Face to face

Virgínia

He took my hand quickly, before speeding back to the car, when he saw that the traffic light had opened.

" All right," I said, being won over by his arguments.

But he still didn't seem completely satisfied, only nodding, as if to indicate that he had managed to hear what I had said.

" What's the problem now? " I asked, already anticipating what he would say, remembering the second controversial topic between us.

" Lunch at Grandma's, " He said what I already imagined he would say.

I sighed, feeling tired because while it was just the two of us in Murilo's apartment, there were no demands on his part and I could just rest quietly, without getting into disagreements about anything.

He didn't even go to his grandmother's for lunch because he didn't want to leave me alone, even though I assured him I was feeling great.

But since I went back to work, Murilo started to insist on several things, like the idea of the chauffeur and his desire to introduce me to his family and tell them about my pregnancy.

The driver was something simpler to accept, and as he put it, I needed to think about the child I was carrying. But meeting his family was something much more complicated, and I still didn't feel ready, I didn't even believe I would be so soon.

" I don't feel ready to face your family right now, Murilo," I said what was going through my head "Why don't we leave it until a few weeks from now?”

" In a few weeks, Virginia? " Murilo repeated, looking incredulous at my suggestion "Not just a few days, but weeks!”

Well, I was surprised by his attitude because it was pretty clear that he was upset and very upset! But I couldn't do anything about it because I didn't want to meet Murilo's family yet. The truth was that I needed time. A lot of time.

My suggestion was to wait a few weeks, but my brain was screaming "months", and I knew that it would not be easy at all to adapt to a world so different from the one I was used to. I wouldn't even know how to behave at the table, surrounded by people as rich as they were, and when I had never had contact with this reality so distant from mine during all my life.

The closest I could get to these people was when they came to my store, but it only amounted to serving them, when necessary, and nothing more. How could I now face a Sunday lunch at the home of the matriarch of the Fernandes family, together with the entire clan?

At that moment, we arrived in front of the shopping center where I had my store and Murilo looked at me with attention, after stopping the car in an available space.

" So your answer is still no? " he insisted.

I felt apprehensive hearing the way he had said this and wondered if he was as upset as he seemed to be, or if I was just finding it strange that he was irritated because I hadn't seen him like that yet.

" Just for now " I tried to work around it. "Soon, when I'm feeling more secure, then we can go to his family's house together. Is that okay?”

He continued to stare at me appraisingly, and to my utter amazement, he did not agree with me on this matter.

" My secretary will contact you to give you the information about your driver " He informed me "See you tonight, Virginia.”

He said goodbye to me, but his words could have been a simple "Go ahead," which would have conveyed the same message.

I was silent, not knowing what to say, but faced with his questioning look, as if he was asking why I hadn't gotten out of his car yet, I felt strangely thrown out of the vehicle and did what he expected me to do, and I got out of the car.

Murilo

I was really upset with Virginia in the face of her, such an uncompromising and selfish attitude. While I was willing to do anything so that we could build a real family, next to our son who was growing in her belly, she didn't seem willing to give an inch in her decisions.

The fact that she, even after all the emotional support I offered her, still didn't want to face the obstacles by my side, only showed that she didn't care whether we were together or not.

I had no say in her life or her decisions.

And for this reason, I left her in front of the mall and went out again into the heavy traffic of São Paulo, feeling frustrated and even disappointed with the woman who would soon be the mother of my son and that not even this aspect of our relationship seemed to be something she would take into account.

After I was already at the company, even after all the activities I performed during the morning, I still felt the same way as when I left in front of the mall because the irritation had not diminished at all, and I was only masking it so as that other people would not notice how impatient I was with everything and everyone around me. No one needed to suffer the consequences of someone else's actions, and neither could I dump all my expectations on Virginia when she was pregnant and shouldn't be getting upset.

As if all the dilemmas that plagued me that morning were not enough, Arlete, who was going over some tasks with me for that Friday, reminded me about the meeting with the marketing department that was scheduled for later that day and realizing that it would be much later than I had imagined, I was annoyed now.

" How could anyone have scheduled a meeting at that time? " I asked my secretary, making it clear how unhappy I was with that particular appointment.

" It was the only time I could find available in your schedule on this date " She explained once again.

" It was vacant, exactly because I don't usually schedule anything at this time, Arlete.”

Even though I was very upset, I was trying hard to moderate my tone of voice, but it has become extremely difficult now.

"But it was necessary to organize the last details for the upcoming weekend in Guarujá, Murilo.”