Building My Life

Chapter 8 - Glad to Meet You

The girl was startled and faced the boy who wanted to help her. Amidst the surprise, there were a few seconds of admiration. For a man in his thirties, Josias might have been considered skinny; but for someone her age, he was muscular.

Josias donated R$ 2.00 of his already limited funds to help her. “Here you go.” He turned to her. “Sorry, miss. But I saw how happy you were when choosing that shampoo; I wouldn’t want you to leave without it.”

The girl smiled in thanks. “Thanks. It’s the shampoo everyone is using; I don’t want to be left behind. My friends said it was great.”

“By the way, my name is Josias,” Josias said with a certainty that implied they would meet again. Meanwhile, the clerk totaled the purchase and received payment from him.

“Melissa,” the girl responded, now taking a closer look at the guy who had helped her.

They say that while men turn their heads and make it obvious that they are admiring a woman, a woman can do the same to a handsome man with just a subtle glance. That was exactly what Melissa was doing.

When Josias received his items and change, he began to leave. Then he looked at Melissa and told her, “I live over there.”

Pointing in the direction of the favela, he didn’t want to specify exactly where it was.

But, to Josias’s surprise, she smiled and suggested, “Let’s go together, then.”

Instead of going ahead to buy more things, as agreed with Teodoro, Josias returned to Happiness Slum accompanied by Melissa. The two talked and got acquainted.

Melissa lived with her parents and younger brother. Her parents had been residents of the slum since before she was born; when they got married, the slum had been the only place they could afford. She was finishing her last year of high school and still didn’t know what to do afterward.

Josias, cleverly, attempted a maneuver to obtain certain information. “I imagine that when you get married, you won’t worry too much about a career.”

“What wedding?” Melissa asked, laughing. “There are no suitable candidates, and my father is very discerning. He says he prefers me to be a spinster rather than marry someone here and have the same fate as him and Mom. He keeps insisting that we were born for better things.”

Josias smiled too. Information obtained successfully: Melissa was still single, and her father was discerning. He didn’t want his baby girl dating just any deadbeat. This only gave Josias more courage to strive to improve his financial situation.

It was because with each step they took, each sentence they spoke, Josias became more and more attached to Melissa. She had green eyes, a gracious body, and was friendly and well-mannered.

Many girls of her age and situation would have been snobs and would already be dating a “bad boy.” But, if she had managed to maintain her standards up to now, and if she obeyed her father and respected his opinion, then it was a sign that Melissa was the best candidate for a decent wife.

Josias stopped walking when they reached the corner of Main Street and Hope Street, realizing that Melissa would continue on.

“Well, Melissa, my path ends here. I live in the building with the ‘Rooms for Rent’ sign.”

“Ah, I think I know where it is. Well, I live further on. So we say goodbye here,” Melissa spoke in a tone of regret. She was enjoying Josias’s company; she felt that he was different from the guys in the favela. As if he wasn’t from there (and he wasn’t!).

Josias and Melissa shook hands, both smiling. “Glad to meet you, Melissa.”

“Look, if I ever meet you again, I’ll pay you back those two reais,” Melissa said as if she had almost forgotten.

Josias shook his head, frowning slightly. “No problem, Melissa. Don’t worry about paying me back; you don’t owe me anything. I just wanted to help.”

Melissa then nodded. After a few more words, Josias headed for Teodoro’s building, grinning. Melissa returned to her house with a good impression of Josias.

When Josias entered, Teodoro was amazed at how quickly the boy had returned. He noticed that there was only the pharmacy bag in his hand.

“Have you been Downtown yet, boy?” he asked, noticing Josias’s silly smile.

“No. I ended up staying to help a girl at the pharmacy. Man... what a girl...”

Teodoro was already an experienced man. He understood perfectly what Josias meant and laughed.