Sapphire Moonlight

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

At the door of the room her husband used as an office, Mrs Dantas hesitated a little whether to go in or not as she noticed he was working. Paper sheets lay scattered on his desk as he wrote. He put down the pen and looked up at his wife. 

'Come in, Alice,' he said.  

'I don' want to disturb you, darling.' 

'I'm almost finished,' he said in a tone that showed she was welcome.  

'We went shopping this afternoon,' she said. 

'Won't you tell me how it was?' 

'Well, I bought shoes for the three of them and for myself, and clothes, such as skirts, shirts and jeans. Otavio Sergio asked me to buy him a pair of boots and I bought it.' 

'Did you buy all the things you wanted to buy?' 

'Yes, we did.' 

'Did it rain here?' 

'Oh, yes, there was a storm. It even hailed. We hardly had any time to get to Anaconda Lia when it started to rain. We stayed there until it finished. We met Cecilia and Denise on the way home. We stayed in Convent Square talking. It was very nice, after the rain. And you? I was so worried about you, that you'd get caught in the rain on the road.' 

'I was. When I left the company it wasn't raining, although the sky was cloudy. There was thunder and lightning. I had been on the road for five minutes when it started to rain. It rained heavily, visibility was quite poor, but it was possible to continue.' 

'Darling! Wouldn't you better had stopped and waited for the rain to pass?' 

He held her closer and kissed her on the forehead.  

'I could go on, it was possible. Otherwise I would have stopped.' 

'I know.' 

'You know my qualities as a navigator.' 

'I know.' 

'And as a pilot.' 

'You're so conceited, Tomas.' 

'Then, when I was arriving in town it stopped raining.' 

'What else?' 

'Nothing else. That's all.' 

She kissed him. 

'Aren't you hungry?' she asked. 

'I'm starving.' 

'Poor darling. Dinner will be ready at eight, as usual. Unless - ' 

'No, honey, at eight as usual.' 

'I'll leave you now, Tomas, so you can work. I'll call you when dinner is ready, OK?' 

'OK, Alice,' he said and went back to work.  

Shortly afterwards Otavio Sergio entered the office. 

'Hi, dad, may I come in?' 

'Of course, son. Your mother has told me you bought a pair of boots. Let me see them.' 

'Here, look.' 

'Oh, you have them on. How beautiful they are!' 

'Yes, they are indeed.' 

'When I was a boy I had a pair like those, you know.' 

'Did you, dad?' 

'Exactly like them. My father gave them to me. In fact there is a photograph in which I'm up on a tree wearing them. Standing on a branch.' 

'Show me the photo, dad.' 

'I'll have to search for it. It's here somewhere in the house, perhaps in the album.' 

'They're quite comfortable,' Otavio Sergio said. 'Some of my friends have boots.' 

'Are you going out tonight?' 

'Yes, dad, I am.' 

'Have you got money, son?' 

'I have some money.' 

Mr Dantas put his hand inside his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He opened the wallet, took out two hundred florins and said, 'Here, take this. But do not squander it, son.' 

'Thank you, dad. No, I won't.' 

'Good boy.' 

He stood there a little more. His father looked at him for a while as if cross examining him - and indeed he was - smiled at him and went back to his desk. Otavio Sergio stood there a little more and then said, 'Well, dad, I'll let you work.' 

'OK, son. We'll have dinner in a short while,' Mr Dantas said. After his son had left Mr Dantas went back to work. But then Luiza entered the office and came near to her father. Mr Dantas saw he wouldn't be able to do much work after all. He simply accepted the fact, and did not mind it. He looked at his daughter and smiled. 

'Hi, princess,' he said. 'How are you?' 

'I'm fine, dad.' She kissed him and he kissed her. 

'Is there anything you need?' 

'No, father, there isn't.' 

'Just come and sit here,' he said. He put a chair beside his chair and beckoned her to sit near him. Luiza sat down.  

'Do you mind if dad goes on working?' 

'No, father, of course not.' 

And he started working again. She kept quiet, observing him working. Then she took a pen from the lots of pens that were in a holder on her father's desk and started drawing on a blank piece of paper. It was a wide desk and there was room for her to draw. Then Juliana arrived, took another chair and placed it beside her father's chair. She kissed him and he kissed her. 

'Hi, dad,' she said.  

'Hi, darling,' Mr Dantas said. 'Is everything all right with you?' 

'Yes, father. Everything's all right,' she said. She looked at all the paper scattered on her father's desk. 'Mind you don't overwork.' 

'Yes, I'll do that. I won't overwork.' 

'You should rest.' 

'I will. This is something trivial. I'm not going to work after dinner.' 

'Want me to help you?' 

'No, darling, that won't be necessary. I'm almost finished.' 

'OK.'  

Then Mr Dantas resumed his work and the girls kept beside him quietly. Luiza went on drawing and Juliana left.  

The room Mr Dantas used as an office was on the ground level. It was past the two drawing rooms and before the dining room. It was to the right of the house, beside the driveway to the garage. It was a large room. A lot of books were on several shelves on two of the walls. There was his desk, there was a sofa and there were two armchairs and four chairs and a table.  

Then at eight o'clock punctually Mrs Dantas called them for dinner.