Nina and Uribe’s Failed Paternity

This flow traces Nina’s unstable bond with Ricardo Uribe, from the shelter of a claimed daughterhood through his attempted abuse and her betrayal in a wager to the eventual loss of his protection.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Pharmacist’s Refuge

A Pharmacist’s Refuge A new household After surviving the destruction of Fattoria di Mato Rujo, Nina is eventually taken in by Ricardo Uribe, a pharmacist living in a small town. He tells the townspeople that she is his daughter, and they accept the explanation. The new identity gives Nina a home after the loss of her father and brother. Uribe keeps her in the back of the pharmacy, teaches her between customers, and provides an ordered daily life in place of the chaos from which she has emerged. Care with limits Uribe does not like Nina wandering alone and insists that she can learn from him. In the evenings, he lets her rest beside him while he tells stories, stroking her hair as she listens. The tenderness is mixed with dependence and control. Nina is a child without another family, and Uribe is both guardian and the only adult who has claimed her; the apparent refuge leaves her with little ability to judge the safety of the relationship.

The Attempted Kiss

The Attempted Kiss A boundary crossed One evening, Uribe bends down and kisses Nina on the mouth. He continues, putting his hands under her skirt and touching her, while she does nothing. Nina’s passivity reflects her age and dependence rather than consent. The man who has presented himself as a father and protector is the person violating the boundary that should have made the household safe. Fear replaces trust Uribe abruptly stops and begins to cry, asking Nina to forgive him. His terror confuses the child, who does not understand why he has changed so suddenly or what has happened between them. The episode fractures the apparent security of their bond without giving Nina the power to confront him. His remorse does not restore her safety; instead, the incident leaves their relationship burdened by an adult’s secret and a child’s unanswered confusion.

A Match Arranged

A Match Arranged Uribe redirects the future Soon after the attempted abuse, Uribe tells Nina that he has found her a fiancé, a young mason from a nearby town. Nina meets him in the square and notices that he is handsome, very thin, and slow-moving, then returns home. The arrangement comes from the guardian who has already blurred the boundaries of care. Rather than discussing the earlier incident or seeking Nina’s wishes, Uribe moves toward a future in which her life will be organized by other adults. A child without a choice Nina narrates the meeting plainly, as one event in a life whose direction she does not control. Her response is limited to observing the young man and going back home. The scene shows how fragile her position is inside Uribe’s household. She depends on him for shelter, schooling, and identity, yet that dependence does not mean that he has given her a secure or reciprocal form of parental care.

The Poker Stake

The Poker Stake Nina turned into a wager At Taverna Riviera, Uribe plays poker against the Count of Torrelavid. As the stakes rise and the room falls silent, Uribe says he has nothing worth the count’s estate, Belsito. The count proposes that Uribe wager Nina instead. Uribe does not immediately grasp the proposal, then slides his cards across the table without revealing what he has decided or why. Protection abandoned The count takes Nina that night, and later marries her when she is fourteen. Uribe’s act turns the father-daughter claim he had used to shelter her into a relationship in which he can treat her as a stake. For Nina, the wager is another adult decision made over her future. Uribe’s earlier role as her refuge does not soften the betrayal; it makes the loss sharper because the person who claimed her as a daughter has chosen not to protect her.

The Vanishing Guardian

The Vanishing Guardian A life built on concealment After the war, Uribe faces questions connected with his work and the Ospedale della Iena. He explains himself to the authorities, is released, and moves to a small town in the countryside, where he buys a pharmacy and presents Nina as his young daughter. His new household gives her a place to live but also depends on a false public story. Uribe’s ability to hide her protects her from discovery for a time, while his silence and secrecy bind her safety to the choices of a compromised adult. Protection withdrawn again Later, the Count of Torrelavid pressures Uribe with the possibility of prison and demands that he leave Nina behind. Uribe is frightened and goes away, abandoning her to the count rather than trusting that he can withstand the threat. His disappearance completes the failure of his claimed paternity. He once gave Nina a home and a name, but when protecting her becomes dangerous, he chooses escape; the bond ends not in reconciliation but in another act of abandonment.

After the raid when Nina is taken from the ruins

One evening during Nina’s early years with Uribe

A few days after Uribe’s attempted abuse

One winter night at Taverna Riviera

After the war as Uribe is confronted over his past