by Jamila Mafra
“You did more than that!" You've closed the best deal for my family company! You have conducted the negotiations very well. Astronomer, you'd be a great businesswoman.”
“Thank you for your compliments, Albert. See you later.”
“Hang on.
“What?”
“You look very pretty dressed like that.”
“Thanks.”
“I'll take you to the lodge.”
“No need, I'm going alone in my car. It's not an expensive car like yours, but it works just fine and takes me wherever I want to go.”
“Well, if that's how it is, see you tomorrow.” He kissed her cheek.
"See you.” She left.
***
It was about one in the morning when Matthew arrived at the farm. Desperate, he entered his room. Annette was waiting for him on the bed. He was sure he had lost the big deal of his life.
“Matthew, I was worried about your flight. What happened? You did not answer my calls.”
“Do not even ask me... The flights were canceled due to bad weather. My cell phone was out of service. You have no idea how I regret not having arrived in time to receive the French investors. We needed that society.”
“Well, I have news: we got the partnership with them! The dinner was wonderful! The contracts were signed.”
“What incredible news! So Albert was able to drive everything by himself?”
“Not alone. Our foreign maid, Ana Lucia, speaks French and conducted the dinner flawlessly. She was the one who closed the deal. My love, she was not only an excellent interpreter but also a great dealer.”
“I'm surprised! But this girl is very clever! She studies astronomy and managed to negotiate my best contracts. She deserves to be promoted.”
“Promoted?”
“Instead of a maid, she'll be my secretary here at the farm. We need someone like that to take care of my business right here.”
“That’s a great idea! Ana Lucia deserves this promotion. I'm going to ask Albert to talk to her.”
“No, I'll talk to her about it tomorrow, after work.”
“I'm sure Ana will be very happy. My love, you are such a generous man. That's why I love you so much!”
“And you're a wonderful woman who knows how to choose our employees very well.” He kissed his wife after a good smile.
The next day Ana Lucia was apprehensive at the call of her boss, not even imagining what could be, or what he would have been so important to tell her.
“Mr. Bennett, excuse me.” She walked into the office.
“Ana Lucia, come in, sit down.”
“Thanks.” She sat down at his desk.
“I knew what happened last night. My wife and son told me everything.”
“I apologize if I was meddling in your business, but I just wanted to help.”
“Not at all, I am very grateful for what you did and I called you here to say that from today you will be my personal secretary here at the farm. You can use this office to take care of my business. I'm sure you'll learn the work fast. I'll explain everything. I believe that you will have no difficulty; after all, you did a great negotiation yesterday, besides having been an impeccable interpreter.”
“Thank you for your compliments, but I did everything for friendship. You do not have to feel compelled to promote me.”
“I'm not doing it out of obligation; I'm promoting you because I believe in your competence. In fact, I really need someone competent to take care of my business on this farm, which, incidentally, has increased with your help. Unless you do not want to be my secretary and you do not want to earn a higher salary...
“Yes I want it, I want it very much. I'll be eternally grateful for that, Mr. Bennett.”
“I'm glad you accepted. You can start your work here at the office tomorrow. I'll explain everything you need to know.”
“I'm very happy with this opportunity." She expressed her joy by greeting him with a handshake and a broad smile.
***
In the corridor, late afternoon, Albert questioned Ana Lucia with curiosity. He wanted to know what the conversation with her father had been, what had happened:
“Ana Lucia.”
“Albert.”
“So, how was the conversation?”
“Your father promoted me. Now I'm the new secretary of the farm and I'm going to earn a bigger salary. From today my work is there in his office.”
“I'm happy for your success. Not that being a maid is a bad thing, but you have so much capacity that you always deserved a position more to your potential.”
“Tomorrow I'll come with a more elegant outfit.”
“You're beautiful anyway.”
“Don’t say that.”
“I'm serious. This new achievement deserves a celebration!”
“What kind of celebration?"”
“An astronomical celebration.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The sun is setting. Come with me up the hill.”
“Up the hill?” She asked in surprise.
“Yes, my telescope is already there waiting for us.” He reinforced the invitation.
“I do not know if that's a good idea, Albert.”
“That's the best idea! I have a surprise for you.”
“You have a surprise for me?”
“Yes let's go.” He took her hand.
Ana Lucia's heart beat faster than ever. Inevitably, her body shuddered as she felt Albert's hand touch her. At the top of the hill the breeze was soft. Ana Lucia's black hair was fluttering in the wind. The sky that night was a gift to the lovers of the stars.
“The sky is beautiful today. It had been a while since I had come up the hill” she said, looking up.
“You did not come any more because you did not want to,” Albert said, also looking up at the sky.
“You know why.”
"Ana Lucia, the darkness of space reminds me of yourblack hair.
“I have compared starlight to the blue color of your eyes, and do you compare my hair to darkness?”
“Yes, the darkness of space is fascinating. Is beautiful! Think about it: it is because of this darkness that the brightness of the stars stands out in the cosmos. Without it, there would be no contrast with the light of the stars. It makes the sky beautiful.” Albert stroked Ana Lucia's hair.
“You're absolutely right.”
“I have a surprise.”
“I'm curious to know what it is.”
“Come here, look at the computer what I did to you.”
She crouched down with him on the mat on which the notebook sat.
“What a beautiful image!”
“I did it on the university telescope.”
“I loved that image you made of the Horsehead Nebula.’ She smiled in delight.
"And on my telescope I made that image here especially for you.”
“It's beautiful! Jupiter my favorite planet. Thank you so much, Albert.”
“Close your eyes,” he said.
“For what?”
“Ana Lucia, close your eyes,” he said again.
“All right, I'll close.”
“Open your hands.”
She opened her hands.
“Now you can open your eyes.”
She opened it.
“How beautiful! You printed the pictures and put them in frames. I'm delighted! Thanks. She hugged him tightly.”
Albert hugged her even more tightly. His smile revealed that he felt something more for Ana Lucia, but he still did not fully understand what that meant.
“Stay here with me until later. Let's do what we did the first time we lay here.”
“And what did we do so special?”
“We watched this wonderful sky together for hours.”
“I’ll stay, but not for long. Let's look at this wonderful sky together and then I'll go home.”
&nbs
p; They lay down on the mat and, hand in hand, they admired the celestial stars once more.
A few minutes later, Albert sat down and, looking at Ana Lucia's face, uttered the following words:
“It was one of the most important moments of my life when I first met you on the hill this way. That's when I discovered what I really love.”
“You did?”
“Yes. I've discovered that I love astronomy. I've been in college for a few months, but I already feel like a real scientist. All thanks to you. But it's not just astronomy that I love.” he said, staring at Ana Lucia with her face ever closer to her eyes.
“And what else do you love?”
“I love you, Ana Lucia." he declared, about to kiss her.
“You love me?”
“Yes I love. I do not know how it happened, but the truth is that I love you. I can’t imagine my life without you.” He confessed, stroking her hair.
“No, Albert, you can’t love me because you're going to marry another woman. You're engaged, remember?”
"I did not forget it. I think my story with Brianna is long gone. I know she does not even like astronomy. She pretends to like it just to please me.”
“At least she's trying not to lose you.”
“Ana Lucia, do you love me?”
“And you still ask me? I'm crazy for you. I love you so much, and it's been a long time.”
“So, since it's like this, let's get together once and for all." He stroked her face and tried to kiss her.
“No! No, Albert! You're not going to kiss me. As long as you do not end your relationship with Brianna there can be nothing between us, no kissing or anything. I better go to my place now. Listen to me; I've been through this in Brazil. I was with a boy who was already engaged and it was horrible. I did not know anything, he deceived me. But now I do not want to go through this again. I'm sorry, but you can’t.” she expressed her indignation.
“I get it. You are right. I'm going to break up with Brianna as soon as she gets back from New York.”
“I'll wait for you to do it, and then we'll talk about both of us again. Excuse me; I'm going to my place now.” She got up and hurried away.
The farm cook, Anastasia, watched the scene from the distance, by the telescope. Brianna had commissioned her to watch over Albert's footsteps. Anastasia picked up the phone and tried to warn Brianna immediately about what had happened that night on the hill.
"Anastasia." Brianna answered the phone.
"It's me, Mrs. Brianna. You asked me to watch over your fiancée and I watched.”
"Did something different happen? Did he meet with Ana Lucia?
“Yes, they met. You fiancée and Ana Lucia spent a long time together on the hill, holding hands, hugging, and almost kissing. I saw everything right through the telescope you gave me. I think he'll end the engagement with you as soon as you get back here.”
“And why did not they kiss?” The bride asked curiously.
“From what I understand from the scene, she's gone a little furious; I think she might not have agreed to kiss your fiancée because he's engaged. But it had everything to roll.”
"Thank you for telling me, Anastasia. You will be rewarded. I already know very well what I'm going to do so I will not lose it. First, I'm going to delay my return. I'm going to be here for a couple of days. After I get back Albert will have the biggest surprise of his life.” Brianna said, then hung up the phone.
Ana Lucia ran into the university lodge. Shelly was already lying down, ready for bed.
“Girl, what happened? Why are you crying like that?” Shelly asked her worriedly.
"Something good and bad happened at the same time!"
"Tell me what it was! I'm sure and bet my own life that your Stephen Hawking has everything to do with your tears.
“My boss promoted me. Now I'm the farm secretary.”
“I understand. It's a form of gratification for what you did yesterday.”
“Yes.”
“AND? Is that a reason to cry like this?”
“And then, at the end of the day, Albert invited me to go up the hill with him.”
“Oh no! On the hill? Dang it! I did! I won the bet! I told you not to go up the hill with him.”
"Yes. But I went, he insisted so much.”
"You should not have gone. And what happened on that hill?”
“He made me a surprise. He gave me these pictures. Look.”
“How beautiful! He made images of Jupiter and the Horsehead Nebula.” Shelly was astonished to see the portraits of the planets.
“Then he asked me to lay down next to him so we could observe the stars together, like the first time he was there with me.”
"And did you lie down?"
“I did. After a few minutes, he thanked me for showing him astronomy.”
"It was very nice of him to thank you in such a romantic way.”
“Albert declared to me. He said he loves me and wants to be with me. He tried to kiss me.”
"And did you kiss him?"
“No! I did not kiss him. I refused to do this while he was still engaged to another woman.”
"And you did very well not to have kissed Albert."
"I do not want to be the mistress again.”
“You are right. First, he has to end the engagement with that woman, and then you can get together in a decent way.
“I do not know.
“What you do not know?”
“Shelly, he hesitated.”
“What do you mean?”
"I feel that he will not have the courage to finish everything with her and take over."
"When will he talk to her?"
“I do not know. I guess only after she gets back from the trip.”
“Then, until that day comes, you have to stay away from him, for your own good. Run away from him.”
“Yes, I'll stay away.”
"I know it will be difficult to run from him, because you see each other here at the university and on the farm, but, my friend, whatever happens, do not let him kiss you."
“I will do that. I will avoid talking to him until the situation is resolved.”
HIDDEN TRUTH
“Ana Lucia! Ana Lucia!” Albert called for her on the way out of the university, but she ignored him, pretended not to have listened.
“Albert, I think your astronomer does not want to hear from you, huh," Richard commented, slapping him on the back. He had been his colleague since the beginning of the semester in college.
“Richard, my friend, she's been ignoring me since that night. I do not know what to do.”
“No wonder you're engaged to another woman. How do you think Ana Lucia feels?”
"The worst of it is Brianna's going to take another couple of days to get back."
“Are you sure of what you're going to do? Do you think your father will accept Ana Lucia?”
“Of course! She was already proficient in business, she was promoted by him.”
“It’s one thing for your father to admire her as an employee, and quite another to accept you as a daughter-in-law.”
"Do not make me more nervous than I already am. I'm going home; maybe I can talk to her there.”
“Good luck buddy!” Richard patted him on the back.
Albert hurried to the farm. He did not conceive the idea of being ignored by the woman he loved.
***
“Good morning, Mrs. Annette!”
“Good morning, Ana Lucia! You are beautiful today. You can go to your office. Everything is ready for you to start your first official day as a secretary.”
“Thank you. Excuse me.” She went to her room.
In the middle of the day Albert came into the office. She left with Ana Lucia some contracts that she should translate into French. He was so beautifully dressed in his navy blue suit! The secretary's heart sank.
"My father asked me to leave those
contracts with you."
"Oh, yes, he warned me. You can leave it here at my table. Thank you.” she said, her eyes on the computer. Albert left.
The next days were the same. Ana Lucia avoided Albert at all costs. He needed to understand that it would not be so simple to have her in his arms.
At the end of another week, she was on her way to her car after work when Albert approached her:
“Ana Lucia, wait.”
“What do you want?”
“How long will you keep treating me like this, huh?"
“Until the day you become a free man.”
“But I'm a free man!"
“Have you gone mad? There's a woman in New York believing you're still going to marry her.”
"I told you, as soon as she returns, I'll finish it."
"As long as you do not break up with her, there will be nothing between us."
"No friendship?"
“No friendship.
“Ouch!” Albert felt a weakness in his legs and lost his balance for a moment.
"What is it, Albert? Aren’t you feeling good ? You should go to the doctor, this is not the first time you feel weakness in your legs.”
"It was nothing, I think I stumbled. I am fine. Ana Lucia, I will not wait for Brianna to come back. I'm going to New York to talk to her today. I’ll set up a conversation for tomorrow morning in a bar.”
“Perfect. Have a good trip.” Ana Lucia said in a tone of suspicion. She got into her car and headed for the lodge.
Anastasia heard everything, telephoned Brianna, and told her what would happen the next day.
***
"My son, why are you leaving with this bag?"
"Mom, I've decided to travel to New York now. I have to talk to Brianna.”
"I see, the name of it is love. That’s how it is. You can’t stay away from her, can you? But you're right. Look, enjoy and mark the date of your wedding with her.”
"I'm leaving, Mother. Goodbye.” He kissed Annette's face and hurried out.
In the lodging, the friends talked once more:
"Shelly, you can’t imagine what happened.”
“Tell me.”
“Albert went to New York to talk to Brianna.”