The Rediscovery of Eden
After a long day at her grandmother's house, Paloma returned home full of diaries, photo albums and documents. Ever since her grandmother had died, she had started sorting out the things that were worth keeping from those that would be thrown away or given away. The work seemed endless. "How is it possible to store so many things in such a small apartment?" she kept asking herself. Inside the closet and the living room cupboard, Paloma found traces of another world, totally unknown to her until then, which no one had ever spoken of before. She knew that there were mysteries in her family, because the conversation of the elders often died suddenly, suffocated by silences and awkward situations, which led to endless days when her grandmother hardly left her bed, depressed. But what she discovered during these days of screening was something totally unexpected.
- Did grandmother Bruna have an apartment in Rio de Janeiro, Mom?
- I don't think so. She lived there for a few years when she was younger, but since she was fifteen she's never been back to Rio.
- But look! Here's an electricity bill from last month in her name, with an address in Rio. It's even paid. Let me take a look at it on Google maps. Humm. This street is in Santa Tereza, in the center of Rio.
- Apparently they never sold the house she lived in when she was little. Have you found any lost keys around here?
- I found a key ring with a cable car hanging from it. Next month I'm supposed to be in Rio on business. Maybe I'll visit this address to see if anyone lives there? Don't worry, I'll keep sending you emails to keep you up to date with what's going on.
Day 1
Mom, it took me a while to get the door open because it was quite jammed. The house is well maintained, all painted and the roof in good condition. But the neighbor said she'd never seen anyone living here in the last few decades. She only saw a bricklayer, who came from time to time to maintain the house. When I opened the door, it felt like I had traveled back in time. All the furniture is made of rosewood, carved, large and heavy. The mattresses are made of horsehair. There are complete sets of crystal goblets, silverware and crockery in the cupboards. But the stove is wood-burning and the fridge is an aluminum-lined Styrofoam box with no motor. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust. It looks as if the owners left the house with the intention of returning soon.
Day 2
I decided to stay a few more days here in Rio to solve this mystery. But since hotel rates in Rio cost a fortune, I decided to sleep here anyway, since the electricity is working and the water hasn't been cut off. I called the neighbor's cleaner to clean the house and bought some things so I could have breakfast at home. During the days I'm staying here, I'm going to take the opportunity to go through the drawers and cupboards and see what I can find. I'll let you know what's new.
Day 3
The first night was difficult. When it was time to shower, I discovered that I had to light a flame in a container of alcohol that sits on top of the shower. The flame that forms surrounds a copper coil through which the water circulates and heats up. If all went well, I would have a hot shower. But if something went wrong, I could end up with burnt hair! I preferred a cold shower. After I'd turned off all the lights and gone to bed, I started to hear strange noises around the house. It sounded like someone was dragging their slippers around the kitchen. I think the house is haunted, Mom! I called a priest to come and bless the place.
Day 4
Today an electrician came to install an electric shower and change the lights in the bedroom where I'm sleeping and in the kitchen. Now this house looks like a livable place. The priest came to the house to have breakfast with me after the 8am Mass. As soon as he started blessing the house, a foot of wind knocked one of the books on the bookshelf to the floor. However, as all the windows were closed, I was terrified, staring at the priest with wide eyes, not understanding what had happened. But he seemed to be used to this sort of thing and he told me to stay calm. When I went to pick up the book that had fallen on the floor, I noticed that it was grandma Bruna's diary from when she was a teenager, all written in neat handwriting, full of drawings in the margins and dried flowers pressed between the pages. On the page where the diary was open, she commented on her arrival in Rio de Janeiro and their amazement at the city's natural beauty. Tonight, I'll take the opportunity to read the diary before bed.
Day 5
I didn't hear the sound of footsteps around the house last night, but I didn't close my eyes for a minute: reading grandma Bruna's diary was so exciting that I couldn't put it down until I'd reached the end. Today, just after eight o'clock mass, the priest came to the house again. He wanted to know how I'd spent the night and brought me some saints to hang behind the doors.
Reading the diary, I discovered that grandma Bruna, her brothers and her mother had abandoned their father on the farm and come to live in Rio. They came with their uncle Tonico, who paid the bills, and their maid Josefa. Her father stayed in the south, looking after the farm. He only came to visit the family once a year, in March, after the harvest, and didn't stay more than a week. In her diary, she said that everyone's health and mood improved when they came to Rio. Grandma comments that it was at this time that she saw her mother smile for the first time in her life.
As soon as they arrived in Rio, her mother looked like someone recovering from a long and exhausting illness. At first she was very pale and thin, and startled at every little noise. After a while, she started playing the violin and painting watercolors again, things she hadn't done for a long time, and even put on a little weight. Grandma said that she felt truly at home the day she walked into the living room attracted by her mother's voice, who was humming "Vingança" (Revenge), following Linda Batista's show on the radio, under the amused gaze of her brother Tonico.
How strange, Mom! It seems that everyone was unhappy when they lived on the farm and when they arrived in Rio it was as if they had discovered paradise on earth.
Voltar