The rich man does not understand the sudden change in his wife.
08 May 2022
Photo: Globo reproduction/montage
By Luciana Marques
In the next chapters of Pantanal, Maria Bruaca (Isabel Teixeira) will discover that Tenório (Murilo Benício) has another family. Since the day her husband called her in bed, Zuleica (Aline Borges), she has been cheating on her. After discussing the matter with Guta (Julia Dalavia), the young woman is satisfied with Tenório. Bruaca, who is in a nearby room, approaches the door and overhears the conversation. “Ah, father, be patient, call my mother by the name of the others…”.
The businessman claims he “escaped”. “Yes, the other’s name. The mother of my other children,” he says. Bruaca is stunned by what she hears. “Other children?” Guta tells his father that if he hasn’t had the courage to tell Maria until now, it’s better to shut up forever. Tenório admits he rehearsed a few times to tell it, but he didn’t have the courage. “The time I looked that poor woman in the face.” The rich man remembers that Bruaca was always dependent on him. “It is my shadow, my companion”.
And he guarantees that he has always treated them both well. In that moment he affirms that the “other side” knows, accepts and understands. Bruaca listens to everything, incredulous. Tenório says he’s lived in agony these years, but that he’s lucky that Bruaca is stupid and naive. Moments later, Maria Bruaca is crying in despair in her room. The businessman comes and asks the reason for crying. “Let me cry. The scream is mine”. Annoyed, he wants to know why. “Ah, Tenório, it’s because I’m a Bruaca, I’m a moron”. He says it’s good that she recognizes that.
But days go by and Maria Bruaca seems to be a different person. She begins to treat Tenório coldly, no longer flattering him and responding to any rudeness from him. When the rich man asks her to serve lunch, Bruaca tells him to get up and warm up for him. “Bruaca?” he says angrily without understanding. “Bruaca is your mother who gave birth to you,” she says. Tenório wonders what got into his wife. Another day, without giving anyone satisfaction, she goes on a boat with Alcides (Juliano Cazarré).
They stop at the river bank. “Oh, how good it is to suddenly feel so alive, isn’t it, Alcides?”. The foreman agrees. Bruaca says he only sees the world from his window. “I thought you were dead.” He asks why and Maria says there are things in life that kill people. But she celebrates, saying she’s so alive now that she wants to bathe in the river. Happy as she is, she enters the water. Alcides just watches. “I’m going to clean myself,” he says. Then she approaches the farmer and cannot bear it. Bruaca kisses Alcides.