Chapter 3 William Rodrigues

William Rodrigues was in his thirties, with beautiful blue eyes, coal-black hair, tanned skin and, most importantly, he was Leandro's older brother and the father of little Thomas. He was a bit different from him in some ways, especially when it came to work, since the Rodrigues brothers worked in completely different areas from each other. Leandro decided to leave the family business right after a big argument with their father a few years ago, months after the death of their mother, to whom he was closest.

William regretted the distance that was created between those involved, but supported his little brother in everything that was necessary. After the time that passed, what they went through, he was always proud of them both. He had just arrived home and could say that it had been one of the worst days of that week, which unfortunately never seemed to end. In addition to the countless meetings and problems to solve, he was left with no one to take care of his son. At times like that he couldn't imagine what would become of him without his brother, so the first thing he did when he got home and threw himself on the couch was to call Leandro. That was a day he always took longer to get off work. He understood why his little brother wanted to work, away from the family business, but sometimes all he wanted was to get him out of there and have him around.

- Hey, Leandro! Are you coming? - he asked as soon as his brother answered. He could hear his son's laughter in the background and couldn't help but smile. A few years ago he hadn't imagined the possibility of having children, or that he would like to have one someday and now there he was, smiling just hearing his son's giggle like a fool and he didn't mind it at all.

- Hey William! Yes, Alana stayed to close for me. We're almost home. - Leandro replied, stopping William's thoughts from going where they shouldn't have. William was no longer surprised to hear that. Whenever Leandro stayed with Thomas, it was the same thing, but it always left him with a feeling of guilt, after all, it was his son, not his brother's and even less his best friend's.

- Again? You know, I almost feel guilty that she has to come last, just because you're with my son.

Leandro laughed. It wasn't the first time his brother had said that, in fact, William repeated those same words every time he was with Thomas.

- I'm sure she would accept a bottle of wine - said the younger man, taking his guesses about what his brother would say about it. - teased the older brother.

William laughed, knowing that his brother must have been mentally cursing, as he always did when he mentioned his possible love relationships.

-That's fine. Next time I won't stop Alana from teaching the boy a few things.

Thomas's father couldn't help but grimace. The last time he had learned something, the child had said some not very nice things to Beatriz, Eduarda's former best friend, who had come to visit them. The two of them had their opinions about the woman, but William hated to have to remedy the situation.

- Got it. A bottle of wine. Better, two!

Leandro laughed at his brother, remembering all the times Thomas had gotten up to something, and not a few. It wasn't always on purpose, the little boy was a good kid, but there were still incidents, sometimes hilarious, that he had to hold back not to laugh and encourage those attitudes.Great! I want one for me too, I'm still going to kill you, little brother. He hung up without saying goodbye, not holding back his smile. They were just the three of them, but he always felt lucky for the family he had, even though he suspected that the members of that little family would soon increase. He was pretty sure that Leandro liked someone, but he never revealed who it was. William understood his reservations and left him alone, despite his curiosity. Putting those thoughts aside and taking advantage of the fact that the two of them hadn't arrived home yet, William headed for his desired hot bath, before going to prepare dinner for the three of them. He felt better there than anywhere else, close to those who really mattered and surrounded by an environment that always reassured him. Maybe that was the reason he had gotten over Eduarda's death so quickly, at least for those who had been friends of the couple and her relatives. But he had to admit that he was happy as he was, with what he had become. She didn't want to change. She didn't need to stay away from her brother. She didn't need to change and move away from her hobbies and friendships, as Thomas' mother had made a point of saying and trying to do from the moment she laid eyes on him and they started dating. She was grateful for the son they had made together, but almost always regretted leaving that relationship to have gone down such a tortuous and complicated path. I wish I had had something peaceful and without so many demands that were impossible to satisfy, no matter how hard I tried. But Eduarda was already dead and there was nothing more to be done about that old relationship, which no longer needed to endure. He could be the good old William of old. Sometimes he felt guilty for thinking that way about the dead mother of his only child, who died shortly after giving birth to the boy. But on that particular night, regretting some of his past mistakes and being happy that he could be himself, without pretenses or the guilt of not being the way she wanted him to be, was good enough for William. He was caring less and less about what people said or thought about him, even those people who were considered close to him. He was getting over it. He was happy.