Building My Life

Chapter 11 Routine on the Building

Josias takes the key from Teodoro and goes up the stairs. Upon entering the room, he takes off his sweatpants and places it on the back of the chair. Today is hot to have a beer, just as Melissa's father wishes. He leaves the balcony door open and lies down on the bed, takes off his briefs, and curls up on the sheet.

Do not misjudge Josias for sleep naked. It's just that he is disgusted to wear the same briefs, and his sweatpants are also in utter misery.

Josias wakes up the next day, which promises to be another hot day, already getting discouraged with the prospect of work. He gets up and goes to the balcony, looking at the horizon and the activity of the favela. The same girl from the other building meets Josias and this time she dares to wave a hello, to which he corresponds. At this point, the girl is wondering if Josias wears a shirt. If she knew...

Josias takes the towel that is folded on the chair and wraps it around his waist, goes to the dresser, and takes the soap and shampoo he bought with Teodoro's money, the paste, the toothbrush, and goes down to the men's bathroom on the ground floor.

Teodoro was careful to build a decent bathroom, within the possibilities. For a very poor area, he could use that as an excuse to build it sloppily. But, the bathroom had tiled walls, alternating between white and light blue; three sinks with mirrors, for more people to wash their faces; and the latrine area was closed, so no one would see anyone doing the necessities.

The only thing Josias thought he could improve on was the shower. Or, the showers, which were in the extreme corner, but visible to anyone. The bathroom was at the opposite end of the ladies' room because some clueless men did not close the door. And just when Josias enters, two men are showering, with the door left open. They talked animatedly about the outcome of the televised soccer match yesterday, their team was the winner.

They say that a real man is not disgusted by being around another naked man in cases like these, in the public bathroom or changing rooms. But, Josias was not used to it. He always had the privacy of his bathroom. Not even his father saw him in such intimacy, let alone two strange big guys.

So Josias first washed his face and brushed his teeth, then went to one of the latrines, closing the door. After he flushed, he continued inside the compartment, listening to the two tenants. He could discern that the two had finished to bath and were drying off, the conversation still lively about soccer. So, only when they left, Josias did leave the compartment and go to the shower, after closing the door. Some unsuspecting woman could find him as he came into the world, just like in the American comedy movies.

When Josias returned to the room, feeling clean and refreshed, he looked with regret and disgust at the same garment. So, he makes a decision.

Teodoro is startled when he finds Josias still with a towel wrapped around his waist, in the middle of the reception, with a mother leaving with her children for school. She is embarrassed and stands in front of her children so that they do not see the boy in this state.

“Seu Teodoro,” Josias says in an angry tone, “Would you mind washing these two pieces of clothing?”

After a few more days of unsuccessful attempts, Josias began to despair. Would it be the case that he has to move to Rio de Janeiro, and live with his distant uncles? They should not even know that the hated brother-in-law was murdered because of himself. Everything would be easier if he knew where his mother was.

But, as stated in the first chapter, Josias's mother grew tired of her husband's stray behavior, filed for divorce, and ended it without even fighting for custody of her son, which mothers tend to do. She was probably already in contact with another man, and that man did not want to support a child that was not his. And Josias's mother, despite the understandable complaint of lack of money, was the opposite of his father: materialistic and thirsty for luxury and wealth.

Therefore, if Josias presents himself in front of his mother wearing his already worn-out sweatpants and shirtless, she would be able to send the employees to shoo the son out and deny that he was her son.

So, on this day in question, Josias decided to look for something to do inside Happiness Slum. No more spending money that was not his. In the last few weeks, Teodoro was the one who was paying for the van tickets. And Josias constantly remembered that the building's rooms are for rent. At any moment, Teodoro's patience ends and Josias is expelled from the building.