Building My Life

Chapter 04

Josias smiled slightly, lifting the right corner of his mouth. Here he was, shirtless, wearing just sweatpants and slippers, with less than five bucks in his pocket, and without papers (he had left them behind in the confusion).

His life as he knew it was over.

Here, in Happiness Slum, a new Josias was about to be born. He would build his life, using Everaldo’s words.

However, there was a part of Everaldo’s sentence that deserved attention: “You will have the willpower.” That meant it was not just about waiting for God’s blessings to fall from Heaven. Josias needed to have the willpower to make it happen; he needed to move, and he needed to use his hands. He needed courage and confidence.

Arming himself with both feelings, he took a deep breath and headed for the building.

Upon entering, Josias found that, in fact, the owner of the building had taken care to ensure the entrance resembled the lobby of a hotel or a high-class apartment building.

The rectangular space, painted in light blue, had a counter on one side, where a chubby man in his sixties with a mustache stood, and on the other side, there was a mail rack for the residents. The rack was separated into several compartments, one for each room. Two sofas, a clock nailed to the wall, potted plants, and a rug at the entrance that said “Welcome” completed the decoration of the place. Josias smiled widely. The owner of the building had tried to do a great job.

Josias approached the counter. The man was listening to the radio; it was a football match. Upon noticing Josias’s presence, he turned to the boy.

“Good evening, boy,” the old man spoke in a friendly tone. “How can I help you?”

“Sir, I need a vacant room,” Josias said without fear.

The owner of the boarding house looked at Josias up and down before proceeding, not believing what he had heard. “Really, young man? How do you expect me to let you stay here?”

Josias took a deep breath. He had expected that. However, Everaldo’s words didn’t leave his head. “You will get out of this and you will be successful.” He needed to try.

“Sir, here’s the situation: I just ran away from home because my father was murdered while I was in my bedroom.” It was the first time that Josias had spoken about what happened to anyone. “They wanted money from my father, and they were bill collectors for a loan shark.”

“I haven’t heard of anyone being murdered around here,” the man replied with a frown. Josias’s story could very well be made up.

Josias, however, tried to explain. “No, it wasn’t here. I don’t live here; I ran away from Rainbow Garden. I had just taken a shower and only had time to put on my underwear and sweatpants when I heard the break-in, the argument between them... and then the shots.”

The landlord looked at him suspiciously. If he were a resident of Happiness Slum, it would be understandable if Josias did not go to the police given the reason they killed his father. But, being a resident of Rainbow Garden... “Why didn’t you go to the police? Why did you just come here, to a rougher neighborhood?”

Josias shrugged. “I’m not sure... I just wanted to hide, and I wasn’t going to be able to hide in Europe Garden.” Europe Garden was the upper-class neighborhood of Lagoon City.

The word “hide” was what made the building owner uneasy. “Look here, boy, how am I supposed to know if it’s not YOU who killed someone, or did something else wrong, and now you’re trying to hide in my building? If the police show up here, don’t expect me to lie to protect you. I don’t get into trouble; the ‘scoundrels’ who live here already know that. They stay over there and leave me alone, and I don’t meddle with them.”

Upon hearing that the old man didn’t want to get into trouble, Josias felt even more inwardly that this was the perfect place for him to stay. The loan shark collectors, if they went looking for him, wouldn’t show up in the building where he was.

Josias leaned over the counter, pressed his hands onto the plastic surface, and spoke with urgency and a pleading tone. “I know it sounds strange, sir, but everything I told you is true. See, I didn’t even have a chance to mourn my father’s death. I don’t even know if the neighbors heard the shots, if anyone has found him, or if the police are there. As I said, I only had time to put this on, grabbed a few bucks that I had seen on my dresser, and took the bus without knowing where to go.”

“And stopped right here!” The man couldn’t help laughing. However, he began to analyze the story told by Josias better. It was too elaborate, with too much detail, to be a lie made up at the last minute.

“Let me see how much you have.” The man crossed his arms as he made the request, already aware that Josias was not going to put five thousand dollars on the counter.