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 be enough for the trip. But where exactly did Josias go?
Josias's neighborhood (probably not anymore) is called Rainbow Garden, where the majority of the residents are manual laborers. It wasn't a classy suburb, but it wasn't an ugly, sloppy neighborhood either, since the population was humble. Residents did their best to keep the neighborhood clean and orderly. There was a Residents' Association that looked after the neighborhood and looked for basic services with the City Hall, such as transportation; Street lighting; security; education, and health. The streets were paved and residents had sewage, telephone, and gas.
But, as everywhere, there is always the bad apple that bothers the good apples. And in the Rainbow Garden, it was no different. The moneylender that Josias's father had the folly to borrow money from was known in the neighborhood. His house was one of the best; it looked like a Beverly Hills mansion. And the henchmen who worked for him put fear in the neighborhood. They did the dirty work. When the police came to arrest, they were the ones who were arrested. The moneylender managed to get rid of the evidence and remained at large.
The bus approaches the horizon. For the first time, the other boy notices that Josias is shirtless, and sweatpants are not a typical piece of clothing to be worn by someone who is going to board the bus bound for Downtown. Josias, however, has his thoughts distant; he didn't even care about the other's critical eye.
The bus stops, the rear door opens and the two boys enter. The changer also notices Josias's little dress. Josias, walking around the bus like a somnambulist, oblivious around him, sits on one of the benches and leans against the window. The bus travels and Josias follows the landscape. The second guy sits behind Josias, with visible curiosity.
The bus leaves Rainbow Garden and continues through Lagoon City. And that's when Josias realized that he didn't have enough to spend a night anywhere. Therefore, he could not continue his journey to Downtown or a wealthier suburban area.
Wandering around Downtown or in a noble neighborhood in the state where Josias is would be unwise. People would easily take him as a beggar, or a deviant drug user, or a mental imbalance who had run away from the asylum. And becoming a beggar was all that Josias didn't want.
That was how, when paying attention to the landscape again, Josias realized that he was passing through the entrance to Happiness Slum. The name had nothing to do with the appearance of the area; it was a low-class, bad-reputation place. However, it was the only worthy place for someone with a financial situation like Josias.
Josias straightens up on the bus seat and starts thinking about getting off the bus, when the other boy, overcome by curiosity, stops the other, taking him by the wrist. “Hey, man, are you in need of help?”
Josias looks indifferently at the guy. He’s dark, handsome, with glasses, a long-sleeved shirt, and jeans. He is the same age as Josias, probably a religious boy who is going to church.
Josias doesn't want to be rude and gives a slight smile. “No, man, thank you very much.”
“Are you sure? Do you need some change?” The boy starts looking in his pockets for some money. But when he releases Josias's wrist, he pulls the signal wire for the driver to stop at the next bus stop.
“Do you really want to help me, buddy?” Josias speaks more firmly, “Pray for me.”
The boy stops looking for money, looks at Josias, and smiles widely. “Sure, brother, I'll pray for you. What's your name?”
The bus was slowing down as it approached the requested stop. Josias notices and responds quickly, “Josias Rocha.”
“Josias Rocha. I, Everaldo Siqueira, will pray for you and plead that God will bring you the best for your life. You will get out of this and be successful. And I believe that you will have the willpower to overcome your adversities! Amen?”
“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
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
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'
The sun's beam came in through the open window, illuminating Josias's room. And when the light reached his eyes, Josias had to wake up, even against his will.He stretches on the bed, under a thin sheet that was folded on the bed when he entered. The sweatpants were on the back of a wooden chair. Other than that and another dresser, there was nothing else in Josias's room.Josias gets up, still wearing his briefs, goes to the open door to the balcony (he always had this habit of sleeping with the window open, even with mosquitoes coming in. That's why the window was providentially open when he needed to escape) and watches the activity of the shantytown. From the third floor, he had a good view of the area. As he looked down, he saw children and teenagers in school uniforms going to study, women socially dressed, probably going to work as attendants or secretaries, older women going to work as cleaners for some wealthy family, and men in industrial uniforms or plain cl
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
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
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
Upon returning to the building, Teodoro was already having lunch. He holds the plate up and invites Josias. “You can go in there if you can.”Josias approaches the counter. “Do you believe that I almost saw the boy who encouraged me not to give up?”“What do you mean, give up?” Teodoro frowns, “Were you trying to kill yourself?”“No, but all of a sudden, when I was on the bus, this boy in religious style and clothes was on a seat behind me, and when I was leaving, he asked if I needed help. When I asked him to pray for me, he smiled and promised that not only would he pray for me, but that my life would be great and successful.”Teodoro stops chewing and swallows. His face is serious. “And you don't know who it is?”“He embarked at Rainbow Garden, but I had never seen him before.” Josias scratches his head. “Although the neighborhood is large and I don't know
Josias visits the Rocha Hotel since he didn’t have a day off for the staff. In the management room, Eugenio gathered David, Benjamin, and Sybil. “Why is that mere cook present at this meeting?” David asked disparagingly. “Because that’s how our boss ordered it,” Eugenio replied dryly. “I didn’t say anything and didn’t call this meeting, so if you’ll excuse me...” Benjamin and Sybil were horrified to see David leaving the meeting just like that. However, when he opened the door, David came face to face with his father. “David, where do you think you’re going?” “DAD!” David exclaimed, extremely surprised. “I didn’t know you were coming!” “Didn’t Eugenio tell you I was coming?” Josias asked with a scowl. David understood who the ‘boss’ was. Benjamin and Sybil felt vindicated. Josias sat down at the desk, taking Eugenio’s seat, while the manager remained humbly standing. “Very well,” Josias began the meeting in a formal tone, “I’m here just to make things crystal clear. First
Melissa and Mary visit the Mountain Café.“A guava juice for me, Mr. Mountain!” Mary requested, smiling sweetly.“Of course, my princess!” Rodrigo replied, thinking Mary was very adorable. “Neil will make a delicious cup for you.”“Thank you. But the princess is Carol,” Mary responded, striking a serious pose.Melissa and Rodrigo laughed heartily. Mary is something else...“Rod, how has it been managing the café in your father’s absence?” Melissa asked seriously.Rodrigo served a baked chicken pastry with ketchup to Mary. “I'm getting by, Melissa. Josias was here earlier, more concerned about my loss than his own, as always. Isn’t he supposed to be resting?”Melissa nodded. “My husband is like that: he only relaxes when all of us are relaxed.”“An impossible mission because of certain people.”Neilton approached with the glass. “Who ordered a guava juice?”“I DID!” Mary grabbed the glass and went to a table.Melissa leaned forward, “Neil, Rod, how are Daryl and Diane? Behaving?”“Cont
At João Paulo’s house, he and Josias were about to have a significant conversation.“Walter, do you want to go with your mom to the kitchen?” João Paulo asked, looking at Helen. “I think she made some walnut cake.”“It was carrot cake,” Sandra replied, already getting up from the couch.“You got it.” Helen appeared and picked up Walter in her arms. “Let’s let Dad and Uncle Josias talk.”“Bye, Uncle!” Walter waved goodbye to Josias.“Bye-bye, I want a piece later!” Josias chuckled.Once alone with João Paulo, Josias became serious. “Don’t let anything or anyone ruin this family scenario, little brother.”“I’m fine. No one wants to ruin anything,” João Paulo replied casually.“Well, I hope David hasn’t caused you any trouble.”“He probably doesn’t even know I exist, man.” João Paulo shrugged.“But I stopped by Café Montanha and found out that the Vasquez family has replaced the Mountain family as the ‘annoying people.’”João Paulo sighed in disappointment. “Yeah. They—”The doorbell ran
Josias visits Café Montanha for a coffee and finds Rodrigo there. “Rod, how have you been?” Rodrigo is taken aback. “How am I? You’re the one who suffered a horrific loss recently!” “But you also lost your father. We’re in the same situation,” Josias explained as he sat down on a stool. “I’m okay, Josias. Life has a way of cheering me up. For example, I’m back at the diner after Thierry decided to take his place at the supermarket.” Rodrigo smiled. “What about the photography studio?” Josias smiled back. “It’s still going to operate, and Thierry will make periodic visits. But he’s going to appoint one of the staff to manage the studio.” Rodrigo served a pizza pastry to Josias. “Thank you. Well, I hope everything is alright between you two. I need to visit Rosemary and meet Jean Luc — is that the name of the baby?” “Yes, the name of the supermarket heir. Meanwhile, Frank will be here or somewhere else.” Josias interjected, “If Frank wants to work at Rocha Constructions, count
At the Rocha Mansion, Josias receives a visit from Benjamin. “How have you been, Ben? Any news about your parents?” The two embrace. “Actually, that’s what I want to talk about.” Benjamin scratches the back of his neck. The embrace breaks. “Let’s go to my office.” The two gentlemen enter Josias’s imposing office. “Any problems with Adolfo?” Josias asks, becoming serious. “Not yet, but I hope not to have any,” Benjamin replies with some sadness. “You know, Josias, what happened with your father made me think about my family, about how important it is for all of us to be together in the final moments.” “That’s true. João Paulo can tell you that better than I can.” “I think you can say it too. Vernon was the father you never had.” Benjamin clears his throat. “So, I’ve been looking into some hotels and realized there’s a demand at the Rocha Hotel in Victoria.” Josias looks at Benjamin, understanding where he’s going with this. “You want to go to Victoria to be close to your pare
Someone rings the doorbell at João Paulo’s house. The homeowner goes to answer after taking a shower and putting on clean clothes. But when he opened the door, João Paulo felt like slamming it in the visitor’s face. “Don’t be rude!” Erasmo exclaimed. “What do you want, you old bore?” João Paulo shot back. Erasmo barged into João Paulo’s foyer. “The mourning is over. Let’s pick up where we left off.” “Are you crazy? Who decides how long mourning lasts? We just got back from the trip!” “Not exactly, it’s been a day. Life goes on, my friend!” Erasmo replied mockingly. João Paulo remained serious. “But I don’t want to continue living this way, where fights and intrigues are the order of the day. Mr. Vasquez, you have a business to run, and I have a family to raise.” “But you found time to slap my son-in-law when he was here defending his family, didn’t you?” “Alan was extremely rude, but that was some time ago.” João Paulo frowned. “I don’t feel the same anger as before.” “So a
At the Vasquez Mansion, Alan could hardly believe that the people were thinking about more intrigues and disputes. “Guys, don’t you understand that I even forgot the reason I slapped Uncle João Paulo?” “Ridiculous!” Erasmo gestured. “You just maintained respect because it was a difficult occasion. But now, the mourning is OVER!” “Do you think João Paulo will rest, dear?” Sofia asked, sitting next to him. Alan shook his head. “If Uncle João Paulo doesn’t want to rest, then he is truly despicable. But my dad is back in town. He wouldn’t dare to do that.” The news should have been uplifting, but the members of the Vasquez family merely exchanged silent glances. With Josias present, it’s quite likely that he will put a stop to their fighting. Alan turned to Olivia. “In the meantime, we should celebrate the recovery of my dear mother-in-law!” Olivia and Sofia smiled awkwardly because of the secret they were keeping. “That’s right, let’s celebrate life!” Erasmo wrapped his arm arou
Josias Rocha and his family returned to Lagoon City. Those who were waiting for them stayed in the mansion and greeted them cheerfully in the foyer. “WELCOME BACK!” Melissa, crying, embraced her parents, William, and the twins fervently. Josias greeted them with a light smile. “Where’s João Paulo?” William asked. “He went straight to his house. His kids needed to rest from the trip.” Melissa wiped her tears with her fingers. “Alan went straight to his mansion. Especially now that his mother-in-law has woken up from the coma.” “That was a scare; I thought we’d have two funerals,” Simeon commented. Everyone headed to the living room. “Is Paris very beautiful, Mom?” Mary asked. “Yes, sweetheart, it’s stunning. We’ll go shopping together another time, okay?” “Do you have pictures?” Ignacio asked anxiously. “Yes, son, we took some pictures.” Melissa sat on the couch, pulling out a package from her bag. Josias sat in the armchair, taking a deep breath. William approached him.
At Café Montanha, Daryl walks in for a coffee and finds Rodrigo at the counter while Neilton serves the others. “Hey, are we back to the old tradition?” “Don’t be a clown, man.” Rodrigo laughs. “Yes, Thierry is at the supermarket, as we agreed.” “Hi, Neil. Can you make me a cappuccino while I enjoy a natural sandwich?” Daryl places his order. “Sure thing, Mr. Mountain.” Neilton heads to the back. Daryl sits on the stool. “So, how do you feel after getting back to your element?” “I don’t regret at all helping my dear wife at the supermarket, Daryl,” Rodrigo admitted while preparing the natural sandwich. “I’m not talking about regrets.” Daryl joked. “But it’s undeniable that after Uncle Francisco’s passing, you prefer to stay here, carrying on the legacy he left.” “Just like Crystal Blue.” Rodrigo smiled. “Hey, I’m aware that you’re looking to open another restaurant in Sunset Village. Do you think you can manage it? How’s the prospecting going?” Daryl picks up the sandwich but