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LAURA BULGER |
Laura Bulger foi professora na Universidade de York. Reside presentemente em Portugal. Está antologiada na "Canadian Literature "Breaking Though" e na "New Canadien Review". Obras publicadas: "Vaivém"(1986) e "Canadianos ou Étnicos" Dear mother and father, I hope you are well. We are just fine. 
Domingos writes "we" but deep down he does not include hae. It is as if she did not exist in is life although they have been living together under the same roof for eighteen years. Eighteen long years. Just a few months before that he had arrived, wearing his dark suit, a boina down over his ears and an empty wallet. He met Joaquim Patrício who gave him help, shelter and finally his daughter, Adelaide. They never whispered words of love or things like that, but a year later their first child waas born.Carlos found some work this summer. It's good for him. He won't hang around bad company. He has become a man; he is now taller than I am . He his still making a little money here and there. It's all for him; I don't need it, thank God. The business is doing well. Tininha is still too young to start working. She helps her mother at home. Her, again. For the last few days they had spoken only when they coudn't avoid it, because of the children. Adelaide had become more aloof after the birth of the young one, Eduardo. Ed, in English. She had started standing up to him, provoking him and giving herself airs. Now, she arrives late from the work and then spend hours on the telephone chatting with her friends; she drinks teas that really stink just to lose weight. She stopped ironing his shirts and instead sens them to tne cleaners. She answers him in English and complains about the children, her job, her migraines. What the hell does she want/ She's got everything: a house in the suburbs, a car, a real fur rotting in the closet. Once in a while a slap keeps her quiet for a few days. She even becomes tender, but her hugs and kisses no longer interest him.Then, she lashes again for no reason at all. "What a brute you are!" "I'm no slave." "I'm fed up". "One of this days I'm leaving." But she won't. While Joaquim Patrício was alive, she didn't dare out of fear. With hers father's death. things had changed. Now, she even steals his money and wastes it on rags; she has a fancy for them. To topo it all, his mother-in-law came to live with them; in her sly way , she took her side. Daughter, mother and grandmother, they all conspire against him. They don't get anywhere with the boys though. Ed always has a quick answer on the tip of his tongue. (...) He brought the letter to a close. It was getting to long. I send you many saudades. Love from your son. Domingos |
