Bern, February 21, 1948<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tania, my dear little girl, my little doll,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I received your letter with the portraits of M\u00e1rci \u2013 a little late because I was in Saint-Moritz. When I opened it and saw Marcinha, my heart was warmed with affection. Never have I seen a more beautiful child! Since I hadn\u2019t seen the portraits in a long time, in the end I wondered if it were not due to love that I had thought she was the most beautiful and dearest girl in the world. But when I saw the portraits again, I had no doubt. I\u2019ve been showing the portraits to everyone and everyone laughs with pleasure to see such a marvelous creature. And so smart. Because for a four-month-old the expression on her face is too clever. And at nine months she\u2019s completely up on her feet and cracking up laughing. I\u2019ve looked at the portraits I don\u2019t know how many times. I\u2019ll see if I can have a copy or two made, at least of the biggest one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Darling, you can\u2019t imagine how terrified I am that the child to be born will have the face of \u2026 Ms. Zuza. I avoid looking at her, afraid. I know it\u2019s an ugly sentiment: but if the child is born looking like M[aury]\u2019s family, I have the impression that my heartbreak is going to be enormous. I\u2019m so impressed by this possibility that now it\u2019ll probably actually happen. I can\u2019t get enough of looking at M\u00e1rcia\u2019s adorable face. But I suppose it\u2019s no use: I know well that there are no influences of this kind. But I really like to look. Sometimes I think about me arriving in Brazil with a baby with the face of Ms. Z., showing the child to you with such shame! I imagine you are laughing now and so am I\u2026 Remember the baby with the face of a chauffeur? That\u2019s what I mean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve been going to the doctor once a month. He thought I was very well. He didn\u2019t give me any diet. The nausea, which wasn\u2019t much, has completely disappeared. Ah, my dear little girl, my little soul, there are moments when the homesickness hurts physically. How I wish to see you, kiss your dear little hands. You didn\u2019t answer me about a girl\u2019s name. It\u2019s more difficult to choose a name for a girl. If my impression is that a boy is coming, I think I would prefer a girl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tania, please, please, my little girl, take good care of yourself, don\u2019t get tired. If you only knew how much strength I send you in my thoughts. I imagine the agitated life that yours has been. But is it not possible to have a method? Is it not possible to find a way for things to go better? My dear, you never talk about yourself, you never really say anything about yourself. Talk to me, sweetheart, write to me about yourself, tell me what you think, what you do. I love you so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yesterday Mariazinha asked me what I would do if I won a thousand contos<\/em>. She said I started to look like a businesswoman, with a bit of a harsh face while distributing money\u2026 She let me give Marcia a house, another one for you, another one for Elisa, and you both come here, and a thousand other things. Only afterward did she laugh and say that the money certainly wouldn\u2019t be enough. Speaking of houses: regarding what you were thinking of doing what point are you at? You didn\u2019t specify. Write back. If you don\u2019t respond to my questions, I\u2019ll have to resume the system of enumerating, which is actually great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the apartment for us, I don\u2019t know how it will be. In Brazil, Maury earns five contos<\/em>. He has a hundred contos <\/em>in Brazil and nothing more. A big apartment can\u2019t be bought because the hundred contos <\/em>would serve, I reckon, only as a down payment. And in Brazil we\u2019d be paying the rest monthly. Now, with five contos <\/em>it\u2019s not possible to spend a large amount monthly. I think the best would be any small apartment, that if you paid right away all or almost in full \u2013 as long as we didn\u2019t have to rent an expensive one, with rental agency fees etc. \u2013 and later, if we wanted, or better, if we had the money, we could resell and buy a better one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In any case I would not like it to be in Copacabana, because it\u2019s hell to live there, there\u2019s not a moment of peace, the street keeps calling, the people, the bars, too \u2013 it\u2019s a beach life, great for a foreigner, millionaire or bum. Tell me about Elisa\u2019s book, I don\u2019t know anything, only that Pongetti will publish it. And the Senate position application, when is it? Is she in good health? She\u2019s not nervous? She\u2019s always getting into difficult and laborious things, but deep down she\u2019s right. I just hope she enters the Senate, because of the salary and longer vacations. How much would she earn?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tania, my sister, God bless you, and give you happiness and joy, wellness and tranquility, good health, good health, good health \u2013 and much happiness for Marcinha darling. Take care of yourself, rest, and be beautiful, take care of your grace, your beauty, and your elegance. Give William a big hug. Is he still handsome? And a big hug of love and longing for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yours, Clarice<\/p>\n\n\n\n February 28\u2013 I thought I had sent you the letter, and it wasn\u2019t true. Sorry for the delay. Ms. Zuza left today for Genoa with Maury. She will board tomorrow, it seems. She\u2019s bringing you both some souvenirs. Don\u2019t mind the irritated letters I wrote from Saint-Moritz. Of course, she is annoying, but I am much more. We had portraits taken, but, darling, I always come out with such a face that it\u2019s not even worth sending. I\u2019ve tried taking a thousand portraits to send you, and it\u2019s not possible. I always come out horribly \u2013 and it\u2019s not due to vanity that I don\u2019t send them. It\u2019s to not give the impression that I\u2019m a ghost. When I take a portrait with Maury, I have to separate us with scissors, because at least in the portrait I look like his mother.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6074,"parent":6511,"menu_order":19,"template":"","categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6487","acervo","type-acervo","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n