Chapter 8 Father and Daughter

Flauber left early in the morning to pick up Astrid and Mrs. Cleuza. He kissed Sigrid while she was still sleeping and when he left, the driver was already waiting to take him to the airport.

Sigrid felt her husband's kiss and a few minutes later opened her eyes. She also wanted to leave early. She hadn't told Flauber about her plans because she knew he wouldn't like it. But she would be accompanied by Rolfo who had his full confidence, and that would appease his anger. She dressed herself neatly and soon went knocking on the bedroom where Rolfo was asleep.

Rolfo opened the door, still rubbing his eyes, and felt his face flush when he saw Sigrid in front of him, holding back her laughter at the sight of him. He knew he looked ridiculous in Flauber's pajamas, for Flauber was much bigger. He even thought about sleeping in just his underwear, but when he saw Sigrid, he thanked God he hadn't done that. It would have been too embarrassing.

"Did something happen Sigrid?" He asked finally, since he could see that she was having a very hard time holding back her laughter.

"I need you to accompany me somewhere. I'll wait for you in the dining room so we can have breakfast together." She said with a smile and left down the hall.

Rolfo went to change and wash his face to finish waking up. I wondered where she needed him to go to accompany her. He hoped it wouldn't be shopping. He had to solve the problem of the house he was buying nearby and had no patience for going from store to store. Grumpily he went downstairs and found the table already set with breakfast and Sigrid all happy when she saw him. Now he thought that she was going to do something and that she would make him an accomplice. He became more excited at this prospect and sat down at the table.

"Did you sleep well, Rolfo?" Sigrid asked courteously and he stared at her. Those blue eyes were truly beautiful. She was a woman of extraordinary beauty.

"Yes. I like the silence here. In the hotel, the horns wouldn't let me sleep. When it wasn't that, it was the bohemians walking through the dawn and singing loudly."

"Rolfo, can you take me to my father?"

"Yes, of course. When do you plan to make that visit? I can send a card of mine asking him to receive us..."

"No. Not at all. We'll go as soon as we finish our coffee. I don't want to give him a chance to prepare for this moment. I want to take him by surprise to gauge his reaction."

Rolfo looked at her startled. She was serious. This was not a joke. He bowed his head in thought. She was absolutely right. Then why did something inside him say that this was not good? He shook his head and stared into those blue eyes again.

"It will be as you wish." He said and began to eat.

Sigrid smiled happily at his answer. She thought for a moment that he would deny himself. But, lucky for her he was no coward. Of course he knew that Flauber was not aware of this plan of hers, or he would have spoken to him the night before.

As soon as they finished their coffee, Sigrid asked the housekeeper, whom she had met that morning while helping in the kitchen, if there was another driver available among the employees. But she denied it. Since she had never needed one before, as the previous owner was alone.

"I'll drive. There's plenty of car." Rolfo said finishing his coffee and getting up. "I'm going over there to pick one out, because it's an hour and a half drive more or less to your father's house and I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I'll wait for you outside." He said and left.

Sigrid felt on cloud nine as they drove towards her father's house. She was so confident and cheerful that it infected Rolfo who started telling her funny stories about Flauber's father and the similarity of character between them. And chatting they arrived at Sigrid's father's mansion. A large gate now separated Sigrid from her father. Rolfo sensed her sudden nervousness and got out of the car to press the bell. Soon a lady, who must have been the housekeeper appeared and approached the gate.

"May I help you? The lady asked suspiciously.

"I'm a lawyer." He said looking for something in his pockets. Finally he pulled out a card from there and handed it to the lady who held it out with a suspicious manner. "I need to talk to Mr. Visbur. It's in his interest.

The lady stretched her neck sideways and looked behind Rolfo, which caused him to look as well. Sigrid had also gotten out of the car and was right behind Rolfo. He turned to the lady and she looked astonished to see Sigrid. Her mouth was ajar and her eyes were wide open. She looked at the card again and stared at Rolfo.

"He is not in the habit of receiving visitors.... Even more so without making an appointment first. But I'll take your card to him and see what he works out. But I can't guarantee anything." She said and walked in, leaving them outside.

Rolfo turned to Sigrid.

"She recognized that you are very much like him. I'm sure of it. She could barely disguise it. Now it might be harder for him to receive us."

"Why do you think he would refuse to receive us because of our resemblance?"

"We can't forget that he didn't look for you and your mother all this time. It could be a way of saying he doesn't want to see you and on the other hand, I introduced myself as a lawyer, he will think we are in search of his inheritance.... Do you understand?" Rolfo said knowing that his words were heavy and even cruel, but she had to know this hypothesis.

Sigrid stared at him as if she didn't recognize him.

"He's not like that... He must have a good reason for not coming to us." She said with a hurt look on her face.

"Sigrid... I'm sorry, I just don't want you to delude yourself into believing that you will find a father here. You are strangers to each other. You can't ask too much of either of you. I hope he has good reasons for not looking for you, but I want you to be prepared to also hear that he didn't look because he didn't care."

At that moment the lady returned and opened the gate.

"You may come in. He will receive you." She said with a kind of elation in her voice that she was trying at all costs to suppress.

Rolfo went back to the car and Sigrid followed him. She didn't let Rolfo's words discourage her. Even if he didn't want to acknowledge her as his daughter and play the role of a father in her life, maybe he still loved her mother, and she deserved to be happy with the man she truly loved. Rolfo stopped in front of the entrance to the mansion and the lady was waiting to guide them. They entered and as they walked in, Sigrid noticed with satisfaction that there was nothing feminine about the mansion's decor. The walls were a neutral color and there were only a few neutral paintings. The lady stopped and waited for them to catch up to open the door to a room. They hurried in. The lady went in as well. The man they came to see was distracted looking out the window when they entered, which gave Sigrid time to look at the impeccable luxury of the place. There was a black sofa with inviting cushions and cupboards with books, plus a desk. The place was very cozy and Sigrid believed it to be his office. When he turned to look at them, Sigrid took a step back. It really did have his features. He stared at her seriously for a while and then, seeming to remember his manners, invited them to sit down in comfortable armchairs, and as soon as they did, he offered;

"Do you guys want something to drink? A coffee, a juice, a cognac..."

"No. Thank you." Sigrid said politely and Rolfo dismissed as well. After that, the lady left. Visbur sat on the other side facing them.

"Well? How can I help you? He said and showed the card that Rolfo had handed to the lady. "I see you are a lawyer. Are you here representing someone?"

"Actually, that card was just to let you know that we were good people and agree to receive us." Rolfo rushed to explain himself.

He stared at Rolfo seriously. Sigrid realized how handsome he was. That was why her mother had never forgotten him. And he also seemed decent.

"So, what is the reason for your presence here?" he asked curious and anxious, having to repeat the question.

"You... You knew my mother in her youth." Sigrid took the floor. "And well... That's how I was born..." Sigrid finished shaking and blushing violently. She knew she had been too direct, but she had no idea how else to say it.

He, however, showed no surprise and stared at her as if remembering something far away.

"That still doesn't explain your presence here." He insisted indifferently.

"I thought... That you would like to meet your daughter... And soon your grandson."

He peered at her belly.

"Did you come for an inheritance?" He asked ignoring what she said about their kinship.

"Of course not!" Sigrid snapped and her eyes flashed angrily, she felt so insulted. "I came after a father. But I think Rolfo was absolutely right to warn me. Keep your money. My husband is much richer than you." Sigrid said and stood up. "Let's go Rolfo. We have nothing more to do here."

"I ask you to take it easy young lady." Visbur said calmly, "It might be bad for the baby if you get nervous. Sit down again and let's talk. This is very repetitive and I am not being able to reconcile things. I meant no offense. I'll have them bring you some passion fruit juice." He said and picked up a small bell shaking it a few times. Almost immediately the lady returned. "Bring a glass of passion fruit juice for the lady."

Sigrid sat back down, but felt no more motivation to say anything. He would have to do much more than offer her a glass of juice for her to forgive him. She felt that the world was rotten. Everyone was suspicious of everyone and money was the yardstick for their actions.

"You are Cleuza's daughter." Visbur said affirmatively. "Let me show you something." He said and getting up went to the desk and pulled out a picture frame from there and handed it to Sigrid.

"But... She's identical to me! Who is she?" Sigrid said handing it back to him.

"Your grandmother. My birth mother." He said putting the portrait holder back in place.

"I thought... My mother said you were adopted and had been raised by her uncles and she didn't know who your birth parents might be..."

"That's true. But I wanted to know my origin. And I went after it. It wasn't easy. There were times when I thought about giving up, but I kept going and after a few years, I eventually found her.

"Does she live here with you?" Sigrid wanted to know, excited to meet her grandmother.

"No. She was thrown out into the world for too long without care. My father abandoned her. He came from Sweden and thought my mother was very beautiful and from what she told me, he said he had pretensions of marrying her. But as soon as he heard that she was pregnant, he went back to his country and left her to her own devices. Her parents threw her out of the house. She had to prostitute herself to make a living. When she had me, she knew of my foster mother's generosity and left me on her doorstep. For several days she watched from afar to see what they were going to do. But she abandoned her post as soon as one of the maids told her that they had adopted a beautiful boy. She was afraid they would turn back if they knew he was the son of a prostitute, so she left and never came back. She was invited by a group that she believed to be very strange to become part of their fellowship. They said she was precious. But she refused. I found her already old for her age, if she was a well cared for person, she would live for many years yet. I did everything to help her. She came to live with me, but I only had the pleasure of her presence for a few months. She didn't resist and died. At least she died in her sleep. She didn't deserve any more suffering....

"I am so sorry..." Sigrid said with tears in her eyes. "I wanted to meet her... What about her foster parents?"

"They sometimes visit me, but they have opened a gap in my life, that whenever they come I show displeasure and they don't linger. That happens once a year."

"That gap would be my mother?" Sigrid asked carefully.

"Yes. If it was to take away my happiness, that they would have dumped me in an orphanage."

"You never came to us.... Why?"

"Yes, I did. But when your mother became pregnant, we were still children. We were both about fourteen years old. We had no power to make decisions about our lives. My parents took me to another country, where I finished my studies and started in medicine.... Then I went to look for your mother. I hired a lawyer and got only bad news. I learned that your mother had gotten married. I went to the farm where you lived. I saw you playing happily with a little dog and your mother laughing at your antics with a baby in her arms. You looked so happy that I didn't think I had the right to interrupt that moment, nor to enter the life that Cleusa had built for herself. She seemed stabilized. I couldn't enter the scene with nothing to offer you. I went back there several times to watch you from afar. The one you knew as the father didn't seem to me to be a decent person. I followed him several times and saw him with other women and spending everything he had on them and on drinks. But I couldn't offer a good life for you yet. I only earned my place after many years of having to give my blood in this profession. And I believe that by now she doesn't even remember me anymore. I can't go there and try to rescue something that is only inside me. It wouldn't be fair to her. It might mess with her head that she should be happy with her husband."

"You didn't get married?" Sigrid asked that question that had been bothering her for a long time. How Flauber's story had similarities to her own....

"No. I... I couldn't find anyone with the profile I always look for in women, and since I worked too much, the few flings I had ended in failure."

"Visbur, my mother, is leaving Erick and coming to live with me and my husband. She was never happy with him. She waited for you for a few years, but her father forced her to get married and Erick started pushing for them to have children. She refused as long as she could. But the situation became untenable and then she gave in. But now there are no more reasons for her to stay with him. They have not slept in the same room for many years. They live for appearances, although everyone in that small town knows that they don't live well, because he spends all the money my grandfather sends every month on drinks and cheap women, as you yourself have witnessed. I would very much like you to come with us and welcome her as soon as she arrives, for she has confessed to me that she still loves him and has never stopped loving him."

Visbur stared at her thoughtfully. That was his daughter, whom he only knew now, inviting him to her home, so that he could probably get back with the woman he had always loved and, perhaps unconsciously, always hoped for. He looked up and thanked God. He didn't know if he deserved so much happiness. But she came to him. Without him seeking her, resigned to no longer fulfilling his dreams and now he saw the ability to restore all that he had lost. It was a miracle.

"I... I would be very honored." He said, yet his answer took so long that Sigrid was already thinking he would refuse.

Sigrid smiled happily.

"It would be better if you came with us then and spent a few days there.... That way you two can talk more at ease and reminisce about old times."

"I will go. But my housekeeper will go with us. She knows how I like things and will prepare everything my way, if you don't mind, of course."

"I don't mind. You can take whoever you want."

Visbur stood up.

"Then I'll have her pack our things so we can leave as soon as possible. What time does your mother arrive?"

"I don't think until tomorrow."

"Does she know I'll be waiting for her?"

"No. It will be a surprise for her."

Visbur then excused himself and left. Rolfo, who had listened to everything in silence, figured that actually taking the housekeeper had just been his excuse, that probably and understandably, not to embark on a trap. Proof of this was that he could just ring the bell and the governess would come running, but he left the room. Surely he would give orders to follow them if it was a trap and he would be protected. But he said nothing to Sigrid, who seemed happy with everything that was happening. They didn't have to wait long, soon Visbur was back with the housekeeper, both carrying their suitcases, ready for the trip. On the way back to the house Visbur wanted to know all about his daughter's pregnancy and about his son-in-law as well. It was frightening, but he revealed that he had met Harald and that they were friends. And besides that, they found in each other, a great similarity with their difficulties in letting go of their sentimental past. And they talked about it many times. And he also said that surely Harald would be very happy to know that his son's chosen one was Visbur's daughter. And so the conversation went, and soon they arrived home. Visbur was already accustomed and even familiar with the mansion and with all the servants who welcomed him, being happy for him to spend a few days there, as he had done so many times in the past. So he chose the room he was going to sleep in himself and let one of the maids pack his things in the closet and went downstairs to spend more time with his daughter.

Rolfo left to settle the purchase of the house he found nearby and to fetch his wife, convinced that Flauber would not be upset, since he was leaving Sigrid in better company, who besides being his father, was a renowned surgeon doctor. And he couldn't afford to leave his wife alone for too long, for fear that she would deepen her friendship with those strange people more and more. He was sure that living with Sigrid, who was a good girl, she would let herself be influenced by her. They were almost the same age and maybe, when she saw Sigrid's pregnancy, she would be encouraged to have children too. Women were always excited to see a pregnant belly and it would be no different with his wife. Maybe that's all she needed to be a different person. A child to devote herself to.