Episode 4

I can walk and reach the kitchen without bumping into anything, which is an incredible feat for a house that I don't know where anything is located. Once there, I smell the aroma of garlic browning; the smell is wonderful.

Ingrid

"That smells really good, Luiza. Do you need any help?"

Luiza is about to speak, but then stops. Could she help with her visual impairment? Accepting help might even cause an accident and the boss's wife getting hurt.

With the silence, Ingrid sort of understands Luiza's discomfort.

Ingrid

"You know, being blind doesn't make me useless like many people think. I can still help out. I used to make my sandwich without help, wash some dishes."

Luiza

"But didn't you have employees?"

Ingrid

"Yes, I did, but the employees already have many daily tasks. I couldn't bother them just because I wanted a sandwich or to wash a glass. These are things we can do, don't you think?"

Luiza

"I wish half of the bosses thought the same way. I have worked in households where people wouldn't even get up to grab the remote control or a cell phone from the coffee table. Mr. Jones is hardly ever home, so there isn't much work here. I just keep the house clean and cook when he's here. When he's not, I only need to cook for myself. So, I say it's a manageable job compared to the others I've had."

Ingrid

"I can imagine. Now, we'll have company for meals, me too. I've been eating alone for three years, so this change is good."

Luiza's gaze becomes sad upon hearing what Ingrid says. Luiza is 43 years old and never had children because of her work. Her husband has been dead for almost ten years. Seeing a young and beautiful woman like Ingrid being so lonely breaks her heart.

Luiza

"It will be great to have your company, ma'am."

Ingrid

"Just call me Ingrid, Luiza. Calling me ma'am is too strange."

Luiza

"You're my boss."

Ingrid

"I'm not your boss, we're friends. Luiza, can I know more about you?"

Confused, Luiza thinks for a moment and assumes that Ingrid wants her to describe herself.

Luiza

"Well, ma'am, I mean, Ms. Ingrid, I am already 43. I have white hair and some wrinkles are starting to appear. I am white and have brown eyes."

Ingrid

Haha, no, sorry, I expressed myself wrongly. Can I touch your face to try to formulate it in my head?

Luiza

Ah, yes, of course, Miss Ingrid.

She approaches me, I touch her shoulders and then her face carefully. She says she has wrinkles, but nothing that surpasses maybe just lines of expression, nothing more than that. My mother's face comes to my mind, but Luiza seems younger, at least that's the impression not only because of her age but also because of her face.

I am reviewing her signatures, so I get up to go to the kitchen to ask Luiza to prepare a coffee for me. When I get there, I come across a scene that I don't understand. Ingrid is touching Luiza's face, so I stop a little away to understand what is happening.

Ingrid

You are a very beautiful woman, Luiza. Are you married?

Luiza

I am a widow, Miss Ingrid.

Ingrid

My condolences.

Luiza

Don't worry, it's been a long time. My husband passed away ten years ago.

Ingrid

Even so, his absence still bothers you, to the point that ten years later, you are still a widow.

Luiza

Yes, I loved him, and I still miss him very much!

Ingrid

I understand, but you got married very young, since he died ten years ago.

Luiza

Yes, we fell in love in high school, emancipated ourselves, and started living together. We got married at 18, and we had to work hard to support ourselves. He had an accident at a construction site where he worked and ended up passing away.

Ingrid

It must have been terrible to go through a loss like that at such a young age, right? I say from personal experience. Three years ago, I lost my mother and lost my vision.

Luiza

What happened? You don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable.

Ingrid

It's okay. Three years ago, my mother came to pick me up from my piano lesson because it was very late, and she has always been overprotective. My younger sister, Helena, came with her because she wanted to stop by a convenience store and buy her favorite walnut ice cream that had run out. On the way back, my mother was not feeling very well, and my sister and I were arguing about something silly. It took just one moment of distraction for everything to change. When we saw the headlights coming towards us, my mother swerved so that the two cars wouldn't collide head-on. Trying to avoid the collision, she veered off the road. The last thing I remember is a big tree, and then...

I don't even realize that I'm crying until a sob interrupts what I was saying. I sniffle and try to take a deep breath.

Luiza

It's okay, you don't have to continue, ma'am.

Ingrid

It all happened so quickly. The only thing I thought about was protecting Helena. I used my body, but I was thrown with force and hit my head, and then I blacked out. I woke up a few days later in the hospital, my father and my sister were in the room at that moment. They told me that my mother had died in the accident, and I was terrified because I couldn't see anything. But the fear of living in darkness was even worse than the fear of knowing that I would have to go through it without my mother by my side.

Luiza

I'm sorry, it must have been very painful to go through that, but at least you had your father and sister close by.

Ingrid

After my mother's death, things changed.

Luiza

What do you mean?

Ingrid

My father and my sister, even though they never directly said it, blamed me for my mother's death.

Ingrid avoids telling all the details that happened during that time because it was not necessary. She didn't want Luiza to look at her with pity.

Luiza

But you are not guilty of anything, accidents happen, just like the one that took my husband away from me.

Ingrid