Over Brady’s head, Flávia was dipping her head, clearly suggesting he say something. Jake wasn’t certain what that something was, so he took a guess.
‘I really would like to hear,’ he managed, and her rewarding smile really shouldn’t have made him feel quite so proud. Like a kid in class getting a coveted gold star from the teacher. Nonetheless, it emboldened him. ‘Mate?’
Jake wasn’t sure what he’d expected. Whether he’d thought perhaps that Brady would see right through his feeble attempt to connect, and scorn him for it. Or had he just thought that Brady would refuse to respond?
Too little, too late.
Either way, it wasn’t the flash of pleasure which shot through the boy’s eyes, dissipating the first little bit of wariness.
‘Really?’
‘Sure.’ He made himself smile at his nephew. It wasn’t that hard.
‘Okay, we saw a neotropical otter—or lontra longicaudis.’
‘Wow.’ Jake nodded enthusiastically, hoping it was the appropriate response.
A triumphant grin pushed a little more of the wariness off Brady’s face.
‘It’s amazing, isn’t it? The neotropical otter is on the “threatened” list in the Red List of endangered Brazilian fauna.’
‘I did not know that,’ Jake answered, relieved that he hadn’t simply offered to take Jake to the zoo the moment they got home to see the otters there.
‘They usually avoid areas with high human traffic—it disturbs them.’ Brady was warming up to the topic now. ‘But they like high riverbanks to avoid floor issues, and lots of vegetation to provide coverage and protection.’
‘I see.’
Was his chest actually swelling at hearing the happiness in his nephew’s voice? The passion? The way that Flávia did when she talked about the rainforest. Or the way that he felt about his own career.
How had he missed this in Brady before? How had he dismissed the boy as a kid who had nothing really relevant to say? No wonder he hadn’t been able to connect with Brady.
If it hadn’t been for Flávia, he might never have seen a possible way to do so now.
If it wasn’t too late.
He could imagine his sister talking to Brady one to one. Taking him on her own version of Eduardo’s adventure trail. Helen had always been more like Flávia’s family than like their own detached parents. Than like himself.
‘Want to know what we saw in the jungle?’ Flávia opened her eyes wide, her voice already painting a picture that had Brady spinning around in anticipation.
‘What?’
And then his nephew’s gaze turned on him as Flávia glanced over Brady’s head expectantly, and Jake felt lost all over again.
‘What did you see?’ Brady repeated.
‘We saw a Brazilian wandering spider.’
‘Wow!’ Brady breathed, awestruck.
‘But there’s something even more incredible, isn’t there, Jake?’
Realisation hit him. Hard.
‘Oh, no,’ he balked. ‘I really don’t think a seven-year-old—’
‘I do,’ Flávia cut in firmly. ‘I really do. Trust me, he’s a boy. But first, Brady, can you tell me anything about the Brazilian wandering spider?’
‘Well.’ He frowned, deep in thought. ‘They’re quite big spiders. Brown and hairy, and they’re called wandering spiders because they don’t build webs like other spiders, but they hide under logs and stuff in the day, and then at night they come out and wander the jungle floor looking for prey.’