Irreducible

Irreducible
MONDAY, AUGUST 1, 2016
Mirela
Missed voice call at 08:15
Guilherme
I talked to a friend who's a real estate agent. He put together a list of commercial properties for you to start your business. Call to schedule visits.
Tábata
Of course I'll accompany you.
~~
After several visits, hours of walking back and forth in the area, Paulina returned to her friends' house with a clear idea of the type of place that would meet her needs and two possible locations. Both would work perfectly as a business and a home.
However, the real estate agent advised her to visit other properties before deciding. Paulina accepted the advice because of the prices. Contrary to Tábata's encouragement, she realized that she would spend almost all her savings just on buying the property. This worried her so much that her head was throbbing near the end of the visits.
Seeing her fatigue, Thiago and Henrique acted like a pair of protective angels, receiving her with love and concern. Saldanha made a fragrant and delicious tea, and Padilha offered a shoulder massage to ease the tension. Even Majin seemed to sense her stress, rubbing his furry and soft body against her in a kind of affection. Paulina felt spoiled and embarrassed for taking advantage of their hospitality. For someone used to taking care of others, being taken care of was strange and uncomfortable.
Receiving affection was also something new in her life. It was impossible not to think that she had only been treated similarly by Simon. She soon forced herself to remember with resentment that Salvatore had only treated her like that to take advantage of her, deceiving her with gestures and words while laughing at her naivety.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by the vibration of her cellphone. She took it out of her pants pocket and scanned through the list of missed calls and messages, irritation boiling up as she read the messages from friends and relatives asking her to talk to Salvatore. He hadn't sent anything. She assured herself that it was the pressure from others that bothered her, not the fact that Simon hadn't contacted her since Sunday afternoon.
The messages also made her think about the conversation with Gabriel. As she mulled over the facts, she began to think that he had a point. Remembering the meeting in the park, she realized that Thiago's statement that Simon was his fiancé and his jealousy had motivated Tony and Pierre to search for a weakness in their relationship to harm Salvatore.
This made her want to look for Simon and have the dreaded conversation that everyone thought was necessary. The reason certainly wasn't the longing that hit her every time she woke up alone. Never!
She bit her lip as she realized that Mirela had called and sent various messages asking to talk. Her text messages weren't enough for Salvatore.
She sighed heavily, afraid of this conversation. Mirela had filled herself with hope about marriage and grandchildren – thanks to Simon – being the bearer of her unhappiness, who had always treated her well - almost like a daughter - was scary. But she couldn't avoid the person who always cared about her anymore.
She sat on the bed and dialed Salvatore's personal number.
"Good evening, Mrs. Mirela!"
"Daughter! It's so good to hear your voice."
"I feel the same."
"What happened? Where are you?"
Paulina sighed. She knew the questions would come, but she still wasn't prepared to answer them.
"I'm at my friends' house," she said simply.
Silence stretched from the other end of the line. Paulina imagined that Mirela was controlling the urge to insist on questioning her. Fortunately, she changed the subject, although the topic was more complicated than the previous one.
"Lina, Simon wants to explain himself, at least listen to him," Mirela pleaded, wanting the second thing that Paulina wasn't prepared to do. "You need to talk."
She didn't think so. And Simon seemed to think the same by showing that he had given up on her by not calling, not leaving messages, and insisting that she come back. This attitude didn't worry or distress her. Obviously not! It only hurt because of the fantasies she had created in the last few days. A passing thing. It had to be!
"I..." she took a deep breath. She hated to disappoint, but she was tired of meeting other people's desires. "I need some time to think about what's best for me."
"I understand," Paulina doubted the statement, which seemed more like a lament, so it was no surprise for Salvatore to appeal to sentimentality. "Although I learned that time without conversation, without presence, is not enough," Mirela said with discouragement. "When you were little, you and Simon were inseparable, until one day you had an accident and passed out. Your mother scolded you harshly, considering that a girl should not participate in boys' games. I believe she even forbade you from being close to Simon," Mirela deduced, reminding Perez of her late mother's many warnings. Soraia treated Simon and Alessandro like sons, but always imposed that her daughters avoid being alone with them. "I tried to bring them back together, hoping time would help. It didn't happen. Since that day, you kept your distance from him, and I saw my boy suffer, swallowing the rejection. I fear he'll do the same now, suffering and sinking into his own pain."
Paulina doubted. Not Salvatore's memories, but her own. Although she didn't remember being friends with Simon in childhood, her mother criticized the friendship between men and women, so it would make sense for her to forbid even children's playtime. She doubted Simon's suffering. If he was suffering, he was a master at masking his supposed pain and rejection.
Unyielding, she insisted that she needed time before reaching out to Simon. Her determination eventually convinced Salvatore, at least for now. If the feeling of victory did not appear, it was only because it tarnished Mirela's hopes, not because deep down she didn't want to fulfill her request.
~~
TUESDAY. AUGUST 2, 2016
Nathaniel
Can you meet me today?
Cherry
I thought a lot before sending this message, but it's necessary.
I apologize for ruining your engagement. I never imagined myself in this situation in my life.
From what happened at the party, you still love Nathaniel, don't you?
I'm sorry.
Mirela
Daughter, I know Simon made a mistake, but he deserves a chance to explain himself. I insist: Talk to him.