When time seems to disagree with reason
Chapter 1
A Timeless Smell
It was a sunny morning on February 20, 2025, in Juiz de Fora, and Wendel felt fulfilled. He had just left the real estate agency where he picked up the keys to his new home — a residence on São Mateus Street, in the same neighborhood. A large house, with four bedrooms, a laundry room, three bathrooms, space… everything about it enchanted him. Coming from a humble family, Wendel had always lived in a small apartment, where he shared life with three siblings, his mother, and his father, who had already passed away.
The city was already frenetic that morning — horns blaring, hurried footsteps, voices crossing — and Wendel walked as fast as he could. His vacation had just begun and, besides organizing everything inside the house, he also wanted to take a trip.
Standing in front of the house, Wendel stops and observes. His heart races.
— How beautiful… gratitude.
He notices there were other houses around him, ignores them, takes the keys, and opens the door. Inside, once again, he is enchanted: how big it was, spacious…
Suddenly, the doorbell rings. He startles, runs, and opens it. It was already the furniture store beginning the delivery of his purchases.
The rest of that February 20th went like this: Wendel happy, watching his new space take shape, adjusting things here and there… until night arrives, uninvited. Wendel checks the time: 6:35 p.m. He concludes he would keep organizing and adjusting what he could until 7:30 p.m., when he would stop to shower and eat something.
And so it was done.
Only details remained, which could be finished the next day. He stops, takes a shower, and, an adherent of the carnivore diet, prepares his meat and eggs. He eats. Then, he washes the dishes.
With everything washed and put away, he goes to the front porch of the house to observe a bit of life passing by.
There, he senses a smell of the past — something that intrigues him. He couldn’t explain it, but that smell seemed timeless.
Wendel moves, walks around the house… remembers his father, Francisco.
He realizes the smell didn’t seem to have a logical direction. Still unsettled, he decides to go inside and chooses to read something.
Holding The Divine Comedy, by Dante Alighieri, already lying in bed, he ends up falling asleep.
The next day, Wendel wakes up hopeful that this new day would bring him something good. He still receives the arrival of some electronics and, that morning, also receives a call from his sister, Carolina.
— Bro, what’s up?
— Hello, my sister… ah, I couldn’t be happier!
— Wow! I’m happy too, my brother. For you. I don’t know exactly when I’ll be able to go to Juiz de Fora, but I promise that as soon as I do, I’ll call you to see your house. But tell me… have you organized everything yet?
— First, I understand. I know about your difficulties, sis. I want you to know that I never stop praying for you and your family. And yes… this morning I’m finishing up with the arrival of some electronics.
Wendel pauses.
— What made me a little uncomfortable was feeling Dad’s smell here… can you believe it, Carol?
— Dad’s smell? What do you mean? Explain that better…
— Yesterday I finished arranging the furniture, took a shower, ate, and went out to the porch. When I got there, I felt Dad’s smell. It’s insane.
— Wow… that’s confusing, brother. Are you sure it was really Dad’s smell?
— So… the smell brought him to my memory, sis.
— Pray for him. I’ll pray too. I have to go now, you know.
— Yes. Thanks for calling. I love you. Stay with God.
— Kiss. I love you so much. Stay with Him.
Chapter 2
Who Is Andriy Kovalenko?
Wendel hangs up the phone and goes out to the porch, all senses alert… his father’s smell was there. It made no sense. Even so, it lived in his mind.
About three minutes later, Wendel hears:
— Wendy, come here, boy… I need your help!
Wendel’s heart races. That was not only his father’s voice, but the affectionate way he used to call him. Wendel becomes disoriented, spins around himself, confused.
— Here, boy… to your left.
He leaves the house and walks to the left, where another house stood, with an elderly man in a wheelchair.
— Ah, there you are. Come quickly, help me. Get my medication for me. Yana left… I can’t demand much from her, you know how it is? I think I was a very absent father.
— Sir, where is your medication? Nice to meet you, my name is Wendel.
— I’m Andriy, and the pleasure is all mine. Thank you for coming, not just anyone does, hehe. — Andriy smiles awkwardly.
— Would it be the one on top of the refrigerator?
— Yes, that’s the one. It’s for pain… I can’t take this back pain anymore.
Wendel picks up the medication.
— Water?
— Yes, please.
— Here you go.
— Thank you very much, boy… I don’t know what my back would be without you here right now.
— You mentioned Yana. Would you like to tell me something about her? She’s your daughter, right?
— Yes… Yana Kovalenko, now 39 years old. I… — the old man’s voice breaks. — I had her in 1986, exactly at the moment when reactor 4 blew up, in Chernobyl.
Wendel’s eyes widen.
— What? What are you telling me? You came from Ukraine?
— Yes, boy… more precisely from Pripyat. I was a worker at the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin Nuclear Power Plant in 1986. And it was right there, during the accident, that Yana was born — April 23, 1986.
He takes a deep breath.
— I was very afraid. I was exposed to radiation, you know? That… messed up my mind. A friend, with everything set to go to Latin America, called me. I couldn’t help but grab that chance tightly — and stay as far away from Yana as possible.
The old man’s eyes fill with tears. Wendel feels embarrassed, unsure of what to say. The old man continues:
— Yana ended up being raised by her grandmother. She had a daughter, Olena, who was here at the end of last year and didn’t bring her. I would give anything in the world to see Olena.
— We’ll find a way. Don’t worry.
— You don’t know Yana.
— And you don’t know me.
The old man stops and looks at Wendel with different eyes. In that look, one could see hope — almost redemption.
— Okay… if you say so, Wendel, I’ll hold on to those words, if you allow me.
— I insist. Now I need to go. Will you be okay?
— Yes, I’ll be fine. Yana left the medicine up high when she left…
— When did she leave?
— Last week.
— Alright. If you need anything, just shout.
— Thank you very much, boy. Truly.
— No need to thank me. We’re here for that. Good night, Mr. Andriy.
— Good night, boy.
Wendel leaves Andriy’s house reflective. Back in his own home, he thinks about how he will convince Andriy’s daughter to come to Brazil and bring her child. He has no ready answers, but he knows that soon he will need to find them.
He takes a shower, notices that night is approaching. He eats, washes the dishes, and lies down. He resumes reading The Divine Comedy, but struggles: his mind is stuck on his father and on Mr. Andriy.
“Should I do for Mr. Andriy what I didn’t do for my father?
Could this be an opportunity for redemption?”
Wendel’s mind is volatile. Unable to concentrate, he abandons the book. He decides that the next day he will try to better understand who Yana is. What happened with his father in the past still torments him. He feels trapped; guilt embraces him and doesn’t seem willing to let go.
Wendel eventually falls asleep.
Chapter 3
Who Is Yana, Really?
The next day, he wakes up, gets up, prepares coffee, and thinks about Mr. Andriy. He should know whether the old man needed anything. He goes to the porch and pays attention. He hears Andriy speaking:
— Daughter, his name is Wendel. He came to help me, brought me the medication… you left it on top of the refrigerator.
— Yes… it’s alright. You’re not bringing Olena?
— Daughter, make an effort. It’s important for your father.
— Alright, I understand. Stay with God.
Wendel’s heart grows heavy. He feels sorry for Andriy and decides to bring the old man some coffee. He grabs the thermal flask and goes to the house next door.
— Good morning! I brought you some coffee.
— Oh, boy… what a wonderful thing. Come in.
— Where can I get a cup?
— There in the kitchen, you’ll see.
Wendel enters and, on a table, sees something that looks like a radiation meter. His mind races. He grabs the cup and returns.
— Here you go…
Andriy pours himself some coffee and comments:
— I spoke to Yana today. She’s grumpy… she doesn’t feel ready to bring Olena.
— I need to talk to her.
— Look… I need you to know something. Yana went through a lot. She’s angry… or disillusioned with men. When she had Olena, in 2023, her fiancé disappeared. Just as I vanished from her life, Ramon — the fiancé — vanished too.
Wendel’s mind processes it. He understands.
— Yes… I understand her insecurity.
— Do you still want to talk to her?
— Yes. I think it’s fair that you see your granddaughter. I want to show her that. If she comes, we’ll go together to pick her up in Rio de Janeiro, at Galeão Airport.
— Ah… that would be fantastic! — Andriy becomes emotional. — I’ll give you her number.
He turns his chair, grabs an old cellphone from a clay-colored table, and exchanges numbers with Wendel. Through WhatsApp, he sends Yana Kovalenko’s contact.
Wendel adds the contact and is impressed.
“How beautiful she is.”
— Drink your coffee before it gets cold. I’ll call her from home.
— Alright, feel free. Your coffee smells great, boy.
— I grind the beans myself.
— Fantastic…
— Did you work many years in Chernobyl?
— Hmm… look… Reactor 4: destroyed in the explosion on April 26, 1986.
Reactor 2: shut down in 1991 after a fire.
Reactor 1: closed in 1996.
Reactor 3: the last to operate, shut down on December 15, 2000.
I started in 1979. I worked there for seven years. I left on the day Reactor 4 exploded.
— That must have marked you deeply.
— You have no idea.
— Do you think Yana will give me trouble? I’m getting anxious to resolve this.
— Haha… she’s kind, but scared — anything is possible.
— I’ll go and come back, I want to see if I can sort this out.
— Perfect, I understand you. Go with God, boy.
— Alright, stay with God. I’ll be right back.
At his house:
Wendel dials Ukraine. Andriy had said that Yana speaks Portuguese. The phone is ringing.
— Hello?
— Yana, my name is Wendel, I’m your father’s neighbor.
— Yes, he told me about you.
— I’m calling to ask you to bring your daughter so he can see her. He wants this very much, Yana. He misses you deeply.
— He turned his back on me — did he tell you that?
— What he did, I would have done too… Loving truly also means stepping away when necessary. He didn’t think it was safe to stay close to you.
Silence settles into the call — Wendel realizes he struck something deep. Yana is truly reflective.
— I… I never thought of it that way, you know?
— Yes, I understand. Your father is a good man.
— Thank you for what you’ve been doing for him.
— I do it from the heart. So, will you come? Do you need help with anything?
— No, I can manage. I will come to Brazil. The day after tomorrow I’ll take a flight to Rio de Janeiro.
— We’ll be there, waiting for you.
— Yana thanks him, says goodbye, and hangs up.
Wendel punches the air and runs toward Andriy’s house.
— I did it, I did it… Yana is coming and she’ll bring Olena so you can see her.
— This is too much emotion, boy, I can’t believe it.
— Believe it… she’ll come the day after tomorrow. It’ll already be the 25th soon. Today is the 22nd, she comes on the 24th, one day of travel — she arrives on February 25th.
— This is incredible… I feel happy and anxious.
— So good.
Chapter 4
Recovered Time
February 22nd, 23rd, and 24th passed between anxiety and emotional preparation. Wendel felt, little by little, integrated into the Kovalenko family, which somehow eased the discomfort of thinking about his own father. He was at peace — and, deep down, anxious to meet Yana.
Early in the morning of February 25th, Wendel wakes up and doesn’t even have coffee. He gets ready, takes the car out of the garage, and goes to Mr. Andriy’s house.
— Very good morning! Excited? Going to see your granddaughter today? — he jokes.
— Yes, boy… you are a blessing in my life. Very good morning. I can barely contain my anxiety.
— Better times will come. Let me help you.
Wendel grabs a regular chair, carefully seats Mr. Andriy on it, then folds the wheelchair and places it in the trunk. He returns, lifts Andriy in his arms, and places him in the front passenger seat, beside him.
The old man was all smiles — a lightness that seemed unprecedented in his life.
The flight was scheduled to arrive in Rio at 9:15 a.m. At 6:02 a.m., they left Juiz de Fora toward the marvelous city.
During the trip, Wendel opens up to Mr. Andriy.
— You know… I carried a burden inside me that, when I met you, ended up dissipating.
— Go on, boy. It will do you good. I’m here, all ears.
— I lived through a period of my life when my father had Alzheimer’s. One of those really severe cases. I was alone. My family couldn’t help me. They were hard years… I lost my patience with him many times, you know? Until not long ago, I couldn’t forgive myself for that. But meeting you, living all this with your family, awakened something very positive in me. I’m grateful for that.
Andriy listens in silence, attentive.
— You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. This disease is cruel. I cut out sugar at thirty-five precisely because I was afraid of it. Dealing alone with someone in that condition demands far more than anyone imagines. Forgive yourself, boy. Your father certainly understood… and he didn’t take any of this with him. Be at peace.
Wendel was, at last, at peace. Life felt lighter, filtered.
At 8:46 a.m., he parked the car at Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport. He adjusted Mr. Andriy in the wheelchair, and they headed toward the waiting gate.
There, in that place, Mr. Andriy felt time come to a halt. In his mind, images formed: what Olena would be like, whether she would love him, whether she would cling to him. When he looked at Wendel, gratitude seemed infinite.
And then, as he saw Yana approaching, holding Olena’s hand, his heart felt as if it might burst from his chest.
— Dad… this is your granddaughter, Olena Kovalenko. Sweetheart, give Grandpa a hug.
That hug suspended time. Andriy broke into tears. The little girl, innocent, asked:
— Why are you crying, Grandpa?
— Because I love you very much, Olena.
— I love you too, Grandpa. You don’t need to cry.
On the other side, Yana was overcome with emotion, supported by Wendel. In that moment, more pieces of life’s great puzzle fell into place — in a fair, real, true way.
On the way back to Juiz de Fora, inside the car, Wendel and Yana exchanged glances. What they wished to say remained guarded within their hearts. Mr. Andriy, with Olena in his arms, felt unlike ever before; happiness overflowed.
They arrived on São Mateus Street, in Juiz de Fora, at 2:40 p.m., having stopped along the road for lunch.
— Dad, your house urgently needs cleaning! — Yana laughs lightly.
— Wendel, boy, come here… what you’re doing for me… I don’t know how to thank you. Nothing I could do would ever be enough, it seems…
— This makes me happy, Andriy. We’re here for that — to help each other, to grow when allowed. I’m truly happy for all of you.
— We’re happy too, Wendel. You made me look at my father, after so many years, in a different way. Thank you from the heart.
— You’re welcome. This is just the beginning… I need to go now. I need to check on my house, see how things are there…
— But you’ll come back, right? — Yana asks, her brow furrowed.
— Why don’t you all come over to my place? Let’s do something together. Have some wine, what do you say?
— That sounds amazing! — says Mr. Andriy.
— Alright, I like that too. What time?
— At sunset, what do you think?
— Perfect, — Yana replies.
— Then it’s settled. I’ll be going now…
Chapter 5
The Puzzle of Life
Wendel leaves the Kovalenko house lighter; the feeling of a mission accomplished was almost tangible. At home, he takes a shower, relaxes on the couch, and ends up napping until 4:48 p.m. He wakes up happy, satisfied.
He had dreamed of his father — in the dream, he was happy by his side. They were traveling together, to a destination Wendel couldn’t remember.
At 6:47 p.m., Yana rings the doorbell.
Wendel feels his heart race and runs to open the door.
— You’re very welcome!
— Wow… your house is beautiful! — Yana blurts out, without realizing it.
Olena, beside her grandfather, observes everything in awe. Wine is served to the adults; fruit to Olena, who runs through the house as if it were her own imaginary kindergarten.
The grandfather? He beamed with happiness.
Yana and Wendel spend much of the rest of the night together — talking, getting to know each other, sharing comfortable silences.
The grandfather leaves first, taking Olena with him.
Yana stays.
— I don’t know what’s happening between us… I feel so insecure.
— I understand you. Your father told me.
— So you already know…
— I do. And I understand you. There’s no need to rush anything.
— What are you? An angel?
— I don’t know… maybe we’re just pieces of a giant puzzle, trying to fit together.
— You have deep answers, you know that?
— Maybe. And you contribute to that, you know?
— How so?
— Being with you… somehow makes me deeper, more sensitive, more myself. It’s like coming home — the one inside us, you know?
— I do… it’s beautiful. You’re a charming man, Wendel.
— Thank you. And you’re a very special woman, Yana.
There, time seems to stop.
Their eyes meet more intensely. Wendel steps closer. Yana allows it, remaining still. The two slowly draw nearer…
And, before the kiss happens, Yana pulls away.
— Forgive me? — her breathing heavy.
— It’s okay. I wasn’t joking when I said I understand. And that I don’t want you to rush.
Yana smiles, says goodbye…
and leaves.
That night, Wendel falls asleep with a more organized mind. At peace.
Three days pass. The synergy between Wendel and the Kovalenko family deepens.
One morning, Wendel returns exhausted to Andriy’s house after spending hours with Olena at Jarbas de Lery Santos Square, near his home.
Yana and her father were finally light; the love between them was palpable.
But Yana, unexpectedly, announces her return to Ukraine.
— But, daughter… you won’t stay with me? You’re really taking Olena?
Olena cries, refusing to let go of her grandfather.
Wendel remains silent.
— Dad, my life is there. Grandma is waiting for me, Olena’s school… she needs to go back.
— All of that can be solved, Yana, — says Andriy. — I just hope you know what you’re doing.
Wendel chooses to step away. He says goodbye and returns home, where he has lunch and spends the afternoon reading.
Yana and her father work out the details of the return.
— Daughter… are you sure about this?
— I am, Dad. — Yana hugs him tightly. — I love you. This has nothing to do with the past. It’s Grandma, school, my job…
— My heart is broken, — Andriy replies — but I’ll come to understand. I’ll be fine.
The following two days pass with a bitter taste. For Wendel, the feeling was clear: the puzzle would remain incomplete.
Even so, he was light. That decision did not belong to him.
On the day of the flight, Wendel takes Yana, Olena, and Andriy to the Rio airport.
At the farewell, Yana cries. The child is inconsolable.
Andriy seems to rely on Wendel’s presence to endure it.
The plane takes off.
And, in that instant, everything feels wrong — as if it didn’t match what had been built over the past few days.
Wendel returns with Andriy to Juiz de Fora and ends up staying a few days at his house, worried about his condition.
Almost a week later, Wendel was tidying his house, vacuuming the floor, when his phone rings.
— Hi… it’s me.
— Yana… it’s so good to hear from you. How are things there?
— Empty. Gray. Without color.
— What do you mean? — Wendel’s heart races.
— That this is no longer my place.
— And where would your place be now, Yana?
— By your side… if you still want me.
Five days later, Yana landed at Galeão Airport.
Not as someone who visits —
but as someone who finally decides to stay.
The puzzle, once open, began to adjust.
This time, not by chance —
but by choice.
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