Chapter Thirty-Two

The next few hours were a blur of activity in and around the little shack. Raphaella returned with a kettle of hot water and Molly was able to bath the baby in a washing up bowl provided by another neighbour, and wash Maria, too. Sherlock tended the cooking fire until it was glowing red then put Maria's own kettle on to boil.

Molly was concerned that both mum and baby should have a source of pure drinking water, at least for the immediate post-partum period so Sherlock took Filipe, who had returned for the second half of his payment, to the nearest grocery store and returned with four one-gallon containers of bottled water, which could be drunk cold or heated but didn't require boiling.

And Molly and Sherlock witnessed the favela equivalent of a Baby Shower. As news of the birth spread, by word of mouth, several neighbours came around, bringing gifts for the baby and the new parents. These included baby clothes, terry towelling squares for use as nappies, and safety pins, for use with the nappies, a crib – home made from a wooden wine box to which some enterprising person had added some wooden rockers and fitted a foam mattress – gifts of food, for Maria and Ru'e, and all manner of useful objects for a new baby and first-time parent.

This was a recycling society. Nothing went to waste. The placenta, which Molly had wrapped in the plastic sheet, having checked it over for possible abnormalities, Raphaella took charge of and explained that it would be cooked and eaten by the new mother. Protein was a precious commodity and this was an important source.

Molly was forcefully struck by the huge sense of community, evidenced by the fact that these people, who owned next to nothing, were so generous with what little they had. It was clear that a new life was a precious thing, such was the joy expressed by the whole neighbourhood. Molly had lived in her flat for five years and barely knew anyone in the building, let alone in the crescent, on more than nodding terms yet these people were like one big family, all anxious to help one another out, whatever it took.

She discovered that Maria had been given the Birthing Kit one day, in the local market, when a group of charity workers had been handing them out to every pregnant woman they came across. They'd advised her to keep it safe and keep it sealed until the time came for the baby to be born, so she'd put it in the bag with all the other things she had prepared for the birth – the towel, the woollen blanket and the cotton cloths – having no idea what it contained.

Molly helped Maria to feed her baby for the first time, showing her how to hold the infant, how to present the nipple and, also, how to care for her breasts, to make sure they were thoroughly cleaned before and after feeding and to prevent cracked nipple and mastitis. She also showed her how to care for the baby's umbilical and explained how it would dry out, shrivel and drop off eventually. When she saw the amount of advice and support available from the local women, Molly had no reservations about leaving the new mum to cope.

As she and Sherlock prepared to leave, to return to their hotel, Ru'e and Maria couldn't thank them enough for their timely arrival on the scene of the imminent birth and for everything they'd done to help. Ru'e roared with laughter when he heard about Sherlock's encounter with Raphaella and declared that the lady would, henceforth, be known as the 'Dragon Aunt'.

The big question on everyone's mind was the baby's name. The naming of Brazilian babies was a serious business, since all sides of the family needed to be represented - parents, grandparents and saints. When Molly went over to say goodbye, Maria took her hand and placed it on the baby's head, saying the word, 'Molly.' She didn't understand what this meant until Sherlock said,

'She's named the baby 'Molly', after you.'

'Oh, that's not necessary, really!' Molly exclaimed.

'No, they want to, Molly, they really do,' Sherlock explained. 'Please, let them do this.'

Molly was reminded of saying almost those exact words to him, the day they arrived at the Children's Centre to that loud and enthusiastic reception. On that occasion, she'd been right and on this, he was, too. She leaned forward and kissed the baby and hugged Maria and Ru'e then she and Sherlock departed.

They walked, hand in hand, back through the favela until they came to the 'civilisation' of made roads and conventional buildings. Sherlock hailed a cab and they rode back to the Palace Hotel in relative style.

'My God, Sherlock, what a day!' Molly declared, as they flopped down on the sofa in their sitting room.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon so they'd been up and about for nearly twelve hours. The boys were due to arrive at six, when a table had been reserved for an early supper for the family and Caro and Henrique.

'We could go to bed for a couple of hours,' Sherlock suggested.

'To sleep?' Molly asked.

'Did you have something else in mind?' he enquired.

'Yes, actually, I do,' she replied, with a wicked grin, 'but let's have a drink, first. I am gagging for a cup of tea!'

'Me, too,' he agreed and went to put on the kettle.

ooOoo

Molly and Sherlock stepped out of the lift into the hotel foyer just before six o'clock and looked around, expectantly, for William and Freddie, Caro and Henrique. They did not have to wait long. The lift to the underground car park opened and the party emerged, William holding Caro's hand and Henrique carrying Freddie in the crook of his arm. On seeing their parents, William ran forward and Freddie wiggled his legs to be put down then waddled across the floor, arms pumping energetically.

William was in a quandary about who to hug first so he opted for one arm around each parent but Freddie went straight for Sherlock, in the expectation of being hoisted in the air and swung around – which was the usual form of greeting between the two. Sherlock obliged, whilst William hung onto his leg and Molly's waist. She bent down to hug and kiss him. It was the longest she'd been apart from her children for a very long time – in fact ever, in Freddie's case. She had missed them, only now realising how much. She hugged William for the longest time then straightened up to take Freddie so Sherlock could embrace his other son.

'Have they been good?' Molly asked Caro and Henrique.

'As gold,' came the reply, as the group moved into the restaurant and were shown to their table.

William was telling Sherlock about his two days at the house in the country. Apparently, he had taken Henrique to the wood on the hill, to show him the Thinking Tree and had shown him how to make a Mind Place.

'So, you have a Mind Place, now, as well?' Sherlock asked, smiling at the thought of William instructing Henrique in the technique.

'In deed, I do!' Henrique confirmed. 'And it will be very useful at my time of life. I am always forgetting things but now I will be able to look in my Mind Tree and find what I am looking for.'

'Oh, yours is a tree?'

'Yes, with many branches and also some hollows and a few nests, for special things to be kept.'

The waiter took their order and Molly told their friends about their busy day.

'Oh, Maria had a little girl! How lovely! And how fortunate that you came along, when you did,' Caro commented.

'Oh, she was doing just fine on her own but, obviously, it was nice that she had someone there to help when it really counted.'

'And now we have a new little Molly in our family! It might start a new trend for naming girls Molly!'

'I do hope not,' Molly cautioned. 'It's not the most attractive name in the world.'

'It's a beautiful name,' Sherlock put in, and thought, but didn't say, for a beautiful person.

'I ran into a friend of yours today, Sherlock,' Henrique declared.

Sherlock's brow wrinkled in a frown. He didn't have many friends, especially in South America.

'Who might that be?' he asked.

'Gustavo Oliviera. He was at the club I sometimes take clients to, for lunch. I was there with one, today, and he walked in. He made a point of coming over. He said he was glad the business at the press conference was sorted and asked me to send you his regards.'

Sherlock gave a small shrug, to acknowledge the compliment.

'He asked me if I would ask you to call him. He said he has something he wishes to discuss with you.'

'Well, that's convenient because I have something that I'd like to discuss with him,' Sherlock replied. One down, two to go, he thought. 'Did he leave a number?'

'Yes, he gave me his card.' Henrique fished in his pocket and brought out a card between his two fingers. He handed it to Sherlock who looked at it, briefly, then put it in his own pocket. He would call the man tomorrow.

'How was your meal, Molly?' Caro asked.

'Oh, it was lovely, thank you,' Molly replied, pointedly avoiding eye contact with Sherlock and also omitting to say that they had eaten their main course, cold and for breakfast, at five o'clock that morning.

'It is a fabulous restaurant. I've never been anywhere like it, before.'

'I don't think there is anywhere like it, outside of Portugal, at least,' Caro affirmed.

The conversation then moved to safer topics and Molly relaxed. The less said about their evening at the Antiquarius the better, fabulous though the restaurant truly was. The rest of the meal passed pleasantly and then it was time for Caro and Henrique to return home and for Molly and Sherlock to take the boys back to their suite and get them ready for bed.

'Will I see you at the centre, tomorrow, Sherlock?' Caro asked.

'Yes, indeed. We still have so much to discuss and I'm sure William would like to see Rodrigo again.'

William nodded enthusiastically. He had yet to show his friend the technique for gathering the jacks. It was agreed, then, that Sherlock and William would definitely come to the Centre the next day and that Molly and Freddie might come along, too. The party left the restaurant, said their good nights and went their separate ways.

Once back on the top floor, the couple gave the boys their bath, and heard all about their two days at Caro's, including how Freddie had said 'Bom dia' to Giorgio at breakfast, that morning.

'Soon I shall have a completely bi-lingual family,' Molly observed, with mock alarm. 'And you'll all be able to talk about me, right in front of me, and I won't have a clue what you're saying.'

'Your Portuguese is improving, Molly,' Sherlock corrected her.

'My Portuguese? I don't have any Portuguese!' she insisted.

'Oh, yes, you do. Today, for instance, you were responding to Maria before I translated what she said but you were so intent on what was going on, you didn't even notice. Half the time, I wasn't saying anything and some of the time, you were speaking Portuguese, too – just single words mostly – but you have been absorbing the language while we've been here. You just need the confidence to have a go. You'll be speaking like a native before you know it.'

Molly gave her goofy grin that always melted his heart. She had always done that, whenever he paid her a compliment before they became a couple, even though she knew he was only flirting with her to gain some favour or other. How fortunate for him that she had such a forgiving nature, he reminded himself for the zillionth time.

With the boys in bed, the couple stood on the balcony for a while, gazing out at the view, breathing in the scents and enjoying the sounds of summer in Rio, chatting about the dizzying turn of events the day had held. Molly announced that, before they returned to the UK, she would give William's summer clothes to the Centre and Freddie's to Maria and Ru'e. Both boys would have grown out of them by next year, so they might as well go somewhere they would do some good.

'They can have my swim shorts, too, and those damned crocs!' Sherlock exclaimed. There was no way he would be caught dead wearing those anywhere in the UK.

'I don't think any of the boys at the Centre would want them either, to be honest,' Molly admitted, giggling at the injured expression on his face. He was such an easy target, it was irresistible.

Then they retired to bed to continue the serious business of making another baby.

ooOoo