Woman with a topknot
I: Look at this picture, Nair! What's the name of this one again?
N: Wow, this photo is over 60 years old! It was during my honeymoon trip to Rio de Janeiro. That's Mani, Uncle's third wife. At the time, Uncle Peter and she had only just got married. When we got there, they took us to see various places, including their house in Itaipava. The place in this photo is on the way to their house.
Our uncle was 51 and she was younger, probably in her 40s. She was a jambo brunette, with a well-built body, who spoke English fluently and traveled a lot. It seems she was the widow of a naval officer and received a fat pension. She was already well off when she met our uncle.
I: The story I remember was a bit different. It was said that her late husband was a very jealous and controlling man, who hardly let her go out to work. She was a secretary in the navy, where she earned a good salary.
I remember her wearing a chic suede suit. That fabric must have cost a fortune... but it is said that she used a cut of suede bought by the navy to be used in the manufacture of the badges. The suede was embroidered and then attached to the uniforms of the officers. When she wore that suit, she looked like a mannequin, so beautiful did she look.
In fact, she was always very well-groomed: her hair was done, her nails were painted, she went to the masseur, the dressmaker... I don't know how she had time for all this while working outside. Our family members used to say that she was known in the Navy as Maria Candelária. Remember that Carnival march?
Maria Candelária
She's a high-ranking official
She parachuted
Fell into the letter O, oh, oh, oh, oh
At one o'clock she goes to the dentist
At two she goes to the café
At three she goes to the dressmaker
At four she clocks off and walks away
N: Stop being mean, Iraci. People gossip about any woman who's pretty and is her own woman, even more so at that time! Besides, she wasn't the family type, which caused even more suspicion. Even with us, whom she met every day during our honeymoon, she was distant and didn't get involved. But she and our uncle got on very well, respected each other and were good companions.
I: She really wasn't nice at all. When she looked at us, she seemed to say "I don't want to be intimate with you!". Aunt Inês said that when our uncle introduced her to the rest of the family back in Rio, the people immediately nicknamed her Ó-de-penacho (O with a topknot) and prophesied that the marriage would be short-lived.
N: Where did that nickname come from?
I: That was Brazilian civil service slang. It was the name given to officials who reached the top of their careers and earned high salaries. At the time there was even a song sung by Linda Batista:
"That woman now wants to make you a doormat. Who can stand a woman with a topknot?"
N: Uh, there was nothing like that. She was the kind of woman who had gained her independence and wanted to enjoy her life. They went out almost every night for dinner and dancing, to the theater, or to meet friends at the Piraquê club. This kind of uncompromising type was the kind of woman our uncle started looking for after he was widowed from his first wife. I think that after so much suffering, he wanted a more relaxed life, without so many strings attached.
I: And why did their marriage last so little, if they got on so well?
N: I think the marriage only worked as long as everything was fine. When his eldest son died, he fell into depression and became disinterested in everything. Even the factory he owned went broke. When he saw that this was going to happen, he transferred all the assets into her name.
With all these problems, their social life waned. The lightness and fun that were so important to both of them disappeared. After a while, she left and took all his possessions with her. He didn't even seem upset, I think he even thanked God that it had all ended without drama.
Poor uncle, he was never lucky with women. But this one was at least kind to him. On the day of his funeral, she sent him a huge wreath that read "From your friend Mani".
I: a fair-weather friend...
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