In the evening, Flavia is putting the dishes on the dinner table, but her brain is working above normal concerning the trip to Victoria. Uélton approaches her coming from work, showered, and wearing a woody perfume.He approaches from behind and kisses his wife's neck, causing her to almost drop one of the dishes, “Oops, honey! Careful, don't scare me.”“I didn't mean to scare you. I wanted to kiss you good evening!” Uélton reasons like a child.Flavia's uncertainty only grows and she blurts out without thinking, “Let's leave Reuben at the Rocha Mansion!”Uélton gets angry and grabs Flávia by the wrist, forcing her to turn around to face him, “Negative, my dear! Reuben will stay here at home with his dad! Why do we need to bother Josias at all?”“I thought he was your best friend...” Flávia tries to free herself while uttering this lame excuse.“No way.” Uélton scowls, “I want to spend more time with my puppy. Is this some crime?”“It's a crime when you're the same mental age as him!”
At Uélton's house, Reuben doesn't know what to say to his parents. He is confused by Flávia gesticulating hidden from her husband and Uélton with an assuring smile.“Ehr... I don't know.” The boy responds, “I wanted to go and see Rosemary and Pedro—“Flávia rudely cuts him off, “You can't, son, I already told you that you have school to go to!”Uélton holds out his arms, “Then it's settled. Let's stay home, just the two of us. It's going to be fun, sonny!”“Really?” Reuben starts to buy the idea, to Flávia's dismay.“Yes. Let's play video games, watch 'The Lion King', play video games, eat pizza at Campos Pizzeria, play video games, go to the beach, play video games...” Uélton scratches his chin, “Did I forget something?”“Play video games!” Reuben holds out his little arms, fully embracing the idea.“That’s it!” Uélton and Reuben embrace.Frustrated to the max, Flávia waves her hand and knocks over all the dishes and glasses on the table. The deafening noise startles the two men in t
Isabel arrives home and hears crying coming from afar. She walks into the kitchen and is shocked by the scene of destruction.“OH GOSH! What happened here? Hello everyone, where are you, folks?”The door to the master bedroom opens and Flávia comes out, crying profusely, “Izzy... A tragedy happened.”“What happened, my daughter? Where is Uélton, where is my grandson?”“I DON'T KNOW!” Flávia kicks the china shards, “They probably went for pizza at Campos Pizzeria!”“I’m waiting for the explanation.” Isabel crosses her arms. She already understands that her daughter-in-law is causing unnecessary drama.“Reuben, even with me gesturing him to refuse, has decided to stay here with his dad!” Flavia talks like it's the end of the world.But Isabel just takes a deep breath and goes after the broom, “Is that it? Problem solved, daughter-in-law. We can go to the capital. Ray Chaves agreed to host us for free.”“Izzy, did you hear what I said?” Flávia turns to her with red eyes, “If I leave thos
At Uélton's house, Flávia and Isabel cleaned up the shards and had dinner with other dishes. Now the two ladies are mulling over what to do.“Flávia, when my boy arrives, you need to apologize.”“You don’t help with ‘my boy,’ mother-in-law.” Flávia sighs in regret, “Uélton is 34 years old, he is already a grown man with a beard on his face – and he looks so manly with a beard – he should take life more seriously and set an example for my son.”“Perhaps this trip is all that Uélton needs for him to set an example.” Isabel reasons, “Uélton is always at work, he only has contact with his son on weekends. I strongly believe that our trip will be of benefit to them.”“And having the house burned down will be beneficial to them?” Flávia insists like a scratched record.Isabel rolls her eyes, “We'd better pack.”“We better cancel the–”The living room door opens and Uélton and Reuben return from the pizzeria. They are laughing and talking.“Dad, you killed it!” Reuben exclaims, “Now all we n
The next day, Flavia is on the phone still in her pink robe, talking furtively to someone. She looks back, afraid someone will find her.On the other side, Maggie is also in a pink robe and still sleepy, yawning and going to the phone that rings stridently, “Who will it be at this hour? Hello?”“Hello, Maggie?” Flávia is shocked to be attended to.“I can't hear you, honey.” Maggie smiles slightly.“Mrs. Marçal, this is Flávia Freire.” Flávia speaks hastily, almost whispering, “I need to let you know that I won’t be able to go on the trip due to a scheduling conflict.”Maggie is surprised, “Did something happen, Flávia? Your mother needs your company. If you can't go, she can't go either, but we already have a whole schedule arranged.”Flávia smiles in relief, “Thank you, Mrs. Marçal, for your understanding. Perhaps the autograph session can be postponed for a few more days, that way we can resolve the pending matter.”“I need to tell my husband.” Maggie yawns.“Sorry for the inconveni
Wallace sits on the classic divan but still doesn't dare to lie on it like he always sees in American movies. Sandro smiles and sits down in the armchair with his notebook.“And then, Mr. Freire... Or we can cut the formality, don't you think? I'm Sandro and you're Wallace. I bet your family must call you Wally.”The nickname itself already gave Wallace the shivers, “My girlfriend... the one I hated in the '80s...”“Let's start with her.” Sandro puts on his glasses and takes out his pen, “You met Vera Reis...”“I want to go back further, Doctor.” Wallace says firmly, “For me, it all started precisely in 1980 when Josias Rocha entered our lives through my younger brother.”“Proceed.” Sandro is attentive.“Josias Rocha had two kittens chasing him: Melissa Campos and Pamela Chaves. But Josias just loved Melissa. Melissa was a virgin, pure, decent, and promised to be the perfect housewife. But Pamela was the opposite: promiscuous, vulgar, immoral, a modern Jezebel. One fine day, Melissa's
Wallace's session with Sandro continues. Wallace has already spoken more data about his past, reaching 1981 and 1982.Sandro ventures a question, “Wallace... Forgive my intrusion, but at this time, I think it was already clear to you that Pamela Chaves was not willing to be a straight woman. See, I'm not one to judge people by their actions, I just hope they know what they're doing. For me, Miss Chaves was determined to be the kind of woman that went against your principles. You started talking about Josias Rocha and your younger brother, but I want you to think: WHY DID YOU stick around?”“I loved her, Doctor,” Wallace responds wistfully.“But why?” Sandro wants to dig deep in this well until he finds mined water, “Everything in this life has a reason.”“I ain’t following you, Doctor.”Sandro straightens up in his chair, “You were willing to assume a child that Miss Chaves bore. I'm not a churchgoer, but I know enough to believe that it would be against holy doctrines. Did you expect
Isabel took advantage of the opportunity to go to Teodoro's building. She is well received with the song “High” by The Lighthouse Family.She smiles and approaches the counter, “Hey, is this radio ever turned off?”“Never.” Teresa jokes, “Only when we go to sleep. It’s the tradition that we mean to maintain.”“I remember when Teodoro was alive.” Isabel looks respectfully at the portrait, “Is Vera in her apartment?”“No, she's at her psychiatrist's appointment.” Teresa is alarmed.Isabel nods regretfully, “My boy Wally is too. He showed up at the house destroyed, saying that he deserved to be treated because he had hurt Vera. I didn't ask for the details because I could tell he was emotionally wrecked.”Teresa takes a deep breath to get into a thorny subject, “Mrs. Freire, for us, nothing much happened, but for our couple, it was a terrible ordeal.”“Did she get out of here all right, or was she bad too?” Isabel genuinely cares.“She was blaming herself for everything that happened in