Building My Life

Chapter 22 - Leave My Friend Alone

Melissa decided to praise Josias for eating barbecue with a fork while everyone else grabbed the meat with their hands. “You know what? It’s a good thing Josias prefers a fork; it’s much more hygienic.”

Josias smiled in thanks. “That’s what I thought. And by the way, I see the host slicing some steak. Shall we, Melissa?”

“Right now,” Melissa smiled back, and the two moved away from the others. Pamela sat down again, pursing her lips in annoyance. She called out to Uélton.

“Hey, you...”

“Uélton, miss.” He tried to be as polite as his friend.

“Uélton, what do you know about this guy?” Pamela tilted her chin toward Josias.

“He showed up at the construction site where I work, demonstrating excellent skill with a hoe while I was struggling, so Seu Romualdo hired him.”

“He’s a bricklayer’s assistant,” the second friend commented. “But Pamela, let’s be fair and acknowledge that he’s cute.”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s cute,” Pamela said in an angry tone, glaring at the couple. “Our friend Melissa deserves someone who is already at the top. And that one simply won’t do.”

Uélton inadvertently ruined Josias’s reputation. “Hey, I hope your friend isn’t thinking about dating him yet! Josias came out of nowhere, claiming he didn’t have any clothes. He only wore sweatpants and a pair of underwear that was already completely soiled. All those clothes you see him wearing now are borrowed from my brother!”

Pamela and the other friend reacted with evident disgust and astonishment. What a wretched man! Wearing borrowed clothes? What had happened to him?

Uélton continued, “He hasn’t explained the reason yet, but it looks like he ran away from home with only the clothes on his back.”

“What a shame! We need to keep those two apart!” Pamela said, as if it were up to her to decide whom Melissa should or should not date.

She got up again and headed toward the couple, who were chatting amiably, leaning against the terrace parapet and watching the dusk settle over the favela.

“Excuse me, guys.” Pamela was already pulling Melissa by her dress, away from Josias. “There are some guys from Saint Gabriel that you need to meet, friend.”

“I don’t need to meet anyone else, Pamela,” Melissa complained in a low voice, intended only for her friend. “I’m in excellent company.”

“If I weren’t your friend, I wouldn’t be advising you right now. You can talk to him again later, but let’s go downstairs. I guarantee you won’t regret it.”

At that moment, a group of four or five boys went up to the terrace, talking animatedly in search of food. They were well-groomed, wearing quality clothes and the confident attitude of those who lived in a better neighborhood. These were the friends Pamela had been talking about. She smiled when she saw them.

“Oh, we don’t even have to go that far. Look how cute they are, girl!” Pamela smiled widely, nudging Melissa’s arm.

One of them, the tallest, with green eyes, behaved as if he were the leader of the pack. He looked toward the girls and smirked upon seeing Melissa; he liked what he saw. Pamela shivered and reacted on her friend’s behalf.

“Oh, friend, he likes you! Go on, introduce yourself; I’d better take advantage of this too.”

Melissa giggled; she asked Josias for permission and went to answer her friend’s request. Josias nodded and waited for Melissa to return.

However, Melissa barely exchanged three words with the group before Pamela returned to Josias with a narrow, frowning look. “What do you think you’re doing, dude?”

Josias was startled. “What do you mean? I’m not doing anything. Well, I was talking to Melissa until you interrupted us.”

“Are you trying to start something with my best friend? Yeah, you can forget it. My friend deserves better things in this life, and I’m not going to allow her to ruin her future by being with someone like you.”

Josias’s eyes widened. What was this crazy woman talking about?

“It seems there’s been a mistake. You’re speaking as if you know me.”

“I don’t need to know you any better; otherwise, I’d be even more incisive in my judgment. Knowing you’re just a bricklayer’s assistant who barely has anything to wear was enough for me to realize how unworthy you are of her. Do you see that?” She pointed to Melissa, whom the boys were surrounding, giving her their full attention and respect. “That is the type of man she deserves, someone who will take her out of this slum and this miserable life. You are in no position to change her life for the better, so stay away from her before she falls for you!”

Pamela’s harsh words struck Josias, leaving him in shock.