The difficult wait (Brave Azorean People III)
The first day Francisco woke up in Desterro, he found it hard to believe that anything had changed in his life. The furniture in his room and the hand-embroidered linen sheets were almost identical to those in his parents' house; the view of the sea reflecting the sun as far as the eye could see was identical to the one he had from his bedroom window in Picos. On the other side of the door, a conversation was taking place between two women with the cadence of Azorean speech and, for a moment, he thought about what his mother and sister must be doing at this hour. "It's time to get up and explore the world," he decided, before the homesickness got too strong.
When Francisco reached the dining room, he saw that the family was already sitting at the table, eating breakfast. After the usual introductions and questions about his trip, Antônio Ferreira de Melo commented that he had been very lucky, as the rumor about crews sinking their ships to steal passengers' belongings was true. "What savagery," Francisco replied without taking his eyes off the food, "if that had happened, the booty would have been tiny because almost all the ship's passengers were miserable settlers from Picos." The family watched with amusement as Francisco eagerly admired the abundant and fragrant food placed on the table, without having the courage to touch it while they were talking, so as not to seem rude to his hosts. The mistress of the house then ordered the slave to prepare an eggnog with port wine "to give the guy strength". "Eat well, Francisco, because later I'm going to introduce you to the local representatives of the crown so that we can find out when you'll receive the long-awaited lands to which you're entitled," Don Antonio told him.
Francisco was introduced to the local people, all immigrants like him. Everyone treated him with respect and consideration. Even the most important men in the colony welcomed him with pats on the back and energetic handshakes. Little by little, he felt the birth of another man, uninhibited and important. His thoughts, always so well guarded back home, were now pouring out of his mouth. This move to the tropics had given him a new lease of life. Back home in the Azores, no one expected him to accomplish anything important. He lived in the shadow of his older brother, like a weed, ready to be uprooted from the family life the day his father died and all his possessions were inherited by his brother. Now Francisco saw a world of possibilities opening up: here he was respected, someone of value. And he would certainly get rich.
Alda Maria, Don Antonio's daughter, was sitting by the living room window embroidering yet another towel for her trousseau when Francisco returned from his tour of presentations to the governess of Desterro. The young man was so enthusiastic and full of plans for his future that he hardly saw the girl. He only had eyes for Don Antonio, with whom he talked long and fast, switching from one subject to another without his host being able to follow his speech. "Come on, lad, let's relax a bit and have some wine while dinner isn't ready. I'm glad to see you're so excited. We need people like that here in Desterro, people with the energy to make changes! Alda Maria, my daughter, join us to tell us what's new in local society". Her father called her with the intention of bringing his daughter closer to this young man who seemed to be a good match, the son of a good family and with a bright future ahead of him.
Alda Maria had barely begun to speak when she noticed the young man slouching impatiently in his chair, as if he had been abruptly interrupted before he had exhausted all the subjects that interested him. He only gave her a quick, polite glance before starting to taste the wine, which seemed to interest him more than the news from the colony. The girl felt so disturbed by his lack of interest that all that came out of his mouth were little stories of no interest, told almost inaudibly. Not even her father seemed to be paying attention to her today. She, who was a very beautiful young woman, the daughter of a wealthy and important family, she was used to always being the center of attention wherever she went. Astonished and with her pride wounded, she realized instinctively that the young man in front of her didn't appreciate her, nor was he the right man for her. But all his energy created an irresistible aura! The others, the ones who courted her during their visits from house to house at tea time, caused her boredom. There was no novelty or promise of adventure in their seductive glances, their rapport or even in the idle words they said in her ear. Behind her ribbons and lace, and her demure gaze, there was a young woman with a strong imagination and innate rebelliousness, which she was adept at hiding.
It had been almost a year since Francisco had arrived in Desterro and he still hadn't received his land. The local government had not been provided by the crown with the money needed to buy the supplies and tools to work the land that would be handed over to the settlers. In addition, the lands promised by the king to the Portuguese settlers were part of estancias that already had owners. The local rulers complained that the king wasn't paying enough attention to his subjects and the problems of the colonies, expecting things to fix themselves, which was causing great dissatisfaction in Desterro. In the meantime, Francisco had seen his energy fade little by little. There was almost nothing left. He, who was no one for holding positions in the local council or militia, spent his days drinking in the warehouse opposite Don Antônio's house. He had developed a particular taste for a bluish cachaça produced in the local stills.
Don Antônio, who had previously admired the young man for his ambitions, was now worried to see him in such a sorry state. "Solve this young man's problem right away. Find some land for him to occupy, otherwise he'll end up becoming a problem for all of us here in Desterro". Don Antônio talked so much with the local authorities that, after a year and a half of waiting, Francisco finally received the land deed, the tools, the sacks of seeds and the twelve head of cattle to which he was entitled. However, the other settlers who had arrived with him on the same ship would continue to wait for the king to fulfill his promises for a long time. The day Francisco arrived home with the documents for his land, Alda Maria saw the rebirth of the young man she had known, full of energy and plans for the future. His passage through the house was like that of a hurricane, which made the women and the slaves laugh, as they set about gathering their belongings into new bundles. His departure was imminent, there was no time for further delays.
The night before his departure, already a little dizzy from the many glasses of wine he had consumed during the little farewell event they had prepared for him in the colony, he suddenly embraced Alda Maria in the garden and declared himself to her. "As soon as my new house is built and the land is producing, I'll come and get you to live with me. Will you be my wife?" Without any kind of reaction, she stood there with her mouth open, staring at him in astonishment. Where had that proposal come from? He had never tried to seduce her since he had met her. In fact, she still felt ignored by him after all this time spent living in her house. But he was so handsome with his face flushed and his eyes sparkling! And those hands that held his waist with their owner's fingers... My God!
Early the next morning he set off for the promised land, taking with him a slave given to him by Don Antonio. The twelve head of cattle were being driven along the dirt track, next to the ox cart, where Francisco was ill at ease on top of his bundles. But neither the inconvenience nor the long journey disturbed him. He was dreaming with his eyes open about his new home, surrounded by a field of wheat, corn and a vineyard. The children running around the yard, while Alda Maria yelled at them to behave. "What a beautiful picture!" he said after a long sigh. The slave, indifferent to his new master's daydreams, had barely set foot on the road and was already suffering from a bout of banzo, longing for the family he had left behind.
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