My daughter's XXL physical therapist

Chapter 06

Nicole

We sat at the table with a warm atmosphere of curiosity in the air. Everything was still new, but there was a sense of coziness, as if I had eaten lunch with them before, as if that home had been waiting for me for a while. Dona Vera, with her sweet and firm demeanor, arranged the plates while Sophia was still napping on the living room sofa. When she placed the food in front of me, I couldn't help but smile.

"My dear, everything is fresh. It's simple food, but I hope you like it. Today I managed to have everything ready early because Sophia was so comfortable with you. I could actually relax here," she said with that sincere tone that warms the heart.

The food was impeccable: fluffy rice, steaming beans, a colorful vegetable salad, and perfectly cooked chicken with okra. It smelled like home, like care. I thanked her wholeheartedly, feeling that this lunch was more than just a meal. It was a sign of acceptance.

"Everything is perfect, Dona Vera, seriously. I am very grateful for this warm welcome," I said with a genuine smile, adjusting my chair.

"And what do you recommend for the next steps with Sophia?" she asked as she sat down, resting her elbows on the edge of the table.

Before answering, my eyes stopped at the head of the table. Urso.

He was already there, silent, with a plate that looked like a mountain of food. Rice up to the brim, the chicken and okra almost spilling off the plate, beans overflowing. And even with his mouth full, his gaze was fixed on me. Burning.

It was that gaze. The same one he gave me at the bar. The same one that undressed me in silence, as if he wanted to pierce through all the layers I had built with such effort.

I held my fork firmly and maintained my composure. I might be trembling inside, but on the outside, I was professional. Firm. Unshakable.

"Well, I believe Sophia has very good motor potential. We are going to work a lot on balance, sensory stimulation, and trunk tone. What caught my attention the most was how well she responds to playful stimuli. That is gold. We are going to make the most of that."

I looked back at Dona Vera. "Regarding her speech, does she already have a speech therapist following up with her?"

"Yes, once a week. But I confess I don't know if she has been improving all that much..."

"If possible, I would like to see the speech therapy reports. I will also request an opinion from the clinic about what has already been recorded regarding her progress," I said, pulling out the notebook from my folder where I write down the clinical data.

Urso wiped his mouth with a napkin, still staring at me. His voice came out hoarse and low, as always.

"And her exams? Do you want to see the latest ones we did?"

"If possible, yes," I replied, holding his gaze.

"I'll be right back." He got up from the table without much formality, taking his cell phone out of his pocket and disappearing down the hallway.

That was when my head started spinning. He didn't just know everything; he kept track of everything. Every detail. Every term. Every result. And that... that caught me off guard.

He returned with a black folder in his hands. He set his cell phone aside and handed me the exams as if he were handing over his most valuable possession. And indeed, it was.

"This is the latest heart exam. And these are the routine ones from last month. I read everything. I ask questions, I write down what I don't understand. I make it a point to attend the appointments. And if I can't, my mother goes, or the doctor comes here. Sophia doesn't leave the house for just anywhere. And I don't let just anyone in here." He spoke with a raw confidence that didn't seek approval. It simply made clear the level of importance he placed on his daughter.

"I am impressed... seriously. Few parents I know have this level of involvement. It makes a big difference."

"I don't have a choice. Since the day her mother disappeared, it has just been me and my mother in this fight. And this little girl is all I have. So if someone is going to come into her life, they have to do so wholeheartedly. If they are going to take care of her, they better do it right. I pay well, but it is not for the service. It is for the respect. For the care. For the love itself," he let out, and the words flowed unfiltered.

I stayed silent for a second. The weight of what he said fell on the table like an undeniable truth. And I saw it in his eyes: he wasn't saying this to impress me. He was opening up a part of himself that very few people probably had access to. It was his fierce fatherly side speaking, the truly present father, far beyond everything I had imagined and prejudged about him.

"I work with children because..." I started slowly, not sure why I was even sharing this, "because I grew up wanting to change something in the world. Children don't lie. Children feel. Children reflect everything we give them. I didn't want to work to fix adults. I wanted to help shape a new beginning. And when I saw I had a talent for it, I went all in."

He looked at me for a second as if trying to understand how someone so firm could also be... sweet. So devoted. So certain.

"You are different. This doesn't seem like just a job to you," he said, sitting back down, looking at a paper and then shifting his gaze to me.

"Because it isn't," I responded immediately. Without hesitation or beating around the bush, it was direct, just like his own speech.

Dona Vera just observed us, smiling with her eyes. She knew something was happening there. That table was no longer just a meal. I didn't quite know what it was either, but I knew that I cared a lot about Sophia, just like all my patients.

The atmosphere at the table was light, but inside me... it was a whirlwind. Urso didn't say anything, but he also didn't take his eyes off me. It was a warm, silent gaze that burned hotter than the midday sun on a tin roof. I felt my whole body vibrating. And there he was, just staring at me, as if studying me. As if every bite I took was a reason for him to observe me even more.

I took a deep breath, pushed my plate aside, and smiled to break the tension.

"Your food is excellent, Dona Vera. Your seasoning is wonderful," I said sincerely, wiping my mouth with a napkin. "I still won't compare it to my mother's because, you know, a mother's cooking is a mother's cooking... but what a special meal. Thank you so much for your kindness."

She laughed, pleased with the compliment.

"A mother's seasoning is truly unique, isn't it, dear? This guy here eats at the diner now and then, but he is always after his mommy's food too," she said in a teasing tone.

I turned to Urso, with a little smirk and a tone of challenge.

"Well... my mother works at the diner," I said to her, but looking straight at him. "Her food is really good, right?"

Urso looked at me firmly. And I saw in his eyes that he understood the message. I wasn't going to pretend that those looks and all the situations of the past few hours hadn't happened. I am not that kind of woman...

Dona Vera didn't even notice the tension we were building in silence.

"Oh, how nice! Do you live here in the favela?" she asked eagerly. "Oh, I prayed so much for it to be a girl from nearby. Wow, that is great! Where do you live?"

"Alley six, back there behind the soccer field," I replied, smiling. "Born and raised."

She widened her eyes, slapping the table with her hand. "What?! And I never saw you? Girl, I am upset I hadn't found you sooner!"

We laughed together, and Urso remained silent. But each of my laughs drew a different look from him. He absorbed everything. Felt everything.

The moment Sophia murmured in the living room, he got up immediately, as if he had a radar on her. He left the table in a flash and soon returned with her in his arms, all hugged up, her face buried in his neck, the little bunny tightly held in her hand.

And what a scene, my God. What a scene. To see him there, at home, without a weapon, without the posture of a favela boss, just holding his daughter in his arms... it would melt any woman. Sophia was so small, and he was so big. And yet, it seemed as if she was the one carrying him, the way he held her with all the care in the world.

Dona Vera spoke again, and I forced myself to snap out of that trance.

"My dear, can we keep this schedule then? Is it your first morning appointment?"

"Yes, we can!" I responded excitedly. "I will be here tomorrow at the same time."

"Oh, I am so happy you are from here..." she continued, with that sweet demeanor that already considered me part of the household. "We can even do some activities on the hill with her, right? In the little square. Because then you won't be afraid to walk around here in the favela, or anything like that, right?"

"We can!" I agreed enthusiastically. "With your authorization and supervision, we can do several activities, yes. Including some that are very helpful for speech, like color games, associative movements... it will help a lot."

She looked at her son. "You authorize it, right, my son? She is from the favela, born and raised here. And besides, we have plenty of security, nothing would happen to us."

Urso didn't respond. He just looked at his daughter with that protective gaze. His hand caressing her curls, his eyes distant, calculating risks, fears, and perhaps a bit of trust that was still forming.

And then I understood. The biggest challenge wouldn't be Sophia. It would be Urso.

"Well, Dona Vera, thank you so much for the warm welcome, alright? Anything you need, you have my number. Just call me or send a message. I am available for whatever you need. Now I am off to my next appointments of the day... it is a busy day today," I said lightly, getting up from the table.

She protested when I went to wash my plate, but I insisted. I washed, dried, and put it away.

I went to say goodbye to the little one.

"Soso..." I said softly, rubbing her back while she was still in her father's arms. "Auntie is leaving now, okay? See you tomorrow."

"No, Auntie..." she began to cry, whining. Her speech didn't match what should be expected for her age, but we could adjust that.

"Can I hold her?" I asked Urso, who handed her to me without saying a word.

I held her in my arms, and she clung to my neck. "Tomorrow Auntie will come to play with you. We will do lots of new games... with colors, with a ball, with shapes. It will be very fun, okay?"

"Do you promise, Auntie?" she asked with that childlike voice, melting even the coldest of men.

"Auntie promises. Pinky swear." I extended my pinky to her, and we sealed the pact. I was impressed by her poise, focus, and response to commands. Her potential was tremendous.

I gave her back to her father, now calmer.

"Have a good day. See you tomorrow," I said with a gentle smile.

"Be careful on the street, doctor. If anything happens, just contact me," he said with that low tone, loaded with malice.

"See you tomorrow."

As I was about to walk past him, I felt his hand touch my arm. It was light. But it was as if my whole body responded to the touch.

"See you tomorrow, Urso."

We stood there, perfectly still, looking at each other. Without words. Time suspended between one look and another. And me with a racing heart, breath caught in my chest.

I said goodbye to Dona Vera with another smile and headed to my car. I got in and took a deep breath. I started the engine with trembling fingers. And when I looked in the rearview mirror... there he was.

With all his swagger, standing at the door of his house, a joint between his fingers. He brought it to his mouth and blew the smoke toward me, giving off that air of someone who knows he is attractive. But that alone doesn't impress me... even though I must confess that everything I saw from him today was impressive, but still...

He realized I was still parked there, and my body still hadn't stopped trembling. So he gave a sly, sideways smile and a wink, and that was when I finally snapped back to the real world. I put the car in drive and sped down the hill.

It was an intense day. Six children, a constant hustle, and a postgraduate course at the end of the day. I signed up for it this week and I am already regretting it. But it is the field that I love, my beloved children, and Sophia's case just gave me extra excitement for this program.

I arrived back in the favela after nine in the evening. Tired, dead on my feet. I just wanted my bed. I passed through the barricade and heard whispers on the walkie-talkies, but I didn't pay attention, even though it was strange.

I drove past the main entrance, and there he was. Urso. Arms crossed. Stern face. Staring at my car as if I had done something wrong. I didn't even know what it was. But I didn't care. I kept driving.

I took a long shower as soon as I got home. Cold water to extinguish the fire this man effortlessly ignites in me. I wrapped a towel around myself and went straight to my phone. I wanted to text my mom, to see where that crazy woman was. But there was a new notification. Unknown number. No name, no photo, nothing.

A single message:

"Took a while to get home today, doctor..."

My heart stopped. I already knew exactly who it was from. And now I also knew that he wasn't going to leave my life so easily. My body was set on fire all over again, forcing me to resort to my own resources, because I was begging for relief.

I lay on the bed. I didn't reply to his message, but I read it again, thinking about his gaze and imagining him talking to me. My toy was put to work to relieve all that tension from my body, which not even all the cold showers in the world would be able to wash away...

"Good night, doctor! See you tomorrow. Sophia is eager to see you..."

"Damn, this man cannot be from God..." I exclaimed as I climaxed wildly, imagining his deep voice right by my ear.