Building My Life

Chapter 22 Let My Friend Alone

Melissa decides to praise Jonas for eating barbecue with a fork while everyone grabs the meat with their hands. “You know what, good thing Josias prefers the fork; it's a lot more hygienic.”

Josias smiles in thanks. “That's what I thought. And by the way, I see the owner of the house slicing a steak. Shall we, Melissa?”

“Only if it's now,” Melissa smiles at Josias, and the two move away from the others. Pamela sits down again, pursing her lips in annoyance. She calls Uélton.

“Hey, you...”

“Uélton, miss.” Uélton tries to be as kind as his friend.

“Uélton, what do you know about this guy?” Pamela tilts her chin towards Josias.

“He showed up at the construction site where I am, demonstrating excellent skill with the hoe, while I was failing, and Seu Romualdo hired him.”

“He is the bricklayer assistant,” The second friend comments, “But, Pamela, let's be fair and acknowledge that he is cute.”

“It doesn't matter if he's cute.” Pamela speaks in an angry tone, looking at the couple, “Our friend Melissa deserves a comrade who is already at the top. And that one won't do.”

Uélton inadvertently ruins Josias's reputation. “Hey, I hope your friend isn't thinking about dating yet! Josias came out of nowhere, claiming he didn't have any clothes on. He just wears sweatpants and a pair of underwear that is already soiled all over. All these clothes you are seeing are borrowed from my brother!”

Pamela and the other friend react with evident disgust and astonishment. What a wretched man! Wearing clothes borrowed from others? What happened?

Uélton continues, “He hasn't explained the reason yet, but it looks like he ran away from home with only his clothes on.”

“What a shame, we need to keep those two away!” Pamela says this as if it was up to her to decide who Melissa should or should not date. She gets up again and goes to the couple, who were chatting amiably leaning against the parapet of the terrace, watching the aerial view of the favela and the dusk.

“Excuse me, guys.” Pamela is already pulling Melissa by the dress, away from Josias, “There are some guys from Saint Gabriel that you need to meet, my friend.”

“I don't need to meet anyone else, Pamela.” Melissa complains in a low tone, just to her friend, “I'm in excellent company.”

“If I wasn’t your friend, I wouldn't be advising you right now. Then you can talk to him again, but let's go downstairs. I guarantee you won't regret it.”

At this moment, a group of four or five boys goes up to the terrace, talking animatedly, in search of food. They are between brown and black, well-groomed, quality clothes, and the attitude of those who live in a better neighborhood. These are the friends Pamela is talking about. She smiles when she sees them.

“Oh, we don't even have to go that far. Look how cute they are, girl!” Pamela smiles widely, poking Melissa in the arm.

One of them, the tallest and with green eyes, who behaved as if he was the leader of the pack, looks in the direction of the girls and smiles sideways when facing Melissa; he likes what he sees. Pamela shivers and reacts in the place of her friend.

“Oh, friend, he liked you! Come on and introduce yourself; I better take advantage of that too.”

Melissa giggles, she asks Josias for permission and goes to answer her friend's request. Josias nods and waits for Melissa to return. However, Melissa barely exchanges three words with the group, and Pamela returns to Josias with a narrow look, a frown. “What are you doing, dude?”

Josias is startled. “What do you mean? I'm not doing anything. Well, I was, talking to Melissa and you interrupted us.”

“Are you trying to do something with my best friend? Yeah, I'll go ahead to say for you forget it. My friend deserves better things in this life and I'm not going to allow her to ruin her life by being with someone like you.”

Josias's eyes widen. What is this crazy woman talking about?

“It seems that there is some mistake. You are speaking as if you know me.”

“I still don't know you better; otherwise I would be more incisive in my judgment. It was enough to know that you are just a bricklayer assistant who barely has anything to wear, that I realized how unworthy you are to her. Do you see there?” She points to Melissa, the boys are around her giving the greatest attention and respect to her, “It is with this type of man that she deserves to be, someone who will take her out of this slum and this miserable life. You have no condition whatsoever to transform her life for the better, so get away from her before she falls in love with you!”

Pamela's harsh words struck Josias, leaving him in shock.