car and made me have practically a heart attack, of the fright I had to see him. I couldn't believe my eyes when I realized it was really Felipe.
He was crossing all boundaries now. Coming to pick me up at work was more than I could bear. I was ready to say just that when I approached the car and realized my mom was in the hitchhiker's seat.
He walked a little to meet me, which allowed me to speak quietly without being heard by my mother.
" But what's going on here?" I asked in a low tone, but one that made clear the annoyance I was feeling.
"We came to get you, Vivi. Mrs. Lúcia was complaining that you always arrive so late, even more so today that Fabiano could not come and get you."
I was immediately worried about what might have happened when he reassured me that the driver was with his wife in the hospital since she had had a baby.
I was happy to know that Fabiano's little son had been born and I decided to collaborate with João Felipe, responding to his request that I get in the car.
My mother got out of the car at that moment as she was on a call and hadn't paid attention to my arrival.
"Hi, daughter! I was missing you."
We hugged and my kiss snapped a kiss on my cheek, as she always did when she found me.
" I was also missing, " I said when I managed to get away from Mom a bit. " But what surprise was that? He came to pick me up at work" I spoke in a moderate tone, not showing my displeasure with the situation.
"When we heard that Fabiano had gone to the hospital, João was coming home from work and offered to come to pick you up. I took the opportunity to get to know the place."
"Can we go, ladies?" he spoke, catching our eye, since we were standing on the sidewalk of the huge foundation building where I worked.
"We talked better on the way, Mom."