I was still asleep when I began hearing footsteps throughout the house, birds singing, the smell of coffee, a rooster crowing, and people talking in the distance.
“Oh! That’s right... I’m in the countryside!”
But what time is it? My phone didn’t even go off, and the alarm was set for 6:30. Where did I put my phone?
I looked toward the window and realized through the white lace curtain that it was still dark.
“My God! What is this? It hasn’t even started getting light out!”
The night before, I hadn’t been able to sleep properly. Everything bothered me: the sheets, the bed, my thoughts, and the sounds of crickets and cicadas in the brush, which played an infernal serenade and seemed to crawl inside my head, already crammed with worries.
I wanted to sleep, but my mind wouldn’t let me.
Had coming here been a good idea?
Of course it had! I was with people who loved me—my family!
But that brute didn’t even know me and had already treated me so badly...
Oh! That’s right! I’d forgotten about my million-dollar family!
I shot out of bed.
If he broke them, he’d better watch out! He was going to pay me back. Not the nineteen reais... He was going to pay me the two hundred reais I’d lost!
I opened the bag, and there they were: the hen, her chicks, the rooster husband, and the miniature vase with the little flower. They were all intact and perfectly preserved.
I was almost disappointed.
That would’ve been the perfect excuse to get revenge on that guy. If he’d broken even one chick, or so much as cracked it, he would’ve been sorry!
But my million-dollar family was perfectly fine.
Soon, a delicious aroma began to fill the room.
It was the smell of coffee and freshly baked cake.
My mother’s cake!
Wow... I could recognize that smell from a mile away!
Then I heard voices again.
“Is she awake yet?” It was my father’s voice.
“I wanted to know if she’d need anything. I’m going to town with Valdemir. If she needs something, I’ll bring it back.”
“I’ll take a look. If she’s awake, I’ll ask her,” my mother replied.
I heard footsteps approaching the room, followed by three knocks on the door.
“Are you awake?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Do you need anything from town? Your father asked me to check.”
“No, Mommy. I’m fine.”
Even if I had needed something, I wouldn’t have wanted that Valdemir doing me another favor.
“Breakfast is ready. Come have coffee with us.”
“I’m coming down, Mom! But first I want to give you a present.”
“For me?”
My mother loved getting presents, especially decorations for the house.
I handed her the bag. She looked like she’d just won a handful of gold nuggets. The joy written all over her face was worth every cent those decorations had cost.
She ran to the kitchen, calling out to a woman:
“Look! Look what my daughter gave me! Now my little farm is complete!”
I put on my robe, slowly walked down the stairs, and followed the voices to the kitchen.
Near the stove stood a woman about my mother’s age, but she looked older, as if life, hard work, and the sun had left their marks on her.
Beside her was a young woman my age, very beautiful, with long, straight black hair. She had an elegant bearing. If it weren’t for her simple clothes, she could easily have passed for a model or a movie actress.
The two of them smiled at me as if they’d known me forever, and my mother immediately began the introductions.
“Lia, this is Lourdes. She’s been my friend since school. We played together when we were little. And this is Vanessa. You two used to play together as babies whenever I came here. She’s your age.”
Well... if only I could remember. It’s not like twenty years had passed or anything, right?
“It’s nice to meet you, Aunt Lourdes. How are you?”
I shook her hand, but she pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my cheek like she was welcoming a beloved daughter.
“You’ve grown into such a beautiful young woman! What a proud moment! Congratulations, Raquel. Your daughter is beautiful and so well-mannered!”
“Thank you, Auntie!”
Then I hugged Vanessa.
“It’s nice to meet you... I mean, to see you again.”
“Meet her? No, child! See her again! You already know each other!” Aunt Lourdes said.
Vanessa just smiled shyly.
“She’s shy, but once she becomes your friend, she’ll never let you go.”
“Just wait until you meet my sons. Everyone calls them ‘the three Vals.’”
“What do you mean, the three Vals?”
“It’s because their father’s name was Valdemiro. So he put ‘Val’ at the beginning of all his sons’ names. Even Vanessa’s.”
She burst out laughing, such a warm laugh that it filled the kitchen and infected everyone around her.
She was a very cheerful woman, despite everything life seemed to have put her through.
“Their names are Valdimar, the youngest; Valdinei, the middle one; and Valdemir, the oldest.”
I couldn’t believe such a kind woman could be the mother of that surly brute. How was that even possible?
My mother smiled.
“They’re all very good boys. Valdemir is your father’s right-hand man here on the farm, just as his father was your grandfather’s. The other two work here too.”
She looked at Lourdes.
“Their father and your father have been close friends since they were little. When I met your father, he was always with Valdemiro. Isn’t that right, Lourdes?”
The two of them looked at each other and started laughing as if they were hiding some hilarious secret.
Vanessa and I exchanged confused looks, but soon ended up laughing too.
We were almost finished with breakfast when someone appeared in the kitchen doorway.
“Excuse me... Can I come in? I came to have coffee.”
“Come in! Of course!”
“Bless me, godmother!”
He said it while looking at my mother.
“Bless me, Mom!”
They answered together:
“May God bless you!”
“This is Valdimar,” Aunt Lourdes explained.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lia.”
He smiled.
“I know! And I’m sorry about yesterday. I couldn’t wake up to come pick you up. You must have suffered through Valdemir’s bad mood.”
He smiled so beautifully, still holding my hand, that I was completely speechless.
I just smiled back.
Then he sat down and began having breakfast.