Building My Life

Chapter 19 Melissa

Josias gets tense, expectant. Here is the moment for him to know if she will like what she sees or if she will reject him because he is working on a construction site.

Melissa, however, does not seem to disapprove or belittle him. Instead, she is nodding, looking around. Of course, she couldn't help noticing the fact that Josias was still shirtless and wearing the same sweatpants. “Josias, what are you doing here? Did you get a job as a helper?”

“Yes, Melissa, I did it today. I was needing.” Josias speaks, still looking forward to her approval.

“Congratulations.” She smiles, “If we were going to date, you would have already earned points with my dad.”

Uélton looks at Josias with surprise. Josias smiles satisfied with what he hears. “Thank you very much, Melissa. It is not being easy, but it is what we have.”

“You go a long way, Josias, and you look like a smart boy. Well, let me go to school before I'm late. See you later!”

Melissa waves goodbye and goes on her way. Josias watches her for a moment and then goes back to work. He tries to go back because Uélton won't let him.

“Hey!” Uélton slaps Josias on the shoulder, who complains of pain because of the sun. “How come you don't even introduce me to her? How do you know her? She didn't even look at me!”

Josias looks at Uélton. His ears are bigger than conceived and he has a habit of narrowing his eyes as if he needs glasses, but he doesn't use them to look more “handsome”. Josias smiles, “I don't think she's interested in your beauty.”

“Ah, okay, soap opera heartthrob!” Uélton chuckles, “You have an easier time conquering girls because of your physique, you don't come with a shirt on purpose.”

Josias takes a deep breath. If everyone knew that he ran away from home with only the clothes on his back, they would not be bothered about his clothes (or lack thereof).

And there is also the fact that Uélton and Romualdo will have to get used to sweatpants because he will not wear new clothes to work in the construction.

Meanwhile, Melissa is approaching the school that is in the next neighborhood, as the favela only has a small school that works only as a nursery and classes from the first to the fourth year of elementary school. She smiles when she meets two friends in her class.

“Hello, girls!” The three embrace.

One of them notices the hair. “Hey, did you happen to buy that shampoo we recommend?”

Melissa, remembering the shampoo, also remembers Josias and smiles, looking distant for a few seconds. Then she comes back to them and replies, “Yes, I bought it at the pharmacy over there. And you don’t know the biggest: I thought I took all the money, but no, it was R$ 2.00 missing. Then a guy behind me offered to pay for what was missing. Girls...”

“Was he a kitten?” One of the friends risked asking.

Melissa's eyes widen. “Kitten? Big cat, hunky! The guy lives without a shirt, he's 18 years old and he's not lazy, I just saw him working in a house under construction near where we live.”

Incredibly, the girls' admiration diminished when Melissa informed the last part. The second friend says, “Oh, dear, mason? Worse still, he must be a bricklayer assistant. Not worth it.”

Melissa frowns at her friends. “What do you mean, are you crazy? If you only knew him...”

“We already know enough,” The first friend interrupts her, “handsome, but poor. Girl, if you want to leave Happiness Slum, like us, you need to meet someone worthwhile. Someone who is not accommodating and wants to give you a future you deserve.”

Melissa continues to surprise her friends by saying that kind of thing. “You are judging Josias without even knowing him. Something tells me that he will not stay long as a bricklayer. Not that there is anything wrong with the profession, but he will climb the steps to success.”

The first, more incisive friend interrupts her by pulling her by the uniform blouse. “Okay, Melissa, but you better not wait for him to climb the stairs of success and look for someone who is already at the top, to take you along.”

“You talk as if you know that someone.” Melissa lets go of the tug.

“Not yet.” The first friend has a twinkle in her eye as she continues, “But, I know something that can help us. My older sister is going to do a party, and she said that there will be a lot of handsome guys.” She makes the gesture of “a lot of” with her hand, “And of course you will go to my house.”