Blood-drenched Beard

* He came. He got there before me. He just left. I’ve never seen your brother like that — he looked terrified. He was afraid of running into you, of course. He spent ages over by the coffin…. Of course he didn’t cry — your brother doesn’t cry, you know what he’s like. All he asked was if I knew what time you were coming and if she was coming with you. I told him she wasn’t coming, but he doesn’t have a problem with her. It’s you he doesn’t want to see. He told me he couldn’t stay. He said, if I do, I’ll plant one on him when I see him. And I told him, Your father’s lying there dead. Stop being a child, you’re almost thirty-three years old, do it for your dad, he’d want you two to make up. But your brother just laughed…. I don’t know why, I’ve never understood, but your father and him always had something that was theirs alone. Go figure. He had Beta in the car with him…. I have no idea, Dante…. I also think it’s really weird, but I’m afraid to ask. Your father left a note… he left the house to me and some money for you kids. We’re going to read his will tomorrow. He didn’t have anything else, it’s incredible. He blew everything. And now it’ll be a while because there’s all the bureaucracy—. Nothing. Oh, there’s also a private pension plan, which will go to you two. It’s a decent sum of money. He wrote, about the house, Do what you want with it, Sônia, but I know you’re going to sell it and split the money between the princes. That’s what I’ll do, of course. It’s been so long since I loved that man and we fought so much afterward that I can’t remember what it was like any more. But your brother stayed for about fifteen minutes, spoke to Uncle Natal, to Golias, who’s over there… he’s the only one of your father’s old pals that I can stand too. He spoke to that woman there who I don’t know. Was she his girlfriend?… I knew it. Just look at that tart’s face, all stretched out…. A whole bunch of them are going to show up — there’ll be venom flying everywhere, and they’re going to treat me as if I was some parched old prune…. What?… He didn’t do anything else. He came, looked in the coffin, and left…. No, darling. Come to think of it, he did say that he’d have to talk to me some other time because he was moving. He’s leaving Porto Alegre…. I don’t know yet. He just wanted to leave. Except for the minute he spent over at the coffin, he spent the whole time looking at the gate and then he came and said, I’ve got to go, I’d better go, then he hugged me and left…. But I tried! It’s your father’s wake, I said, stop being a child, it’s going to be horrible for me, for you, but he upped and left. I think he only came for my sake — if he didn’t, people would give me a hard time. He just stayed long enough to be seen, but what good was it, leaving like he did? Family was never our speciality. Only you, darling. I was able to introduce him to Ronaldo, I’m going to introduce you too in a minute, he’s gone to park the car somewhere else, he was afraid of getting a fine, there are parking meters…. Yes, I’m happy…. Do you think so? I’m old, that’s what I am…. Just because I’m your mother. But it may be. We look better when we’re at peace with ourselves. It’s a tragedy what your father did, but we had been so distant for such a long time. I thought he’d die of a heart attack or something like that at some point — after all, he never looked after himself, as you know, but something like this… at his age. Why do it at sixty-four? And in such a horrible way, he could have… Yes, we’ll never know. Now he’s gone…. Yes…. I agree, darling…. Yes, you’re right…. No, leave your brother in peace. It’ll be worse. Let him be. He doesn’t want to see you. If he didn’t want to see you today, he doesn’t want to see you ever again…. I think so too, but that’s how he is. I think you suffer more than he does, darling…. Yes, I know. But let’s not talk about it now, okay? Come here, let your mother give you a kiss…. They let you pay for the service in four installments. This funeral parlor is good. We’ll put it all down on paper afterward. Look, here comes Ronaldo. I’m so happy with him. You have to come visit us…. Yes, it’s near Assis Brasil. São Paulo isn’t so far. It’s just a hop, skip, and a jump. You should come more often. Okay? Come visit your mother more. Ronaldo, this is my eldest.