2021-05-19 19:40:441980
Josias Rocha opens the door to his room and enters; then he closes it again. He got out of the shower, with only a towel wrapped around his waist, and goes to the wardrobe to put on fresh clothes.
He opens the wardrobe carefully because the doors are warped. His father wanted to assemble the furniture on his own and was not efficient.
As Josias pulls on his briefs, he hears a loud noise from the living room door. His father is watching television. It looks like the door has been broken open.
Next, angry and disturbed voices alternate with the frightened voice of Josias's father. Not just a visitor, Josias hears three or four voices, indicating a gang. There is a fierce discussion going on in the living room.
Curious and a little afraid, Josias goes to the door to listen better. He does not dare to leave his room and see who these men are, but by their tone of voice, you can see that they are not good-natured people.
“I swear to you, I'll pay next month, even if it's half!” That was the voice of Josias's father, almost crying.
One of the visitors said, “We know you don't have a job, and you haven't even left home to look. How are you going to pay us?”
Josias shakes his head. His mother got divorced because she could no longer stand her husband's unwillingness to stay in a steady job. She was so furious that when her ex-husband demanded custody of Josias, she accepted without question, and left, leaving her son behind. She is probably out of town or State now, married to another man.
Josias's father continued to “raise” his son, having a layabout life and avoiding work, until the bills accumulate and can no longer be ignored. Josias, in turn, performed some services properly to his age to have some money. If Josias waited for his father for everything, he would go hungry and deprived.
He spent all elementary and high school period with the cheapest sneakers and the cheapest clothes, using the cheapest school supplies, being a reason for mockery of more neat students. But his zeal for his studies and his good grades made the teachers proud.
Now, at 18, Josias needed to face adult life, but apparently, he won't be able to count on his father again, mainly on the financial issue. It’s because apparently, his father is in more and more trouble. As the conversation progresses, Josias discovers that his father took money from a loan shark.
Even a young person like Josias already knows that borrowing money from a loan shark is a risky and foolish decision. They have no qualms about charging, and their faces don't even flush with the extortionate interest on the amount.
Josias is even more concerned with the discussion that seems to have no end. To make matters worse, his father was drinking, which must have irritated the loan shark collectors even more. Tired of hearing excuses, they set off for physical aggression. Josias hears noises of furniture being knocked over and punches being thrown at his father, who screams in pain and calls for mercy.
Josias wouldn't be crazy to leave the room and face them. It’s because Josias is only 18 and his build is normal for his age, and the attackers would probably be over 30 to 40; even more knowing that there is more than one.
“No, please, listen to me... NO!”
This was the last time that Josias heard his father's voice. One of the collectors fired three revolver shots. Glued to the bedroom door, Josias only heard the shots. Shocked, astonished, Josias is unable to move.
“Let's see if anything is interesting here for us to enjoy.”
Done! If before Josias was unable to move; now he reacts as if he has been struck by a lightning. If the bill collectors find him in the room and see that he is the son, what could happen?
From the two options, one: either they would kill him too to have no witnesses, or they would want to collect the debt through him. And Josias found the second option the worse of the two. He was not going to let strangers intimidate him into paying a debt he didn't owe. But, Josias didn't want to die either. What to do?
Without thinking twice, Josias spotted the gray sweatpants he was going to put on and quickly grabbed them. He also spots some money bills that were on top of the dresser and grabs it.
The bedroom window was open. Josias puts on his slippers, climbs on the bed, and from the bed passes through the window. He looks back, hears the steps of the killer collectors walking down the corridor. Well, they went straight through. It’s easier for him to escape.
So, with a sad look, without even seeing his father for the last time... Josias looks at his room for the last time and jumps out the window. His luck was that the house was single-story. Outside, he hastily puts on his sweatpants, puts the money in his pocket, and runs as fast as he can.
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Josias hadn't remembered to pick up his watch or his wallet, nothing more. All he wanted to do was get out of his house as soon as possible. The only thing he remembers at the moment was that when he went to take a shower, the clock said seven in the evening. He supposed it would now be half-past seven at night. So the neighborhood bus was still running.Josias quickens his pace and goes to the street where the bus passes. As he approaches the bus stop, a boy is waiting for the next time. Josias sits on the bench and is also waiting for transport.As he sits, Josias leans over and heaves a sigh of dismay. The boy who is waiting to drive with him would never have imagined that the boy who sighs had just lost his father murdered by loan shark collectors.Josias still didn't want to shed any tears; he doesn't want to draw undue attention from the other boy. He puts his hand in his pocket and counts the money he collected in a hurry to escape. Yes, the money would b
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“Amen!” Josias responds; somewhat moved. Despite the need to get off, (the driver gets wild when asked to stop and no one gets off the bus!) Josias wanted to stay a little longer, as he felt a connection with Everaldo that he was unable to explain at the time. But, it was time to get down.After the two say goodbye with a handshake, Josias goes to the front door (the driver also notices Josias's little clothes) and disembarks. When the bus goes on its way, Josias and Everaldo see each other for the last time, the two waving their hands on their foreheads, the typical military greeting. So, Josias turns on his heel and faces his new neighborhood.“Well, Josias!” he said to himself, trying to cheer up, “Time to get to know your new neighborhood!”Josias starts walking. He is walking down the widest street, the main one. That's because, in Happiness Slum, there was no type of urban planning. The main street was the only one opene
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Josias smiles slightly, by the right corner of his mouth. Here he was, shirtless, just in sweatpants and slippers, with less than five bucks in his pocket, without papers (he had just taken them off after insisting a lot on his late father). His life as he knew it is over. Here, in the Happiness Slum, a new Josias was about to be born. He would build his life, using Everaldo's words. However, there was an excerpt from Everaldo's sentence that deserved attention, “you will have the willpower”. That is, it was not just waiting for God's blessings to fall from Heaven. Josias needed to have the willpower to make it happen, needed to move, and needed to use his hands. He needed courage and confidence. Arming himself with both feelings, he takes a deep breath and heads for the building. Upon entering, Josias found that in fact, the owner of the building took care that the entrance was similar to the lobby of a hotel or a high-class apartment building. The rectangul
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When Josias reaches into his sweatpants pocket and pulls it out, he deposits the few remaining notes and pennies on the counter. The old man adds the amount, and responds with a tone of concern, not mockery, “It doesn't even give five bucks, buddy. I can't even let you stay here overnight.”Josias takes the money back and puts it away. “I know, so I thought I could count on your mercy. As you are already aware, my father was murdered, the moneylender probably knows that my father had me as a son, and if they find me, they will either kill me or they will want to torment me so that I pay the debt. I will not be there to suffer either. My mother got divorced and disappeared from the city; she is probably in Europe with a very rich guy. I have no one here.”“So let's do the following.” The elderly man goes to a dresser and opens a drawer. He takes something and closes it. When he turns around, Josias realizes that it is money. “I'
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Josias finishes crying and breaks the hug. He wipes away tears. “Thank you very much for your consideration, Seu Teodoro.”“You welcome, young man. Come on; I offer you coffee.”Josias takes the opportunity to ask, “Seu Teodoro, how does it work here? For example, I know that we are not in a five-star hotel, but in my room, there is not even a sink.”Teodoro smiles, he understands that Josias did not want to be ungrateful. “I understand. Well, downstairs here are the bathrooms. I did my best to have the men's and women's bathrooms so that everyone was comfortable and had no complaints. We have families with children, and I wouldn't be comfortable with letting children bathe with adults.”Josias agrees with the head, it was necessary to be careful. But, families with children? When verbalizing the question, Teodoro explains, “Here I had some two-bedroom apartments built, providing that families could co
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The girl is startled and faces the boy who wants to help her. Between the shocks, there were seconds to admire. For someone in his 30s, Josias would be considered skinny; but for someone her age, Josias was muscular.Josias donates R$ 2.00 of his already limited money to help her. “Here it is.” He turns to her, “Sorry, miss. But, I saw you so smiling when choosing the shampoo; I wouldn't want you to leave without it.”The girl smiles 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 spoke with such certainty that they would meet again. Meanwhile, the clerk adds up and receives payment from him.“Melissa.” The girl responds, now taking a closer look at the boy who helped her.They say that while men turn their heads and make it obvious that they are admiring a woman; a woman can do t
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Teodoro smiles when he sees Josias enchanted by a resident girl of Happiness Slum. “My boy, take it easy with that heart. Do I know her by any chance?”“Her name is Melissa.” Josias responds as if he is singing, “And she lives further on.” Josias, however, shakes his head, “Well, what am I doing? Okay, the girl is beautiful and nice, and she was admiring my chest, even though I am not muscular; but, I need to find something. She must think I am a pervert for walking without a shirt.”“There is nothing wrong with a man walking around without a shirt, especially in this heat.” Teodoro ponders, “But, as I warned you, better to start buying your things.”Josias smiles as he remembers. “Her father is very strict; he doesn't want his dear daughter to marry a poor man. So I better get ahead.”Josias starts walking out of the reception. Teodoro asks him, “Hey, where are you
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Chapter 3199 A Gift That Made William Sad
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Josias wants the family gathered to celebrate the end-of-year holidays, but Alan is more worried about the integrity of the gifts in case João Paulo and Luís stomp on them during a potential fight.“Alan, don’t think about that. There won’t be a fight,” Josias responded confidently.“The only way you can guarantee that is by not inviting one of them. And I know you wouldn’t leave Uncle João Paulo out,” Alan asserted, noticing that his computer had shut down.“I don’t want the family incomplete this time,” Josias replied emotionally. “Carol is still in Rio. David has become a pain and isn’t answering my calls. I only have you and J.J. as my children.”Alan frowned. “It saddens me to know that you considered inviting David. Wasn’t it you who fiercely reprimanded David months ago?”“Yes, and he has been behaving since then,” Josias replied, unaware that his son was causing a scene at Angel’s store at that moment. “In fact
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Chapter 3196 Permission to Date
At Café Montanha, David was only served by another waiter since Neilton was deliberately attending to other customers. “Your supervisor lacks professionalism,” David said. But the helpers, also coming from the Uélton Freire Orphanage, just shook their heads, refusing to interact with David. He wanted coffee, they served coffee. Just that. Looking back at the table where Suzy and Felipe were interacting romantically, David felt a burning sensation in his stomach. He approached them again, holding a cup of cappuccino. “Feeling better, Suzy?” “I was much better before you approached,” Suzy replied, dissatisfied. Felipe huffed. “Dude, don’t you know when you’re not welcome in the conversation?” “I’m Josias Rocha’s son,” David replied arrogantly. “I don’t need to be ‘welcome’ in conversations. I approach and talk to whoever I want, as I please!” Suzy finished drinking her coffee, banging her cup on the saucer. “Are you done, dear? Come on, I need to stop by Vaztrans.” David narrow
Chapter 3195 Giving Advice to a Young Lady
David entered the Café Montanha and came face to face with Felipe and Suzy talking at a table while Neilton served their orders. “Don’t worry, Suzy. Now that we’re dating, those annoying people won’t bother us anymore,” Felipe said. Neilton commented, “It’s strange that Pete Reis behaved like that. He and his wife are nice people over at the building.” With just those two sentences, David understood the whole story. Seeing Suzy with tearful eyes felt like something was stabbing his heart. Unable to contain himself, he approached their table, shouting, “And who asked for your opinion, you lousy waiter? People from the favelas will always be people from the favelas, wrap your mind around that!” Neilton nearly dropped the tray in shock at the interruption. Felipe, with his back to David, frowned. Suzy was wiping her eyes with a tissue. “David, not you too.” David looked at Suzy with pleading eyes. “I didn’t come here to hurt you, Suzy. I came to defend you! What did Pete Reis say?
Chapter 3194 J.J.’s Choice
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Chapter 3193 David Remembers Sarah
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Chapter 3192 The Lawyer Is Cross-Examined
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