Cadu
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
“Jesus! What’s that noise, this early in the morning?” I jump off the bed when an annoying and insisting alarm wakes me up. I’m used to waking up early, but not this early and not to such an insistent alarm. I look at the bed and Mari is sitting there, laughing while she grabs her phone to stop the alarm. Her hair is messy and her face is sleepy, but she’s the most perfect picture I could ever have in the morning.
I am very tired, but with good reason. After I went back to her house, we showered together and spent the rest of the night curled up in bed, making love until we both fell asleep. It’s been a while since I felt this light.
“This is my third alarm. See how important it is to set several alarms? We didn’t wake up to the first two,” she says, laughing while she gets up and stops beside me. I hold her tight and kiss her.
“Good morning, pretty.”
“Good morning.” She smiles, running her fingers through my hair. “Go on and shower while I make the bed. You still need to go to your house to change.”
“Will you come with me?”
“No way.” Her laugh makes the hair on my arms rise. “We both need to get to work and my boss is really demanding.” I make a face and she laughs even more. I can’t be serious for long. I go to the bathroom and while I’m under the shower, I think of my plans for the day and make a mental note to tell her to pack a bag. She’ll be staying at my place tonight. Yeah, once again, I’m not ready to stay away from her.
Three weeks after our weekend together in the mountains, we’ve already settled into a very organized routine. During the day, at work, we keep a low profile so no one will know we’re together. I thought it would be easier—that way my relationship with my coworkers wouldn’t get any worse. Not that I told Cadu about the way people treated me. I didn’t want him to treat me different just because we were dating.
But at night . . . oh . . . the nights were the best part of our day. We spent every night together, alternating between our apartments. We were living our honeymoon, as Lais would say. We’d do the house stuff together, and then we’d watch our favorite shows on Netflix or listen to music and slow dance. And then we would go to bed, where we would make love until we fell asleep, exhausted and satisfied.
Last weekend, specifically on Sunday, I had a lunch to go to at my parents’ house and I had no idea what to do. I thought it was too early to invite him for lunch at the Costa’s household, I thought that he might get scared off. Most guys dread that moment of meeting the family. But I knew he wasn’t like most guys. He’s my Cadu, one of a kind, who would take your wishes and what makes you happy into account. How many times we would be sleepless in the middle of the night and go out for a walk on the shore, to watch the sea and be in each other’s arms feeling the breeze of the ocean?
When I told him that I’d have to go to my parents’ house on Sunday, he automatically asked, “What time should we get there? Should we take something?” I stood there, looking at him, probably with my mouth half open, until he looked at me questioning what was wrong. “What? Don’t you want me to go?”
“No, that’s not it,” I said quickly. “I’m just surprised you already want to meet my family,” I explained, feeling weird.
“Pretty, I don’t want to stay away from you.” He gave me his hand and intertwined his fingers in mine. “If you’re going to visit your family, that’s where I want to be.” He gave me that dimpled smile and pulled me to his chest. “Unless you don’t want me to.”
“Are you ready to face the Inquisition?” I asked, laughing.
“Of course. I’ll bring my armor. I’ll be ready,” he answered and I laughed at his joke.
“Nerd,” I teased him, and he took it humorously.
“Pretty.” He kissed me.
That Sunday at my parents’ house was a lot of fun. We met Lais when we got there, and the mixture of smells, the excited voices, and music playing in the background brought that sense of comfort that only our parents’ house can provide. Though I was worried at first, the day was a success. Cadu was Cadu: nice, sweet, funny. He played Xbox with the boys from the village, talked to my mom and to my aunt, watched soccer with my dad on TV.
When it was time to leave, my mom took me to the kitchen and, wearing a big smile, said she had loved Cadu and that we looked very happy. I told her how happy and in love I was and she hugged me and wished us the best. In the car, he thanked me for bringing him to a fun day.
And here we are today. Saturday night, we have a dinner, our first social event together apart from visiting my parents. He is taking me to dinner with his parents in Barra da Tijuca. I wanted to feel as calm and confident as he always seemed to feel, but all I could do was shake like a leaf, not knowing what to wear and feeling my stomach cramping hard.
I was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at the closet in nothing but my underwear.
“You’re not ready yet? We’re going to be late, pretty.” Cadu walks in, surprising me.
“No,” I say, putting a hand on my chest. “You scared me.” I smile and he smiles back. “Baby, I don’t think I’m going. You go. I’ll tag along some other time, okay?” That’s it. I say it. I’ll wear my pajamas and stay home and binge watching Supernatural. Jensen and Jared would keep me company. He crosses the room and holds my hands.
“Mari, get dressed. I’ll be there with you, love. It’ll be all right. My family already likes you. They’ll just get to know you better.”
“I don’t even know what to wear. Oh, gosh. What if I say something wrong? Or if I spill something on myself? Or worse, what if I spill wine on someone else? No, I better stay put. It’s safer.” His hoarse laugh brings me back from my insane rant, and he pulls me into his warm arms.
“Easy there. It’ll be all right, pretty. You are great at making conversation, you’re nice and clever. You won’t spill anything on anyone, not even the wine. And if you do, that’s okay. It’ll be an accident and accidents happen. And about what you’re going to wear . . . well, hang on here. I wasn’t going to give it to you today, but since you’re so nervous, I think it’s a good moment to spoil you,” he says. Then he kisses my forehead and goes out of the room.
A few minutes later he comes back, bringing a large white box with a red ribbon on it.
He gives it to me and I hold it, curious.
“Open it!” he says, sounding excited, and I start pulling the edges of the satin ribbon. I open the box and, wrapped in red silk paper, lies the most beautiful lace I’ve ever seen. I take the fabric out of the box and see that it’s a beautiful dress with sheer half-sleeves. The neckline is low, and the dress is lined and fits perfectly to my body, going all the way down to my knees. It’s sexy, elegant and very similar to the type of clothing I usually wear. On the back inside, I read Angèle’s embroidered on the tag.
“Cadu, is this . . .”
“The first dress of our collection!” he says excitedly. “Go on, get dressed. Now you have the perfect outfit for dinner.”
“But I can’t take it, Cadu. It’s Angèle’s,” I say, and he looks at me with confusion evident on his face.
“What’s wrong with that? You know they’re working with us on this project.”
“It’s too expensive,” I say quietly. “It’s a very expensive dress. I can’t take it.” I shake my head, refusing it and folding the dress to fit it back inside the box again.
“Mari, you were my inspiration for this project. This dress exists because of you. It’s my treat and I want you to wear it. It will make me feel special and proud to see the woman I love wearing something that was made for her.” His words are so sincere I can’t refuse it. I didn’t want to be the type of girl who dates a rich guy expecting expensive gifts.
“Okay,” I say, and he breathes in, relieved. “I’ll wear it. It’s gorgeous, Cadu. Thank you,” I say, feeling embarrassed. He kisses me softly on the lips and leaves me to get ready.
I put on that beautiful dress that fits my body like a second skin. The black dress shows my curves and the deep cleavage does wonders for my boobs. I wear a black pair of stilettos that I had already left in his closet for emergencies, along with a full makeup kit. Yeah, we were already doing that thing when you leave stuff at the other person’s house. I stop in front of the mirror, pleased at my own reflection, and start doing my hair. I decide to curl it into large curls, putting one of the sides up. Then, I do my makeup, highlighting my eyes, and apply a pale shade of lipstick to my lips. To finish off, I spray some perfume and put on a pair of simple long gold earrings.
I stand in front of the mirror. I can’t help but smile at myself.
“Wow. You look beautiful.” I turn around and face my boyfriend who is in full executive mode. Gray suit, pale pink shirt, no tie. “You’re more than beautiful, baby.” I go to him smiling and give him a peck on his lips.
“Aren’t we overdressed for a dinner at your parents’ house?” We looked too good; it seemed like we were ready for a party, not dinner.
“No. They throw these dinner parties every once in a while. My brother will take his wife and there will probably be a few of my father’s business partners there. You look perfect.” I take a deep breath, seeking the courage within me, and smile.
“Shall we, then?”
He nods, holds my hand and kisses it. I smile happily at his love and he puts my arm in his, leading us to the front door.
Dinner was awkward, to say the least. Saying I felt like a stranger there is an understatement. His parents’ home, located in a luxury condo building in Barra da Tijuca, was something completely out of my comfort zone. I was greeted very politely by his mother, who was quite nice to me. His father, who I knew from the office, may have been a very well-known person in the publishing industry, but he was a very friendly person when you met him intimately.
What really bothered me was the way Zeca and Lucinha, Cadu’s brother and sister-in-law, treated me. Aside from the initial surprise, they were polite to me and didn’t mistreat me in any way. But the way they looked at me was uncomfortable. Especially him. It was as if they were suspicious of me. I can’t explain why, but I felt as though they weren’t pleased to see me there.
A few hours later, we went home. Cadu was serious and he had me worried.
“Baby, is everything okay?” I ask, touching his arm. He looks at me and cracks that beautiful smile I love so much.
“Yeah, pretty.”
“You look troubled.”
“No, I’m just a bit tired. It’s just that Zeca can be so annoying when it comes to a few things. Instead of minding his own business, he’s always trying to interfere with mine.” He makes a face and I don’t know what to say. “But it’s okay, pretty. Did you enjoy dinner?”
“It was nice. Your mother is very nice. And your father also talked a lot to me while you and your brother were in his study.”
“Too bad they didn’t bring the children. The kids are great, you’ll love them.”
I smile, remembering my little cousins. “Maybe next time?”
“We’ll have plenty of opportunities, love,” he says, looking back to the road.
I hoped we would have many opportunities and that the feeling I got with Zeca and Lucinha was nothing but that. A feeling.
We get home after dinner, and after we undress and go to bed, Mari falls asleep in my arms. I knew she was tired and that it had been a tough day on her, as much as the end of the evening had been tough for me.
I was falling more in love with her each day, and giving her that dress meant a lot to me. She had inspired me to start the project and my father, who was practically a publishing wizard, agreed that this campaign would take the magazine to a completely superior level when compared with our competitors. The Angèle’s partnership would give us the necessary credibility to start a new fashion line.
The evening went well. My parents were nice to her and my mother had pulled me aside to tell me she was delighted with Mari’s delicate and lively ways. I couldn’t help but feel proud to be with her and to show everyone that we really were in love.
Near the end of the evening, Zeca called me to Dad’s study and we had a serious argument about my relationship. He didn’t know Mari and I were together and he was mad with rage. Infuriated, he said I’d been taken in by my secretary, and that now that she had full access to me, she would seize any opportunity to take advantage of my weakness. He said I was out of my mind and that if I wanted to bang the secretary, I should do what he does and keep it far from home.
I was beside myself with fury. Meddling in my affairs was bad enough, but suggesting I treat her like a dirty little secret was much worse. And knowing he was cheating on his wife made my stomach clench. At that moment, a good part of the respect I had for him was gone.
I noticed that Lucinha wasn’t particularly nice to Mari as well and it only fueled my growing anger, but in the end, I felt sorry for both of them for being caught up in a failed relationship, and deceiving each other.
I look at the woman lying in my arms, her light snore resonating within the confines of the bedroom, and I smile and think that I’m lucky to have a good life and have found love. True love.