Make-Believe Marriage (2 page)

- Are you okay Amanda? -
asked her assistant who was in the next room.

- I’m okay Carol, thank
you! - Coming closer, she continued. - I do not know what else to do to get rid
of Breno’s assaults; this is already getting pretty tiring – she explained with
thwarted countenance leaving Carol worried.

- Accept Antônio - said
Carol who was Amanda’s great confident and knew all the problems she had
undergone with her ex-husband.

They knew each other since
elementary school years and had always been close, even when Amanda was
married. Seeing Amanda defeated worried her. This could be the final blow with
which the former husband of her friend hoped to win the battle.

- I cannot accept. -
Amanda said thinking about how embarrassing it would be for Antônio and her. -
It would not be fair to him, or rather to none of us - she said ruefully.

- He is the one who
offered to help you out. That means something - suggested the girl firmly.

- It was a thoughtless
moment. He did not think before making the offer - said Amanda making Carol
realize that her employer-friend was adamant and so did not see the obvious.

- You have no choice, do
you? - Asked the girl trying at all cost to open her friend's eyes.

- Not yet, but I'll think
of something. - Amanda would look for other less complicated means. She did not
have anything in mind yet, but would rather believe that another solution would
come up that did not compromise her friendship with Antônio.

- What if you do not find anything
that might help you? Will you take the chance of being caught by your ex again
or losing custody of your son? - Amanda reflected on what the friend said, and
got anxious at the thought that he might want custody of the child. Breno would
not dare do so after leaving the boy unattended after separation, would he?

- There is no possibility
for you and Breno to be back together, as you said. - The girl looked at Amanda
with a huge smile. - As for him wanting custody of Lucas, I do not think this
would go all the way; Breno could not live with a child permanently depending
on him. - She preferred to think that her ex-husband was still averse to small
children.

- It's a risk you'll have
to take if you do not have it sorted out soon.

- There are risks that are
not worth the trouble they bring. I am a cautious woman and prefer to stay that
way. - The conversation seemed to be leading to squabbling and Amanda was not
about to argue with her insistent and dear assistant.

- In life everything has a
risk and we must not sit back and stop living something that can be good. -
Observing her assistant talk Amanda realized she would not leave her alone if
she kept refusing the possibility of accepting Antônio’s help.

All right! I'll think
about it. - As she said it, she noticed a slight smile of satisfaction on her
friend's face.

- Wise woman! - Carol said
when Amanda was leaving.

At home, Amanda thought
about it more clearly. It was indeed a drastic step, but if they were certain
it would be for a short time, it could not bring a lot of damage to any one of
them as she thought. They were adults and knew how far they could go, or not? Fear
surrounded her, crumbling all the little confidence she felt. Antônio's offer
was absurd and Amanda still found it hard to believe it had been his. “Her
right arm, and perhaps her left too, needed a girlfriend”, she thought smiling.

Since they met, Amanda had
never seen Antônio with anyone. He said he was too busy, but Amanda thought
that one of the reasons was the fact that both were very close and this chased
women away. But regardless of whether he was willing or not to have a
relationship with someone, Amanda had no desire to disrupt his life. It would
be unfair to think only of herself. Upset about not being able to decide which
direction to take, Amanda went to the bathroom trying to cool her body and
head. When she was returning to the room the phone rang.

- Hello? Are you home? –
asked Antônio.

- Yes, I am home! - She
replied relieved to hear that comforting voice.

- I called the store,
Carol told me that you had gone home. I decided to get in touch to find out how
you are. - He explained. “He was something else," she thought happily.

- Thank you for your
concern, but I'm fine – she thanked.

- Do you want to have
dinner with me tomorrow? - Antônio asked casually.

Of course! - She said it
and turned out both were surprised at her prompt response; Amanda realized her
mistake, felt like justifying it. - It is just that Breno asked me again for
dinner and I said I had an appointment, you saved me from him. - Amanda heard
him smiling and was less tense by his thoughtless act which could have made him
believe she wanted to throw herself into his arms.

- You see, I'm your
guardian angel, whether you like it or not - said Antônio, but she already knew
that; from long ago, he had become that and more. Therefore, the fear of
spoiling the beautiful friendship that had been built and disturbed her so
much.

- I always knew that. -
She said what she had thought earlier. - You are undoubtedly unique – she
finished.

- So are you. - this was
his answer. - Have you heard from Lucas? - Antônio asked changing the subject
as he had gone to spend the school holidays with his maternal grandparents.

– Yes. I talk to him every
day by phone or webcam. - She said.

- When you speak with him
again tell him that I miss him - asked Antônio, because the child had become as
important as Amanda to him. Antônio could not imagine his quiet life without
them both.

- I will - said Amanda who
was always grateful for the friendship he had with her son. - Lucas must also
miss you; whenever I talk to him he asks about you. - Every time the little one
talked about Antônio, which did not happen in relation to the father.

- He's a special boy and it
would be a pleasure to help you through this ordeal - completed Antonio making
Amanda understand the message, but she was not ready for an answer.

They spoke for a few more
minutes and said goodbye confirming the dinner date. When Amanda returned to
the room she remembered the day that Antônio offered to help her. He had come
to her house late in the afternoon, as he did quite frequently, and when he saw
her crying he wanted to know why.

- Who was the fool who
caused these tears? - He asked affectionately taking a tear from her eyes with
the tip of his finger. As Amanda was not used to being so well taken care of,
she clung to him even closer.

- The father of my child,
the one I told you about, won’t leave me alone. He wants reconciliation at all
cost. To achieve his goal he is using our son and this bothers me a little. -
She explained why it was not easy to see Breno using the child to have what he
wanted.

- No need to suffer on
account of that dear. Tell him that your time together has expired and that’s
it; he will give up on you as he did in the past. - Antônio explained quite
naturally and she wanted to believe in that possibility, but something told her
that he would go further.

- Not all men have your
character, Antônio. There are many out there using trickery to hold on to their
women. From financially to emotionally. It is no longer a card women hide only
to make use of these resources.

- But this is the biggest
proof that this guy does not deserve to have you. A person who accepts the
other aware that this is under pressure does not know the meaning of love for
the next being, let alone himself. - He said upset.

- I believe this to be
Breno’s problem. He does not have feelings.

- But did he leave
something unspoken that is worrying you? - He asked.

- Breno may try to take custody
of our son. - She answered in a very sad way and the pain on her face was
making him bleed inside.

– Did he mention that he
would fight for Lucas’s custody? – asked Antônio incredulously, because he knew
that Amanda had been father and mother to the child.

– He has not yet come out
like that so clearly, but I am afraid that when he sees that he won’t get what
he wishes, he might want to take revenge and resort to court to this end. – She
said.

– I don’t think it should
be so easy for him to do that. – said Antônio looking at her anguished face. –
You will certainly continue having the custody of Lucas, because that’s the way
it should be. – He seemed irreducible with her lack of self-confidence.

- He has a lot of
influence here in Rio Verde and we know that this can count a lot. - She
complained almost in tears again.

- Do not worry, no judge
in his right conscience will take the son from a mother like you. - Antônio
tried to reassure her.

- He is better off
financially than I am. If you want you’ll have more time to be with Lucas. Although
I'm sure he would not mind staying with his son. He never did. - Amanda
reported remembering how cold Breno was with the child when they lived
together.

He was never willing to
sit down and play with his child. Breno did not accept the fact of being a
father. He made it clear in the nine months of Amanda's pregnancy. To make
matters worse he made her feel guilty for getting pregnant in exchange for
medicine and not when he was interested. It had been a difficult period, but
the love that Amanda felt for her husband helped her through that difficult
phase. Until a feeling even more beautiful was born and she found herself the
happiest of all women. She was a mother and that was enough until that day when
she found him having sex with another woman.

- Certainly they are
important factors, but are not decisive. You know that, you just don't want to
see – spoke an emphatic Antônio in order to help her get out of that pit of
pain.

- You may be right
Antônio, but when you are on the other side you see a different situation. This
is my son we’re talking about. My child. And that is enough to create many
illusions and negative thoughts in a person's head.

- These thoughts will not
help her at all. Unlike Amanda, they will favor her ex-husband and draw her
strength to fight face to face with him.

Amanda remained silent and
Antônio could observe her better. The first time he saw her, she was taking her
son to school. It was on that day that he had discovered a new feeling. Antônio
had his office near the school and whenever he could he watched her taking or
picking up the child. Her beauty and simplicity delighted him from the first
moment. Sometimes he went out to the sidewalk so that she could see him and
maybe give him a hello or a good afternoon smile. Amanda, however, did not
notice his presence until one day the teacher of her son, who was a friend of
Antônio’s, was talking to him and Amanda came to greet her, also talking to
him. It had been a very happy day for Antônio and from there on it was easier
to be noticed.

When she got to school a
few minutes before time, Antônio took advantage of it to ask her for a cup of coffee,
which only in the second offer she accepted starting their friendship there. Antônio
admired her very much. Not just for her beauty. Amanda was a stylish, almost 6
feet tall woman. She walked gracefully rummaging through the wide hips smoothly
and nothing ordinary. Her long legs were well shaped, big and whenever she wore
a dress, Antônio admired them. Not to mention the long hair that fell like a
golden cascade down her back. Antônio many times felt like caressing her
beautiful wavy curls and the white and fair-skinned Amanda’s skin. In addition
to all the beautiful attributes that were the first to draw his attention there
were others even more important in his eyes. Amanda was a winner who had fought
bravely when she had to take care of her son alone. Many in her place would
have left the child at the sign of the first obstacle. But she did not and this
earned her many positive points with Antônio. He knew well that Breno’s family
had been around Amanda asking for custody of the child, which left her
devastated to the point of keeping clear away from her son’s paternal family. She
accepted help only a few times. She did not want to owe anything to those
people and so took full responsibility for her son in lieu of his absent
father.

Several times he went to
her house to know if they needed something and even if Amanda was having a
rough time; she said all was fine, with the same sad face that she was wearing
now. Antônio knew it was not true, but respected her opinion. This had cost him
many no’s until she began to accept him as a friend and listener. At first
Amanda spoke only of her intention to open a small business with the help of
her parents who insisted on contributing financially. She asked for advice and
listened carefully to everyone. Over time, a little more certain about his
friendship she began to talk about her private life, her failed marriage. Antônio
listened to everything giving opinions only when requested and this seemed to
please Amanda because the talks had become more frequent until he became the
friend she needed to have. “Once again his friend was in front of him needing
help and he would come to her as he had done and would always do, but what to
do?" She wondered, out of ideas.