Building My Life

Chapter 18 Who's That Boy?

“Ah yes.” Teodoro smiles proudly. “A great guy. You did very well to invite him to the construction site.”

“Yes, he didn't tell me in detail what happened, but it looks like he doesn't have a penny in his pocket and he ran away from home.”

Teodoro breaks his smile. Romualdo realizes that there is a sad explanation.

“Did something very serious happen to him?” Romualdo asks.

“Yes, something very serious.” Teodoro approaches the other side of the counter and speaks quietly, “I heard the news on the radio, and then they made a headline in the newspaper. They murdered his father, and he ran away so as not to die too.”

Romualdo gets shocked by the information. “Poor boy! So young and is suffering similar trauma?”

“Do you believe he barely had time to mourn his father's death?” Teodoro speaks with great concern, “If he really cried, it was in his room. Close to me, was just once. He was in the bedroom getting dressed when he heard the shots, so he didn't think twice and ran away.”

“That is why there is little clothing. He's there shirtless and in sweatpants. Those pants are going to get dirty easily and he won't be able to wear them casually.”

“He is counting on the first payment to buy many things. He left it all behind.”

Romualdo lowers his tone even further to ask an embarrassing question, “Drugs?”

Teodoro did not find the question so embarrassing and immediately answered, “No! It was debts with loan sharks. His father was an irresponsible person who did not like to work. Josias's mother divorced and disappeared from the city. The poor young man always got his way in informal services to get every teenager's allowance. And now he is there, at 18, turning around as he can.”

“It is very comforting to see that Josias did not give in so easily.” Romualdo praises, “Other boys his age would have already entered the world of crime or drugs, because of the unstructured family, but he decided to take a different path.”

“And he will walk,” Teodoro tells Romualdo what happened this morning with Josias and Jeremiah, the bathroom incident. Romualdo nods.

“Yes, this is Josias. Courageous, smart, determined, he is not afraid to face the unknown. All I had to do was reach out to help him, and he accepted to be a bricklayer assistant. But, do you want to know what I think?” Romualdo smiles with pleasure, “I don't think he will be in this life for long.”

“Ah, without a doubt!” Teodoro laughs, “That one over there if he had parents with their feet on the ground, they would have already helped their son to get a formal job. But, he will do it on his own merits; he will not wait for anyone.”

“And he keeps encouraging another boy to stop thinking small.” Romualdo recalls, still smiling, “He wants to grow and motivates others to do the same. I am amazed.”

“Well, if so, we will do our best to help him, Romualdo.” Teodoro says, also smiling, “He is still here and you help him there in the construction. What he doesn't know, teach him. Deal?”

“Deal!”

The two friends shake hands to seal the deal.

In the afternoon, Josias remained firm and strong, stirring the cement mass. Uélton was approaching for another round of bricks. When he approaches, Josias has his eyes fixed on the hoe, and only hears the whistle of Uélton.

“Look at that kitten!” Uélton releases this line, learning from the pawns.

Josias turns to Uélton admiring a girl. Out of curiosity, he turns to the main street and sees Melissa, in a school uniform, going to study in the afternoon.

Josias has always been a gentleman with women. Just as he reacted in defense of the other girl who inadvertently saw Jeremiah in the bathroom, he now reacts in defense of Melissa, scolding Uélton for the line. “Calm down, look what you are going to say about the lady!”

However, in the case of Melissa, was there an additional reason for the reaction?

Uélton, as always, thinks everything is a joke. He laughs, nudging Josias with his elbow. “What is it, do you know her? If she is your girlfriend, I don't bother her.”

“You shouldn't even bother her—”

“Josias?”

Josias spoke too loudly, making Melissa hear him. She turns and looks at him, with a surprised smile.