"What are you thinking, my husband?" I already know the subject, but I ask wanting to delve into it, however, the answer that is to come scares me. It is not the case that I am a woman and have no say in decisions, quite the contrary, I am the one in charge in this family, however, the fear of him acting impulsively is what terrifies me. I know my husband well. The years have passed since our courtship arranged by our families, in fact, difficult times for someone who was romantic and wanted to marry with the great love of life. The only thing I wanted to do was marry a virgin, the rest was all out of obligation, however, looking back, today, it was even good. I don't regret anything or what I did or what my parents did, and he in this impulsivity issue only got worse. And even with our daughter involved, I fear the worst could happen, because he doesn't measure efforts to act, even with a hot head, and it always results in disaster. I will try this time not to be so passive and I will act... He is in fact concentrated that he hasn't even answered my question until now! The way is to ask again...

"What are you thinking, my husband?"

"Huh? What?" This time I get an answer. Well, not so much an answer, but it was enough for him to return from wherever he was. The push helped.

"What do you want, Giulia?" From the truculent speech, he didn't like being interrupted in his thoughts. The world himself, however, was necessary so I answer:

"I want to know what you are thinking!"

"Nothing! Nothing! Leave me alone!" This is a big mistake. Leaving someone from your family circle out. And it only gets worse because I'm directly involved. This is no longer wanting to protect myself, but rather, failing to trust.

"Do you think I don't know what you already know?" Even with his back to me, he just turns his head. Maybe embarrassed that I had been aware and looked me in the eye. There was no need to act like that. It even looks like he's committing adultery. Perhaps this is the father, protector way of being.

"But how did you...?" Sometimes I feel like an alien and that I came from another world. Or that he thinks I'm too stupid. "Salviano, my dear, first of all, is just have to see that things are all around and I'm not even saying that is have to feel, just look and, second, but not least, I'm a mother and I'm a woman. I know when our daughter is sad, distressed, happy, worried and what else fits the situation, in love. Wanting someone."

"Okay. Okay, I'm sorry! It's just..." I hug him and say:

"Our little girl has grown up! It's time to let her fly and go..."

"That's not the problem, Giulia! I'm hating this moment, although, I knew it was inevitable..."

"I don't understand. If you knew it was inevitable that our daughter would fall in love, what's the problem?"

Knock... Knock... Knock...

"Come in!"

"Uncle, he just left. And on the sly! As you warned! He went on foot to the Black Forest."

"What's going on, Salviano?"

"Romeo, get the horses and call Joseph! All stealthily too. We don't want to lose the surprise factor." Perfectly, uncle!

"What's going on, Salviano?" This time my voice is more embracing as I take him by the arm, but it's not these intimidations that make him stop, but my worried look.

"I am her mother. I have a right to know!" I add.

"It's okay, Giulia. In fact, you have a right to know." A disturbing silence falls between us, as well as a breath that comes from deep inside, bringing with it a sadness that I still haven't deciphered.

"I'm running out of time to, God willing, prevent misfortune from befalling our family..."

"What are you talking about, man?" Already trembling I say choking.

"You are scarring me!" I add what I don't want, however, necessary.

"The misfortune I speak of is... It is... Our daughter..."

"Come on, man of God, spit it out! You are making me too anxious!"

"Our daughter is in love, as you said to see around you, however, what you didn't see or feel was by whom."

"Who could this man be that she fell in love that her love is synonymous with disgrace?"

"Duran!"

"Who? Duran! My brother's son?" Exactly! Again, with just one word spoken, he does indeed shatter my world.

"And what are you up to calling Romeo and Josefina's father?" She asks me a great question. This question I would prefer not to answer and leave her not in the field of the most vast ignorance, but rather, in the simple unknown, but as she is a mother, I can't leave her out and I am obliged to say affirming:

"Our family, Giulia, as you well know, isn't the best, but it's not the worst either, although we have arguments, sometimes too heated, there's more love than any other bad feeling, which is even normal, considering the human race, but what I want to say is that I feel for some time that our family is being divided and, it is not for a normal reason, as if someone were going to travel, try to live in another city or country, or even if get married, but this split —, I feel like it's forever!"

"What you mean?"

"I don't know for sure, but I feel, or rather, I see a darkness approaching. Times of solitude in a rigorous winter of flawed and incomprehensible feelings. A storm of despair and struggle for survival."

"So you scare me, Salviano!" That was not my intention, however, hearing these words, not only spoken with sadness and regret, but they speak for themselves so, there is no one who does not feel scared and worried, but unfortunately, this is the purest and most raw truth that will devastate our family. I don't know if it will start with this forbidden love affair, which will be important for our not so close future to know, but deep down a feeling deep down, a blinking light, leads me to believe that the cause, that all our misfortune begins with the courtship of these two and, even so, I will race against time and fight in any way I can, with the weapons I have and with the ones I acquire to prevent this uprising against morals and good customs from going ahead.

"What are you going to do then?" I can't stay here and talk. I need to go. I say with the necessary urgency.

"Ah, but you're not going to leave me here in distress like that. Tell me! Now!" She holds me tight by the arm. I've always respected her as a human being and a woman, and I won't start doing it now...

"Let's get them and take them to Ianã!"

"What? Are you crazy, Salviano? You can't resort to your..."

"Don't say the end of that sentence, please!"

"You know what she did. You know what she has become. And worse, if there is any worse after the past two sentences, you know where she is. Besides, you can't even hear what I was going to say."

"It is our little one who is at stake. It's our family that was put in check and, I know it wasn't out of malice, but I can't let our family fall apart, Giulia. Please don't ask me not to resort to her when, or rather, I will be optimistic, if I need to." The situation is serious even for him to resort to his... No, I won't even dare to think about it.

"Okay! For the sake of our family, do whatever has to be done!" Not only do I hug him, but then I kiss him. Not a kiss of love, ardent, because the situation doesn't ask for it, but a simple kiss of support. We left towards our family's destiny. And that this one has at least the subtlety of solidarity and not play a trick on us.

NOT TOO FAR FROM THERE...

"You did it, Duran, my love!" Before the answer with words, I give her a tight hug. Seconds later I release her, not that the hug was insincere or that I didn't want to, in fact, if I could choose, I would die in her arms, but worry prevents me from having even a minute of peace. But that doesn't stop me from giving her a loving look and a kiss full of desire. I'm the one who stops it, unfortunately. From her attitude it's easy to understand that she wanted the kiss to continue and also from her closed eyes. Although, everything was already explicit, I say:

"Yes, my beauty, I did it! Here are the tickets." Her