All Chapters of Building My Life: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10
2820 chapters
Chapter 1 Running Away
1980Josias 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 yo
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Chapter 2 Which Way Do I Go?
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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Chapter 3 Happiness Slum
“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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Chapter 4 The New Tenant
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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Chapter 5 The Mercy of the Landlord
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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Chapter 6 The Beginning
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
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Chapter 7 He Helps Even Being Short of Money
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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Chapter 8 Glad to meet you
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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Chapter 9 Going to Downtown
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 10 Would it Be an Angel?
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
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