CHAPTER TWELVE

PICNIC

She noticed that it was getting dark above her, surely Otávio could see if she was asleep, because she covered her eyes and put a basket beside her to see if it would wake her up.

“ I was awake, so I decided to get some sun," she said softly, with a smile. She got up, sat down, and rummaged through the basket. “ Look, I brought so many things! How wonderful, Octavio, gee, you brought a feast.”

“ I didn't know what to bring, sorry I took so long, I really didn't know what to…”

He looked embarrassed, twisting one hand in the other.

“ You got that right! My stomach rumbled.” She laughed and, spreading a checkered towel on the dirt, began to distribute what he had brought her. There was a covered pot and Clara opened it to find succulent pieces of roasted meat, and in another pot she found garlic bread, and in yet another she found a fragrant salad containing several chopped and already seasoned vegetables. A larger jar contained loose rice with peas, and he had even brought four