Speechless

"Isn't Andrés going to have breakfast?", I asked when I realized my young client wasn't coming to table. Aparecida said he was a bit depressed. Asked her what made him depressed. She explained that she and her husband had decided on a curb on the kid's work with the cattle for a while as a punishment for what he did to his older brother.

I commented that the boy would grow intractable for that period, since dealing with cattle was his favorite activity. Aparecida said she and her husband had thought about it, but punishment must be hard or it won't be punishment. I waited for the three to step out for school and started talking to her.

"The boy is real aggressive", I said, "I saw what was left of Adriano when I arrived at the Falls. What I saw was a kick on the stomach and several slaps until I dropped the Portuguese book Adriano had left with me. Cannot imagine what happened while I was on my way to the waterfall."

Aparecida didn't understand it all. A heavy shadow crossed her face. I had to explain how objects could tell me something about their owners, riddled with their personal energy. She was shocked at my reporting, though she couldn't believe in how I had seen that happen. I asked for an object, especially one that didn't belong to anyone in that house, like, for instance, something borrowed. Told her I was going to describe the owner of the object. I hate these demonstrations that feel like cheap tricks but sometimes work out as a way of persuasion. Even not believing me she brought me a book. I held it and got my mind free to wander around. Get free from the clutter of thoughts. Focus on the book and nothing else.

"The owner of this book was a woman and is no more. She was one of your dearest ones and left you on a very rainy Sunday. Loved to dress in gray clothes. And loved birds."

Aparecida was slightly colorless upon hearing this. I could notice it even immersed in my concentration on the object.

"Every birthday she told you she was turning 18 and you believed her. She took care of a garden. Her favorite flowers were daisies. She was good yet confused. Her birthday was January the 12th."

I had to stop. Aparecida was crying like a child. I found out I was talking about her mother, though it was something I did suspect. I didn't know what to say to her. But I should. That's what I studied psychology over four years for, worked as an apprentice for, these things. Now I'm speechless. I gave the book back to her.

"Can you get to know everything I'm thinking about?", she asked me as she got calmer.

"It's just not that simple. It requires a world of concentration, not always am I so aware and people can mix a lot of interference, sometimes on purpose to avoid having their minds read."

She said that extra-sensorial perception happened to her son. As it had occurred to her father-in-law. She was sure (and so am I) that Andrés had inherited more from his grandfather than just his given name. I told her that Adriano said something about his extra-sensorial perception and I myself verified that upon "talking" to Andrés at the porch last night.

"And he read your mind…"

"And I too read his. One of the things he thought was that Adriano's beating wasn't still good enough to teach him something. I think his older brother is running something of a risk."

"What can we do about it?" She sounded worried about my assessment and the outcome of my "talk" with Andrés.

"We'll have to set them apart for some time. See if things settle down a bit. And especially prevent them from going places together, chiefly deserted places like the Falls."

She agreed to keep sight of the two. Said she'd talk to her husband about it.

"You want me to be on my knees, don't you? This has to be the reason. How could I not see that? How stupid of me. No problem, I'll do anything for my bulls… Here you are."

Andrés

"I don't wanna talk. Today or any other day."

Andrés is on the peak of his irritation after lunch. Not allowed to go out or work with cattle, he was beside himself in all of his rage.

"I am not at my best for talking right now either, but we need to."

"That's what you think."

"Things going on seem to think more than me that we need to."

"You talking about Adriano?"

"Yes, at least for now."

"Friggin' crybaby, I bet the fucker was crying at the Falls…"

He interrupted himself, bewildered. Soon his face twisted into a scowl. As though he had put poison in his mouth. He leaned against the porch's fence and spat on the earth down there. I was slightly alarmed when he did it.

"What's going on?"

"It was nothing important, it will pass."

Who do I think I'm fooling? I'm speechless. Nothing to say, or if something, I just have no clue of how to start. Must I tell him it's ugly to hit his brother, even being three years younger than him? Andrés looked at me with attention and meant to say something. I was going to start speaking, but cut myself short, because I needed to hear what he had to say.

"Can you tell my parents to allow me to work with the bulls again?"

He seemed to be begging. And he really was. Extremely nervous, he started crying. So much he was sobbing.

"I swear in the name of God I won't hit him anymore. I want to stay with the bulls. I do belong there with them. I don't like no football, gaming, none of this shit. I don't do any other thing in life. The only thing I love to do and I can't do it anymore… I just want to be with my bulls."

"Andrés, this is just temporary. Soon you'll be with your bulls again, that's just temporary punishment." I was desperately trying to calm the kid down.

"It's not! They want me to stop it forever! It's not temporary! You want me to be on my knees, don't you? This has to be the reason. How could I not see that? How stupid of me. No problem, I'll do anything for my bulls… Here you are. I'm on my knees now. I beg you, talk to them. Tell them to raise this ban. You don't even need to raise it all, only give me back my bulls… Please."

I was perplexed. Had him stand up from the floor and sit back in the chair. He kept crying and sobbing nervously. Said if it would make him happy, I'd talk to his parents. Made him promise he would more willingly sit down to talk to me for some sessions.

"I promise anything you want… Anything."

I added I was going to try to be persuasive, but the last word would be his parents'. They'd decide on raising the ban or not as they were the ultimate authority on him. He agreed, nearly smiling. I gave him a paper tissue so he could dry his face and his glasses.

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