Eduardo Cesario-Martínez: Conto ‘A carta e a urna’
Berenice não entendia por que havia sido chamada para aquela leitura de testamento. Não conhecia o falecido, um tal de Aldo Schmidt, ou qualquer dos parentes e amigos que ansiavam por um quinhão. Mesmo assim, fez questão de chegar a tempo e se sentar antes mesmo de todos, tamanha a curiosidade. Na certa, haviam-na confundida com uma homônima. Berenice Ananias Louzada de Alcântara? Não! Não era possível que houvesse outra. Meu Deus, só poderia ser ela!
Apesar de nunca ter visto aquelas pessoas, ninguém pareceu estranhar a presença de Berenice. Todos estavam mais interessados na voz do advogado, que lia as últimas vontades do seu ex-cliente, que morrera de alguma doença de velho há exatos 36 dias. Foi cremado, e suas cinzas cuidadosamente depositadas em uma urna, que estava sobre a estante de madeira de lei. Pela tonalidade avermelhada, obviamente que era mogno.
Depois de pouco mais de 10 ou 15 minutos de leitura, eis que começou o falatório daqueles que não haviam sido beneficiados por nem um vintém sequer. Quase todos, na verdade, a não ser a afilhada, filha única da empregada. Solteirão convicto que fora, não deixou herdeiros em linha direta, mas apenas primos e sobrinhos. Mas por que o finado havia insistido para que a parentada estivesse presente? Era óbvia a intenção de caçoar daquele bando de parasitas pela última vez. Com certeza, Aldo estava gargalhando do além, enquanto os vivos, do lado de cá, o amaldiçoavam.
E a balbúrdia prosseguia. Berenice se esforçava para manter a face rija, como querendo esconder expressões que pudessem gerar conflito. Rosto virado para o chão, sabia que os olhos a denunciariam, caso alguém os visse. Quieta. Absolutamente estática. No final de alguns minutos, que pareceram horas, a pequena plateia foi se dispersando, até que a mulher se viu sozinha na companhia do advogado. Um silêncio sepulcral tomou conta do local, até que, em seguida, foi interrompido pela mulher.
— Senhor, por que fui chamada, já que nunca nem ouvi falar desse Smith?
— Schmidt.
— Que seja! Não faço a menor ideia de quem era esse homem.
Mudo, o advogado se levantou e foi em direção à estante. Tomou a urna e um envelope ao lado. Virou-se com a intenção de dá-los àquela mulher, que nada entendia.
— Por que o senhor está me entregando essas coisas?
— Senhora Berenice, sou apenas o advogado. Nada sei sobre esse envelope. Mas o senhor Schmidt me orientou a entregá-lo à senhora. Ele me disse que a senhora entenderia tudo assim que lesse a carta que, suponho, esteja dentro desse envelope.
— Carta?
— Sim, há uma carta dentro do envelope.
Apesar do estranhamento, a mulher esticou o braço e quase tomou o envelope das mãos do advogado. Ela olhou o objeto com cuidado, enquanto o homem, ainda em pé segurando a urna, apenas a observava. Berenice rasgou o envelope na lateral, de onde retirou uma carta, escrita com letra trêmula, mas legível.
“Não lhe deixo algo valioso, pois bem sei que é uma senhora de posses. Como sei? Eu a fiz assim. E, antes que rasgue ou amasse essa missiva, deixe-me explicar.
Como já bem sabe, meus pais me deram o nome de Aldo Schmidt. Nasci no dia 12/12/1912, uma data, no mínimo, curiosa. Mas nada que tenha a ver com o caso em questão, a não ser que a senhora acredite em astrologia. Creio que não, tamanho o período do seu luto, que acompanhei de perto, como fetiche de uma mente doentia.
Nossas histórias se cruzaram há quase 60 anos, quando eu, ainda um jovem de 23, andava desgostoso da vida. Certamente, não por falta de opções, pois as possuía aos montes. Dinheiro não me faltava, pois nasci com o destino dos predestinados a uma vida de luxo. No entanto, o mundo aos pés não me parecia suficiente para tanta angústia.
Após os festejos da chegada de 1936, lá me encontrava afundado, em todos sentidos, no amplo sofá na varanda da casa dos meus pais. Entediado de tantas bebidas, peguei um cigarro sobre a mesa de centro. Mal o acendi, percebi a chegada de Rita, uma das empregadas, que carregava uma lixeira e começou a catar os restos da noite anterior. Olhei-a com desprezo e imaginei-me esmagando aquele ser sem qualquer valor aos meus olhos de então.
Ergui meu corpo e fui passear na ampla propriedade. O cigarro deu lugar a outro e mais quatro ou cinco. Lembro que parei diante da piscina, cujo fundo depositava uma enormidade de insetos. Havia um besouro, ainda com vida, na superfície, tentando se livrar do destino de se juntar aos seus semelhantes. Observei-o por, talvez, meia hora, até que o infeliz perdeu as forças e, vencido, afundou lentamente. Um prazer, até então incompreensível, tomou meu corpo.
Não tardou, lá estava eu fora dos muros das posses que, não tardaria, seriam minhas, já que meus pais morreram, após quase dois anos, por conta de um fortuito acidente de carro. Digo fortuito, pois foi o terceiro prazer que senti, levando-se em conta o trágico fim daquele besouro. Todavia, nem o primeiro e, muito menos, o terceiro interessam à senhora. Apenas o segundo, que foi justamente aquele que enlaçou nossos destinos.
Como havia dito, lá estava eu caminhando cada vez mais distante dos muros, quando decidi ir até o lago que, bem a senhora sabe, encontra-se a aproximadamente uma hora, dependendo dos ânimos dos passantes. Sentei-me numa enorme clareira em frente à placidez daquelas águas. Fiquei por ali por não sei quanto tempo, até que ouvi vozes. Virei o rosto e percebi que eram dois homens pouco mais velhos, mas que não haviam chegado aos 30, como soube alguns dias depois.
Um era pouca coisa mais alto, encorpado, cabelos praticamente negros. O outro era esguio, quase loiro, olhos de um castanho bem claro. Não vou descrevê-lo com mais detalhes, mesmo porque, tenho certeza, a senhora poderia fazê-lo muito melhor. Afinal, era seu finado esposo.
Aqueles dois foram ali para pescar. Colocaram as tralhas debaixo de uma árvore, conversaram algo que não consegui captar, apesar dos ouvidos atentos. Seja como for, seu marido pegou uma lata e uma pequena pá. Ele deu alguns passos em direção a uma terra mais fofa, onde começou a cavoucar em busca de minhocas. O amigo retirou sapatos e meias e foi em direção à beira, onde colocou os pés e pegou um pouco de água com as mãos para jogá-la no rosto.
Não sei exatamente por que fiz, mas sei que o fiz. Peguei um robusto pedaço de pau ao lado e, decidido, caminhei em direção ao seu marido. Aproximei-me como um felino e, sem pensar, lhe desferi um golpe certeiro na nuca. Nenhum gemido. Ele caiu que nem jaca madura. Apenas o som abafado daquela face na terra úmida.
Saí apressado do local, antes que o outro homem percebesse minha presença. Não me lembro de ter olhado para trás, até que voltei para casa, onde fui em direção à piscina. O besouro continuava lá, imóvel, junto aos seus. Creio que fui bem-sucedido, já que, até onde soube desde então, o amigo do seu marido jamais mencionou que tivesse visto alguém naquele dia.
Sem suspeitos mais convenientes, a polícia acabou prendendo o amigo do seu marido. Torturam-no até que, finalmente, o homem sucumbiu e confessou que havia assassinado o amigo. O motivo, segundo as investigações, seria mais óbvio se o morto fosse ele, já que, como bem a senhora sabe, era seu amante. Tal detalhe, entretanto, foi suprimido dos autos. Não que a polícia quisesse protegê-la de tamanho escândalo. Tudo não passou de um pedido meu, generosamente regado à paga.
Com esse gesto, que pode lhe parecer de bondade, fiz-lhe o favor de manter a sua reputação ilibada de dama da sociedade. Caso eu não tivesse tido esse ímpeto, certamente a senhora não herdaria a fortuna do finado, que, bem sabemos, era de fazer inveja até mesmo àquela que herdei.
Quanto ao assassino confesso, que agora revelo que foi apenas um bode expiatório diante da incapacidade da polícia, foi condenado a 28 anos de prisão. Não cumpriu dois, pois, sabemos, enforcou-se na cela. Pobre alma. Católico que era, parece-me que se deixou sucumbir ao pecado do suicídio. Que Deus tenha piedade daquela pobre alma!
Para finalizar, entrego minhas cinzas à senhora. Faça o que desejar. Que seja o melhor ou o pior. Não me importo. Sei que cumpri minha sina e espero que, também, a senhora cumpra a sua.
Atenciosamente,
Aldo Schmidt”
Berenice virou a folha. Nenhuma palavra mais. Ergueu o corpo, guardou a carta na bolsa. Encarou o advogado, tomou-lhe a urna e foi embora.
Eduardo Cesario-Martínez
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Premiado escritor carioca, atualmente radicado em Porto alegre, cidade pela qual é apaixonado. Seu primeiro livro, o romance ‘Despido de ilusões’, 2004, figurou entre os mais lidos do Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil. Em 2025, foi o vencedor do Prêmio Literário Clarice Lispector, na categoria livro de contos com ’57 Contos e crônicas por um autor muito velho’, que saiu pela Joanin Editora. Seus contos e crônicas, que já ultrapassaram a incrível marca de 1.300 publicações, são utilizados por escolas no Rio de Janeiro, em Brasília e em Brodowski-SP. É cronista/contista do jornal Notibras (https://www.notibras.com/portal/) e do Blog do menino Dudu (https://blogdomeninodudu.blogspot.com/).Divide a editoria Café Literário do Notibras com o poeta e escritor Daniel Marchi.
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