Pêro received the silver chalice from the parish priest. He set the sacred Eucharist in its place on the front altar, backed by the gilt three-tiered shelf and tabernacle box. He waited at the side of Padre Tomé as the priest closed Sunday Mass. Pêro gazed up at the plump plaster cherubs hovering in the cumulus cloud arcade. A sense of safety swept through him as he contemplated the small windowless chapel illuminated by candles, bathing the space in a fragrant glow.
Listening to the closing words, Pêro asked the Lord for his protection and guidance on how to handle Luis’s inappropriate behavior towards Paulinha. Despite himself, he admired the blue and white tiles depicting the different life events of the Virgin lining the nave walls of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira, their neighborhood chap
