Jonathan Campos

The cold handcuffs rubbed against my wrists, leaving them red and irritated. I am taken out of the police car and directed to the chief’s office. He was a young man and seemed to know my father well.

”Jonathan Campos?” He looked at me, intrigued.

“Yes,” I said, but I couldn’t see the man’s eyes.

“Your father won’t like it one bit when he finds out you’re here”.

I looked at the deputy and opened my mouth to say something related to my dad, but he got up and said,

“You’re entitled to a call.” I turned my face back, and he was standing with the door open, waiting for me to leave. "Call Marcelo and let him know you’re here”.

”Aren’t you going to interrogate me?”

“Certainly,” I got up and approached him. “You have the right to a lawyer, and you should be aware that anything you say can be used against you”.

He came around behind me and took the handcuffs off. I sighed in relief. He led the way, so I could make the call, and as I walked there, I thought how lucky I was to have stopped at the police station where the sheriff was my dad’s friend. The impression I had was that he was somehow trying to favor me.

I stopped in front of the counter and looked at the phone in front of me. My blood froze. In a few minutes, I would be getting the biggest lecture of my life.

“What are you waiting for, kid?” There was a police officer in front of me with an expression of few friends “if you wait just one more second, you won’t be able to call”.

I swallowed hard and picked up the device. I dialed the number and waited for him to answer. It was already two o’clock in the morning. He called once, twice, three times, and on the seventh call a voice on the other end almost made me lose the courage to go through with it.

“Hi dad” I closed my eyes while throwing the bomb “I was arrested”.

“He was arrested.” Maybe I went too fast. "What have you done this time, Jonathan?”

”When you get here, I’ll explain." My voice was calm, but inside there was chaos. “I’m in the city’s 35 PD”.

There was silence on the other end of the line and I know what that meant: Marcelo had his eyes closed, and his fists clenched, trying not to lose control.

“Whatever it is, just know that you’re pretty fucked up with me”.

And he hung up. The police officer took me back to the sheriff’s office, but it was now empty. I stayed there, sitting in the half light of an one lamp, without handcuffs. I had time to think about the events of the last few hours and the consequences that would soon follow. Furthermore, I had performed that act so many times and nothing like it had ever happened. Every time I got in the car to race, I made sure of myself. And come out victorious. I never thought that I would arrest someone or put someone’s life at risk. Until now.

The door opening dispelled all my thoughts and the figure of my father standing right behind me brought out other fears. Marcelo sat next to me, silent, but the look he gave me was like an entire book thrown into my head. The delegate sat across from us. My judgment would begin there.

“They arrested Jonathan for drunk driving” Marcelo passed his hand over his face “and for being run over”.

“Did you hit someone?” His voice rose.

“He called emergency services himself and stayed at the crime scene until the police arrived”.

“It was the bare minimum.” He fidgeted in his chair. I knew my father well, and I knew he was holding back from making things worse. "Were there any deaths?”

“No, but the man is in serious condition in the hospital”.

“Mercy” he lowered his head, passing his hands over his forehead, drying the sweat “and now? Will Jonathan get arrested?”

“He can answer freely, after he pays the bill”.

I watched Marcelo get up and walk around the room a few times.

“You deserve to be locked up”. He stopped beside me and pointed his finger at me. His eyes bugged out with every word pronounced “he deserves to stay here, so, who knows, stop being an irresponsible brat”.

“Calm down, Marcelo,” the police chief said. “Jonathan is a non-repeat offender. Post bail and hire a lawyer”.

Marcelo knew exactly what I was doing on the streets of Curitiba at that time. He knew about the races I participated in, and that’s why he imposed a punishment on me not to drive his cars for a year. But I was a fearless and strong-willed guy.

“We can get on with the process, then”.

The sheriff led my father out of the room, and they decided to pay the bail. A lawyer was called and when we finally left the police station, it was already light. I kept silent the whole time, thought, and the only thing that kept me dark was the fact that the man hit by the car could die at any moment.

“I will prosecute him for a culpable crime and could face a sentence of two to four years in prison,” the lawyer was saying, “but we can revert that sentence to community service.

Marcelo listened to everything in silence, thought. He said goodbye to the lawyer and after the man left; he turned his attention to me.

“He took my car without my permission. It damaged the BMW. You almost killed someone” your breathing was heavy “lucky for you, I didn’t mention in there the other crime you commit doing cracks”.

“I didn’t mean to run that man over,” I said at last.

“Of course there wasn’t,” it was ironic, “you participate in a race, drunk, with the intention of having fun. When are you going to become a man, Jonathan?”

I did not answer.

“Since justice certainly won’t punish you, I certainly will.” He walked around to the car and got in. I went in right away “starting today, if you want to eat, you’ll have to work. No car, no stewardship”.

“Do you swear?” I mocked, even though I knew I shouldn’t do that.

“There will be a time to get home and a time to leave,” he continued, “otherwise, you’ll sleep on the street. You will pay your own expenses starting today”.

“It would be more advantageous to be arrested,” he said, and he started the car.

“Certainly yes,” he said, “prison would be more pleasant”.

Marcelo was the most important and richest businessman in the city of Curitiba. I was from an influential family known throughout the State of Parana. I would plaster my face in all the newspapers that same day as the delinquent son of the great business executive Marcelo Campo. I knew how ashamed he felt about that. But surely hardly anyone knows what it’s like to be the son of a successful business executive. Father absence, principles not taught. I don’t remember any case, in my childhood, where my father took me to play soccer, or for a family outing. I grew up without having him by my side, and certainly, even if I denied it, I did all that to get his attention. Marcelo was always busy, increasing his fortune, while I grew up without reins. It was filling the void with cars, expensive gifts, and a simple life. Now an adult, maybe he realized that it was too late to fix the mistake of his absence.

My mother was heartbroken when she heard the news. Possibly, she was the only one who cared about me. They forbid me to leave the city and had to attend the city forum a few times. I was judged by the jury and sentenced to pay a one-year sentence with basic food baskets and community services in an orphanage.

For a few moments, I wanted to be arrested to submit to those things. I was twenty-five years old and had never worked. I woke up at six in the morning every day, took a crowded bus to go to my father’s company, and spent eight hours a day redoing reports. Furthermore, I returned home and spent more than an hour on a crowded bus. I had time to go in and out of the house, and I was getting tired of that life. Now I would have to work in an orphanage.

“He’s going to go to the orphanage at eight, and he’s going to stay there until one in the afternoon,” my father would tell me. “The rest of the day, he’ll go to the company”.

“Don’t you think you’re exaggerating?”

“Do you think I’m exaggerating?” he was still furious. "It paralyzed the man you hit and will never be able to go out to work and support his family. And do you think it’s overkill?”

“I told you it wasn’t intentional”.

“And I’ve already told you that I’m not going to discuss this with you again until you learn the value of life”.

I did not say anything. I was too tired to argue with my father.

“Tomorrow you start working at the orphanage”.

“The sentence came out today, Father”.

“So what?” his words were bitter. “Comply with the court order”.

He left and left me feeling like I was living in hell.

Leticia

In 1995, on a rainy and cold afternoon in Curitiba, Mr. Bartolomeu and Mrs. Cintia abandoned a newborn child at the door of the city’s orphanage and fled without looking back. One of the sisters found the girl wrapped in a blanket, crying from cold or hunger, or possibly both. They took her inside, fed her, and put her up for adoption. Many said she was a beautiful child, with clear eyes and her hair shone like the sun, but no one showed up to adopt her for five years. The orphanage was a good and lonely place. Among the sisters, there was always the most demanding and authoritative one, who sometimes even beat the poor children. The real evil came from the other orphans, who, affected by family love, took out their fears and frustrations about other children. She grew up watching the other orphans being adopted while they left behind her. Until one day, on a hot afternoon, a man named João accompanied by his wife Magdalena entered the mansion and when they saw the girl, they were sure at that very moment that she would be their future daughter. In a short time, they took the little orphan girl from there, already five years old, and named her Letícia.

The cell phone woke up. It was six in the morning and exactly that day; I didn’t want to have to go to work. I grimaced when I remembered what would happen at the orphanage that day. Things like that had never happened since I went to work there. Having to help a criminal re-socialize was too much for me to handle. What if he was too dangerous? If you wanted to do something bad for the children? And if I only knew the crime he committed, maybe it would be easier to deal with the whole situation, but I felt blind.

I got up dragging. I performed the entire morning rite without any enthusiasm. Not only that, but I left, not in a hurry, and my father was already awake.

“Why are you up at this hour? His apparent willingness amazed me”.

“Insomnia”, he said, while having a newspaper over his face.

“It’s Maria who won’t like this at all,” I commented, knowing he would be furious.

“Maria doesn’t have to comment on anything.” she lowered the newspaper and looked at me over her glasses. "You seem to be late”.

“Didn’t want to have to go to work today.” I grabbed a cup and filled it with coffee.

“Was it because of the new co-worker? “he asked, looking down at the paper again.

“Co-worker?” I asked. “they are shoving it down my throat”.

“It can’t be that bad, Leticia”.

“Dad,” I called him, but he didn’t look at me. "He’s a criminal. Who knows what he can do to us”.

“You don’t know what crime he committed,” she continued defending. Besides, you, as a good Christian, shouldn’t express prejudice.

His comment took aback me.

“I completely disagree with you, my father, but I’m too tired to argue about it right now”.

“And, by the looks of it, late too”.

I took the last sip of coffee, looking at him one last time. I walked towards him and kissed his already bald head.

“Behave,” I warned, and he grunted, “have a good day.”

“For you too.” His words came out harsh, but I didn’t care. I left the house amused by how much he liked to tease Maria.

I widowed my father at the age of fifty-eight. Since that day, he has been living in isolation, without many friends or many adventures. Five years after my adoptive mother died, he fell ill. We found out that he had the most severe type of diabetes. Our lives have completely changed since that day. I was still too young to understand what happened, but I learned to be strong to take care of him and also of myself. It wasn’t that hard. For a girl who grew up in an orphanage, life forces you to be strong. I had few memories of the times I lived there, but most were bad. Unfair punishments meted out, the other orphans always mocking and mistreating me. I had no one to lean on, no one to trust. From a very early age, I had to learn to lick my own wounds. And it was no different from today.

As I walked towards the orphanage, I kept thinking that despite the things I went through there; I felt an immense affection for that place. When I decided to go to work there, I went with the intention of being the support that I sought for so many years and did not have. I would help those children through this very difficult time in their lives. Therefore, I would not allow anyone to harm them.

As soon as I arrived at the orphanage gate, my heart froze. Was the man already there? How would he be, old, young? I was afraid of what I would find in there. I took a deep breath and entered. Sister Adelina was at the reception, but there was no one with her. I observed the environment and everything seemed normal.

“Good morning,” I said, but she didn’t look at me. “has the man arrived yet?

Adelina looked up and looked at me over her glasses. The impression I got is that she didn’t like the way I referred to her new employee.

“The man you’re referring to hasn’t arrived yet,” he paused, making me swallow hard, “and I really hope you’re not so impolite when he arrives”.

It was just what I needed, for me to be delicate with a criminal.

“May I at least know his name?” I asked, “so I don’t call him a man, not to offend him.

“Jonathan Campos,” he replied, and I was sure he didn’t know him, “and don’t give me ironies first thing in the morning, Letícia”.

Sister Adelina was a typical grumpy woman. She never smiled, at least not that I remember. She always took things very seriously, and there was no sense of humor about her. His heart was almost impenetrable, at least I had that feeling. I thought of asking him if I should stay there to wait for the host, but I didn’t have time. The door to the mansion opened right behind me and a man with an enormous belly wearing a suit walked in. But my eyes did turn to the man who came close behind.

Damn it! I know him. Soon he. It’s the boy I met at Ravi’s party.

Our eyes collided, and the expression on his face was one of pure dissatisfaction at the sight of me. The world is tiny, or maybe it’s life playing a nice trick on me.

“Good morning,” the man in the suit said, addressing Sister Adelina. “I’ve brought Jonathan to start work.

His eyes seemed glued to me, and I knew the expression on my face indicated I was short on friends.

I watched as Adelina hurried over to Jonathan and offered a handshake, unsmiling of course, and he shook it less than enthusiastic.

“Welcome,” she said and directed her gaze towards me. “This is Letícia, and she will be responsible for supervising you. It will teach you how the orphanage works and what your services will be here”.

I watched Jonathan let out a smirk. I wanted to punch him in the face, but I also noticed that Sister Adelina was looking at me as if she expected my reaction to him.

“Give the boy a compliment, Leticia,” she said.

I snorted with no intention of disguising it.

“Hi” I didn’t mean to be nice to him and that was all I managed to say.

“We already know each other,” he said, with his gaze directed to Adelina “unfortunately”.

I even opened my mouth to answer him, but the man in the suit spoke before me.

“Since we’re among acquaintances, I’ll be on my way” he smiled as if everything was fine “don’t forget what we talked about” he directed the speech towards Jonathan “and don’t forget your schedules, especially with your father”.

Jonathan didn’t answer the man, but his expression remained closed. His life certainly wasn’t going to be easy, but why should I care? He, in addition to being arrogant, was a criminal. I watched the man leave and the next thing I knew I had my attention on him again, knowing that from that moment on he would be the most constant company I would have from then on.

Unfortunately!

Jonathan

I had the misfortune of running over a man and being sentenced to work with orphaned children, but I didn’t know how cruel life could be to me, putting me in this situation. I’m facing the only woman capable of causing disgust in me. Leticia Albuquerque.

The Orphanage was in an old house and was in need of renovations, but the place was neat and clean and had an air of tranquility. While sister Adelina guided Leticia on how to proceed with me, I realized how upset and annoyed she was with the whole situation. Maybe no more than me, who would have to be locked up in that big house with her.

Her gaze flicked to mine. They were blue, and maybe that was the only beautiful thing about her.

“Follow me, please.” There was no sympathy on her face, and her unwillingness to deal with me was noticeable.

We sat in silence for a few minutes as we climbed the wooden stairs. It was already bothering me. Her presence alone irritated me.

“Who knew I’d end up here soon” I finally said, but she wouldn’t look at me. “And I’d work with you soon.

I watched her cheeks flush, perhaps with anger.

“If he wasn’t a criminal, arrogant, possibly he wouldn’t be here”.

“Is this place some kind of prison?” I was ironic, I wanted to tease her “do you only have criminals as employees?”

“In addition to being a delinquent, he’s an idiot”.

My irritation level was very high.

“I’m not a delinquent.” ​​My words came out harsh, “much less a criminal”.

She stopped in one of the empty corridors and looked me right in the eyes. She didn’t seem to be afraid of me.

“Do you swear?” he smiled, a high and mocking smile” “what crime did you commit?

“What kind of institution puts someone like me to work and doesn’t report the act I committed?”

“One that respects, above all else, privacy. Even if it’s from someone like you.”

She really hated me. It was there, something in common between us.

“I ran over a man” I didn’t owe her satisfaction, but when I realized the words slipped out, “he didn’t die”.

“But?” Leticia was the type of woman who absorbed every word she heard “how lucky for you”.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” I continued.

“Do you say that to everyone?”

“Only for insignificant people.”

When I realized it, we were almost yelling at each other while still standing in the hallway.

“Look, boy” she closed her eyes, trying to calm down “I don’t like you from the first moment I saw you, and I don’t intend to be your friend either” she opened the briefcase she was holding and took out a piece of paper “The instructions are here”.

“What is it?” I was lost.

“Your tasks” she turned her back and started walking down the corridor. “the less I talk to you, the better”.

I stood still for a few seconds with the paper in my hand, trying to hate that woman less. A boy was running down the stairs, maybe running away from someone, and he bumped into me.

“Hi,” he said breathlessly. “have you seen Aunt Letícia?”

He looked scared.

“It went that way.” I pointed down the hall ahead of me, and the boy bolted, looking back.

I turned my attention to the stairs, but there was no one there. Furthermore, I might as well have asked the boy what was going on, but that didn’t interest me. I was there out of pure obligation, and the less I got involved with those people, the better. Not only that, but I turned my attention back to the paper I held. On the front was a map of the mansion, and on the back were instructions on what I should do.

Rounds every thirty minutes through the mansion.

Do not allow fights between children.

Prepare the table for meals.

Clean the oratory every day.

Leave arrogance aside and treat orphans well.

I crumpled the paper. If this girl was thinking that I would obey her orders, she was sorely mistaken. I decided to wander around the orphanage. There were three more sisters who worked there, and they were nicer and friendlier than Adelina and Letícia herself. As for her, I didn’t see her again all morning. Maybe he was running away from me or avoiding me. Children lined up for the meal. There were fifty orphans living there. There were children of all types, sizes, and ages. There were two babies in arms, and I was wondering what would lead a mother to abandon a newborn? That’s silly, I thought. If I accidentally had a child with any girl, I would certainly do the same. The son was a burden I didn’t want to carry.

I walked around the garden, watching the children having fun in the old and dangerous park, but Letícia wasn’t there, either. As if it had evaporated, it was gone. It showed up at the end of my shift.

“You didn’t clean the oratory,” she asserted.

“I haven’t seen any oratorios around here."

“How not?” The map explained everything.

“What map?” I questioned while I took one last look at the clock “the one I loved?”

She huffed in rage, and I laughed to see her angry.

“So you didn’t do anything I asked?"

“Stop being arrogant and treat the children well?” I asked, already getting ready to leave. "That one I certainly did”.

“I’m ordering you to go clean the oratory now.” He pointed his finger at another staircase, which led to the basement.

“I’m sorry, Leticia “I put on my coat “but my shift here is over”.

I started to walk out of the house, and she came right behind me.

“We’re not done talking”.

“I thought you didn’t want to talk to me, “I continued, walking away from her, with a smile of pure satisfaction. "The oratory is all yours. Until later”.

I wanted to turn around to see the hateful expression on her face, but I kept walking away, not caring. At least it would be fun to tease her every day.

***

I arrived almost an hour late at my father’s company. I barely sat down in the chair and that shadow stopped right next to me.

“What did we agree about?” It wasn’t in Marcelo’s plans to give me any time off.

“I missed the bus,” I justified myself, already straightening the pile of reports in front of me. "If you let me use the car, that wouldn’t happen”.

“No chances. Get to the stop early next time” he tapped one of my shoulders “and stop pretending to work if you don’t want this stack of papers to triple”.

I watched him walk back to his room as I ran my hand over my face. I couldn’t take that routine anymore, the constant demands, the endless tasks. Marcelo didn’t even ask how my morning at the orphanage had been. If I was fine, hungry, or tired. He only cared about showing everyone that he was being a good father, punishing me for the mistakes made. I hadn’t had lunch yet, and maybe I wouldn’t have the chance, as company obligations always came first. He was a great boss, with the other employees, with me there were just demands and endless discussions. He seemed to take pleasure in torturing me.

I picked up one of the papers and read the first line. My stomach groaned with hunger. I dropped the paper on the table and walked straight out of the office. I took the cell phone and called Diogo.

“Shall we go out for something to eat?”

Since the accident, Diogo has not spoken to me. I knew he was traveling with his father to some first world country. My best friend since childhood wasn’t there when I needed him the most.

“I’m having lunch with Carol at that restaurant near her father’s company”.

What a coincidence, I thought.

“Great, I’ll be there in ten minutes”.

I walked there and not even ten minutes had passed before I left the company. My cell phone rang. It was Marcelo. I turned off the device.

Not today, dad. Today, I’m going to have fun.