Episode 5

When I received my first paycheck, I didn't think twice. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: give my mother back some of the dignity my father had always stolen from her.

"Mom, get dressed, we're going out," I said smiling, hiding the payment envelope inside my bag.

She raised her eyebrow, surprised.

"Going out? But where to, Geovana?"

"You'll see. Today is our day."

We went straight to the city's shopping mall. The shine of the shop windows reflected in her eyes, but she walked insecurely, as if she didn't belong in that place. The first stop was at the beauty salon.

"Geovana… have you gone crazy?" she said when the receptionist greeted us. "This is too expensive."

"Today I don't want to hear excuses, Mom. You're going to take care of yourself."

In no time, I saw my mother with her eyes closed, relaxing as they washed and treated her hair. The strands gained life, shine, softness. Then came the nails, delicately painted, and finally the light makeup, which enhanced every feature of her natural beauty.

When she looked at herself in the mirror, she put her hand to her mouth.

"I… I don't even recognize myself."

I smiled with watery eyes.

"That's the face of the wonderful woman you've always been. It was just hidden."

From there, we went to a clothing store. I insisted that she try on an elegant outfit and then a green dress that further enhanced her fair skin and the shine in her brown eyes.

"Geovana, this is absurd!" she said, as she put on the shoes I had chosen. "You're spending too much money, honey."

I hugged her around the waist and shook my head.

"Don't worry. I put it on the card in installments, and it's priceless to see me happy to see you like this. You deserve all this, Mom."

Finally, we chose a bag that matched the shoes. When she looked at herself fully in the store mirror, she almost didn't believe it. Her eyes welled up.

"I don't remember the last time I felt so beautiful…" she confessed, moved.

I hugged her tightly, holding back tears.

"Mom, from now on it will be different. We're not going to live on crumbs anymore. You're going to smile again, you're going to look in the mirror again and like what you see."

At that moment, as we walked hand in hand through the mall, I felt that the sacrifice of so many shifts was worth it. It wasn't just about money, it was about giving my mother back the life she always deserved.

Back home, I helped Mom hang the new clothes in the wardrobe. She touched each piece as if they were rare jewels, folding them carefully and adjusting the hangers with a care I had never seen before.

"Geovana…" she said, her voice low, almost as if she were talking to herself. "I think I'll save these clothes for a special occasion. I hardly ever leave the house, my dear. It would be a waste to use them in here."

I looked at her, that sweet and at the same time resigned look, and my heart tightened.

"Mom, don't think like that," I replied, holding her hands. "I promise that soon, when I settle down at work, I'll buy more clothes, more shoes, everything you want. And not only that… I'm going to take you for walks, to see different places. You will have many opportunities to wear each of these clothes."

She smiled, but there was a sad glimmer in her eyes, as if she didn't fully believe that this was possible.

"You speak with so much conviction, dear… that it even gives me hope."

Before I could answer, Mom's cell phone rang. Mom went to answer. I already knew who it was.

"Hello?" she said. Her expression changed instantly. "Yes, Marcelo… I understand."

From where I was, I clearly heard his dry and customary phrase:

"I'm not coming home tonight."

Mom closed her eyes for a moment, pressing the phone against her ear. It was always like that. Friday already came with the ready-made sentence: his absence.

She hung up in silence, putting the device away as if she were keeping an old pain.

"Once again…" she murmured, trying to disguise it.

I hugged her from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder.

"Mom, one day this reality will no longer hurt us. I promise I'm going to change our lives."

And, for the first time that night, I saw a real smile on her lips, as if she wanted to believe that my future would be able to rescue the past that Marcelo had destroyed.

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