Building My Life

Chapter 55 - He Was Just Kidding

Pamela knew she had to prevent Melissa from reaching the logical conclusion at all costs: that she was doing everything in her power to sabotage her relationship with Josias.

Taking a deep breath, Pamela stood up, approached her best friend, and took her hands in hers. She adopted a pleading, soft tone, layering on sincerity.

“Melissa, I swear to you with all my heart: I was only worried that Josias would hurt you.”

“So you admit you lied?” Melissa jumped on the detail. “Did Josias actually tell you at the construction site that he wanted to take me to bed, or not?”

Pamela bit her lip, cornered by her own web. She couldn’t retract the statement without collapsing the whole charade. “He did say it, honey.”

“But that’s just not like him!” Melissa pulled her hands away and began pacing the room, her footsteps heavy with frustration. She looked like a stubborn child, refusing to accept a disappointing truth.

Pamela tried to soften the blow without admitting her deceit. “Melissa, listen... I think when he said that, he wasn’t being serious. You have to understand, he probably said it to show off in front of his friends, those older masons. You know what men are like.”

“No, I don’t.” Melissa’s lips thinned into a line.

“Men like to brag when they’re seeing a girl.” Pamela made a face of mock disapproval, not believing a word of her own nonsense.

“Well, I don’t like that kind of game!” Melissa exploded.

“Oh, darling, we do it too! We talk about boys among ourselves all the time, but it doesn’t mean we’re going to act on everything we say. For example... William.”

“What about William?” Melissa asked, sounding as if she had a handful of stones ready to pelt at Pamela.

“He’s strong, attractive, his muscles are filling out... he’s probably already experienced with women. I even caught Jenny sneakily checking out his chest and stomach. Now, if Jenny told someone she was dying to date William, would you actually believe her?”

Melissa paused, processing the comparison. “I wouldn’t believe her, but that dummy William probably would.”

Pamela let out a forced burst of laughter.

“But I still don’t get it, friend,” Melissa continued. “If what Josias said was just a joke, why did you tell my dad as if it were the absolute truth?”

“Like I told you, I was trying to protect you! I was scared. But since you’re so sure of his character, I’ve realized he must have been joking, just like the example I gave you about Jenny.”

Melissa’s tension finally broke, and she smiled again. “Okay. I understand.”

“Oh, my friend, forgive me!” Pamela, acting with the dramatic flair of a Hollywood starlet, opened her arms. Melissa embraced her, and the two came to an understanding.

“Well, then I can go reassure my dad,” Melissa said as they pulled apart.

“Better not, honey,” Pamela warned quickly. “Fathers never accept that boys ‘joke’ like that about their precious daughters. Even though he’d probably pop champagne if William did the same thing to a girl. I’ll never understand the double standard of men.”

“You’re right about that! If my father allowed, William would live naked here! He only ever wears shorts, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even wear underwear beneath them.”

Pamela felt a sudden jolt of electricity and had to fight to keep her expression neutral. She was mentally cataloging every detail Melissa provided about William.

“And yet, if I show up in the living room in my nightgown, Dad closes all the windows so no one on the street can see me. The house gets so stuffy it’s uncomfortable to even watch TV,” Melissa complained, oblivious to the fact that Pamela was mentally drooling over her brother.

“That’s how it is; daddy’s little princesses are ‘valuable,’ and they feel an obligation to guard us.” Pamela let out a sigh of mock regret. “Sometimes I wish my father protected me like yours does...”

Melissa’s heart melted for her friend. “Tell him you were mugged and nearly r***d, and watch the magic happen.”

Pamela shrugged, the lie weighing less on her now that it had served its purpose. They decided to head to the kitchen to finish off the soufflé Dora had made for dessert.

They found Simeon standing at the sink, still wearing the formal clothes from lunch, drinking water from the clay filter.

“Daddy?” Melissa asked, surprised. “Are you going somewhere?”

“I’m going to Teodoro’s boarding house. I need to find out exactly what this boy is up to. Josias, right?”

Melissa bristled. She had told him his name a dozen times. He wasn’t forgetting it; he was diminishing the boy by pretending he didn’t even remember who he was.

“Yes. It’s Josias Rocha,” she said sharply, pulling the soufflé from the fridge with more force than necessary.

Pamela’s heart skipped a beat. If Simeon talked to Josias, Josias would easily convince him that he never said those things to Pamela. Then the spotlight would fall right back on her.

However, she stayed quiet. She couldn’t act worried now; she had just convinced Melissa of her innocence. If she showed fear, she’d reveal the cracks in her story.

Simeon set out into the blistering Sunday afternoon sun toward Teodoro’s building. The boarding house was a local landmark in the slum, a point of reference for everyone.

Inside, he found Teodoro sitting in his usual spot, struggling to read the Sunday paper. A small portable fan sat beside him, but the breeze kept fluttering the pages, making reading nearly impossible.

“Excuse me, friend. Which room belongs to Josias Rocha?”

Teodoro looked up with the indifference of a five-star hotel concierge. He didn’t like the tone of the stranger.

“I don’t just give out my tenants’ room numbers to anyone. Identify yourself.”

“Fine. Tell him that Simeon Campos, Melissa’s father, wants a word with him.”

Teodoro’s eyebrows shot up, but he maintained his stoic pose. The confrontation he had expected was finally at his doorstep.