\u0218i atunci a v\u0103zut-o.<\/p>\n
Caterina ap\u0103rea dintre umbrelele colorate, cu pa\u0219i elegan\u021bi \u0219i cu acea gra\u021bie care \u00eel cucerise cu ani \u00een urm\u0103. \u021ainea \u00een m\u00e2n\u0103 o pung\u0103 mic\u0103 de cump\u0103r\u0103turi \u0219i privea \u00een jur ca \u0219i cum ar fi a\u0219teptat pe cineva. Pavel sim\u021bi cum \u00eei \u00eenghea\u021b\u0103 s\u00e2ngele \u00een vine.<\/p>\n
Ridic\u0103 discret m\u00e2na \u0219i o salut\u0103 din spatele geamului murdar al taxiului. Ea se apropie f\u0103r\u0103 ezitare, deschise portiera \u0219i intr\u0103, f\u0103r\u0103 s\u0103 b\u0103nuiasc\u0103 nimic.<\/p>\n
\u2014 La strada \u0218tefan cel Mare, v\u0103 rog, spuse ea cu voce cald\u0103.<\/p>\n
Pavel d\u0103du din cap, iar motorul vechi porni cu un huruit greu. Pe tot drumul, o privea pe furi\u0219 \u00een oglinda retrovizoare. Chipul ei \u00eei era at\u00e2t de familiar \u0219i totu\u0219i, \u00een acel moment, p\u0103rea al unei str\u0103ine.<\/p>\n
Ploaia continua s\u0103 cad\u0103, iar \u00een interiorul taxiului se l\u0103sase o t\u0103cere ap\u0103s\u0103toare. P\u00e2n\u0103 c\u00e2nd Caterina oft\u0103 \u0219i, parc\u0103 vorbind cu ea \u00eens\u0103\u0219i, \u0219opti:<\/p>\n
\u2014 Nu mai pot continua a\u0219a\u2026<\/p>\n
Pavel sim\u021bi cum m\u00e2inile \u00eei str\u00e2ng volanul cu putere.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Cum spune\u021bi? \u00eentreb\u0103 el, juc\u00e2ndu-\u0219i rolul.<\/p>\n
\u2014 M\u0103 vede\u021bi a\u0219a, ca pe o femeie elegant\u0103, dar \u00een\u0103untru sunt fr\u00e2nt\u0103, continu\u0103 ea. So\u021bul meu\u2026 Pavel\u2026 nu mai e acela\u0219i om. Banii l-au schimbat. Tr\u0103iesc l\u00e2ng\u0103 el, dar m\u0103 simt singur\u0103. Am g\u0103sit alinare \u00een altcineva, un b\u0103rbat simplu, care m\u0103 ascult\u0103.<\/p>\n
Fiecare cuv\u00e2nt \u00eei t\u0103ia sufletul. El, cel care crezuse c\u0103 \u00eei oferise totul, era acum zugr\u0103vit drept un str\u0103in rece.<\/p>\n
\u2014 \u0218i \u00eel iubi\u021bi? se auzi vocea lui r\u0103gu\u0219it\u0103.<\/p>\n
Caterina \u00eenchise ochii, apoi r\u0103spunse:<\/p>\n
\u2014 Da. Nu pentru ce are, ci pentru c\u0103 e prezent. Uneori \u00eemi doresc s\u0103 dispar din tot ce am, din luxul care m\u0103 sufoc\u0103, \u0219i s\u0103 r\u0103m\u00e2n doar o femeie simpl\u0103, iubit\u0103 sincer.<\/p>\n
Lacrimi fierbin\u021bi \u00eei ardeau ochii lui Pavel, dar le ascunse \u00een spatele ochelarilor. Taxiul continua s\u0103 goneasc\u0103 pe str\u0103zi ude, iar ora\u0219ul p\u0103rea brusc ostil.<\/p>\n
Ajunser\u0103 \u00een fa\u021ba unei cafenele mici, de cartier, departe de restaurantele exclusiviste unde obi\u0219nuiau s\u0103 cineze \u00eempreun\u0103. Caterina z\u00e2mbi u\u0219or \u0219i scoase c\u00e2\u021biva lei, pl\u0103tindu-l cu gest mecanic.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Mul\u021bumesc, spuse ea, \u0219i cobor\u00ee.<\/p>\n
Pavel r\u0103mase nemi\u0219cat, privind cum se pierde printre mesele din cafenea. \u00cen pieptul lui era un gol pe care niciun imperiu, niciun milion, nu-l putea umple.<\/p>\n
\u0218i atunci \u0219i-a amintit de tat\u0103l lui, un \u021b\u0103ran dintr-un sat mic, care \u00eei spusese odat\u0103: \u201eOmul, m\u0103i b\u0103iete, nu-i bogat dup\u0103 c\u00e2\u021bi bani are, ci dup\u0103 c\u00e2te inimi bat pentru el.\u201d Atunci r\u00e2sese de acele cuvinte simple. Dar acum \u00eei p\u0103reau mai grele dec\u00e2t aurul.<\/p>\n
Se d\u0103du jos din taxi \u0219i porni pe jos, prin ploaie. Pa\u0219ii \u00eel purtar\u0103 f\u0103r\u0103 s\u0103-\u0219i dea seama spre bisericu\u021ba veche de lemn, unde se cununaser\u0103 \u00een tinere\u021be. Clopotul mic b\u0103tea \u00eencet, iar mirosul de t\u0103m\u00e2ie \u00eel izbi direct \u00een suflet.<\/p>\n
Intr\u0103. Se a\u0219ez\u0103 pe o banc\u0103 \u0219i pentru prima dat\u0103 dup\u0103 zeci de ani \u00ee\u0219i plec\u0103 fruntea. Nu ca afacerist, nu ca miliardar, ci ca b\u0103rbat pierdut. Rug\u0103ciunea i se rostogoli pe buze f\u0103r\u0103 s\u0103 \u0219i-o propun\u0103:<\/p>\n
\u2014 Doamne, d\u0103-mi puterea s\u0103 fiu din nou omul de care ea s-a \u00eendr\u0103gostit.<\/p>\n
C\u00e2nd ie\u0219i din biseric\u0103, ploaia se oprise. Lumea p\u0103rea sp\u0103lat\u0103, mai limpede. Pavel \u0219tia c\u0103 drumul din fa\u021b\u0103 nu va fi u\u0219or. Dar hot\u0103r\u00e2se un lucru: nu avea s\u0103-\u0219i piard\u0103 so\u021bia din cauza propriei m\u00e2ndrii.<\/p>\n
\u00cen seara aceea, \u00een loc s\u0103 se \u00eentoarc\u0103 la vila luxoas\u0103, merse direct la cafenea. O g\u0103si pe Caterina la o mas\u0103 mic\u0103, cu ceaiul aburind \u00een fa\u021b\u0103. Ea ridic\u0103 privirea, surprins\u0103.<\/p>\n
Pavel \u00ee\u0219i scoase \u0219apca \u0219i ochelarii.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Avem de vorbit, iubito, spuse el cu vocea unui om care \u00ee\u0219i reg\u0103sise inima.<\/p>\n
\u0218ocul din ochii ei se transform\u0103 \u00een lacrimi. \u00centre ei nu mai erau milioane, nici aparen\u021be. Doar doi oameni, \u00een fa\u021ba unei alegeri decisive.<\/p>\n
\u0218i atunci, \u00een acea cafenea modest\u0103, \u00eencepu cel mai greu, dar \u0219i cel mai sincer capitol al vie\u021bii lor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u0218i atunci a v\u0103zut-o. Caterina ap\u0103rea dintre umbrelele colorate, cu pa\u0219i elegan\u021bi \u0219i cu acea gra\u021bie care \u00eel cucerise cu ani \u00een urm\u0103. \u021ainea \u00een m\u00e2n\u0103 o pung\u0103 mic\u0103 de cump\u0103r\u0103turi \u0219i privea \u00een jur ca \u0219i cum ar fi a\u0219teptat pe cineva. Pavel sim\u021bi cum \u00eei \u00eenghea\u021b\u0103 s\u00e2ngele \u00een vine. Ridic\u0103 discret m\u00e2na \u0219i […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-povesti"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6299"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6301,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6299\/revisions\/6301"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bumzi.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}