Marcão, the Security Guard

By Carlos

“Good morning, Marta! How are things with you?”

“Oh, good morning Carl! Well, I’m fine, thanks. My weekend was ok. And how about you, dear?” The older lady displays a stiff, almost nervous smile, as if conscious of her .

“I’m fine, thanks.” I notice that Marta looks rather tired and perhaps in a bad mood today.

"You don’t look too happy today, Marta. What happened?” I force a conciliatory smile, while Marta throws her hands in the air, in a dramatic manner, as if performing on a stage. Her lips quiver and her eyes darken. It seems like a long time until she can utter anything.

“Well, at my age one cannot exert oneself that much. I mean, I cannot have that many people coming over to my house and I cannot be a good host...” She takes her purse and shows me a picture that she keeps in a silver envelope. “My kids. And those are Marquinhos and Patrícia, my grandchildren.” She takes the picture back and kisses the little kids. “At my age, things have a natural tendency to seem so exasperating. And I’m not dramatizing my life, it’s just that my weekend was a busy one.” We both smile.

“I see that you have a lot of things in the car. Let me help you with them.” I take one large box. “Boy, they’re heavy!”

“Let me see if I can get some help. Maybe Marcão is still around... Hey, Marcão! Over here! Won’t you come and give us a hand?” Marta greets Marcão, the tall security guard. It’s just now that I’ve noticed Marcão was still around the school building.

“Good morning Marta! Good morning, Carl! I see that you need a hand.”

“Yeah, we need some strong arms, Marcão. Would you help us take this box to the janitorial room? Carl will unlock the door for you.” Marta then hands me the keys. “Carl, we shall meet in the janitorial office later.”

“Well, we’d better get started!” Marcão takes hold a large box and we head towards the school building. While he is struggling with a large box, I carry a medium one, which is heavy. We finally reach the janitorial room. I take my keys and try the door. It doesn’t open. I try again. Nothing.

“Maybe I can try, Carl. If you’d allow me to.” Marcão puts the large box down. I hand him my keys, but he prefers to use his own. He uses one of his many master keys from his large key-chain. His keys always chant as he walks around. Could Marta have made a mistake and given me the wrong keys? Possibly. Marcão opens the door at ease. I turn on the lights and we put the boxes away.

“This place is almost full. Where are you going to put the other boxes, Carl?” Marcão wipes his forehead and scratches his chin.

“Well, we’re storing too many unnecessary things here. I’ll talk to Marta about the problem.”

“Well, I’ve got to go home now. If you need any help, I’ll be at your service, Carl.” Marcão pulls up his pants and fixes his cap.

“Thanks a million, Marcão. You’ve been a great help.” I smile and Marcão leaves.

I turn to Marcão and see the large man disappear. Then, I enter the messy room again and inspect the supplies. I make a mental note of everything I need to do that day and go to the janitorial office. The next thing I know, Marta is offering me a cup of coffee.

“Helps to begin your day, dear. Boy, you do look pale. Drink some of this.” Marta hands me the cup and I drink it right away.

“Boy, it’s awful!” I make a sour face.

“Honey, you’ve forgotten to add the sugar!” Marta hands me the sugar.

“Thanks.” I add two teaspoons. “That’s much better now.” I sit on my chair and turn on the computer to check some e-mails. Marta in the meantime collects some of our mugs to be washed. Then she makes some complaints about the security team on campus. I turn to her. She explains that the security team has probably used some of our mugs and our coffee-maker again, leaving a mess behind them, as they usually do.

“Just check this tea towel. It’s all stained with coffee marks! The wastebasket is filled with chocolate wrappings. Is your desk clean? I mean, my desk looked terrible with pieces and crumbs of food on it.” Marta makes such a fuss over something so trifling as a little mess on her desk. I think she acts like this because she’s retiring next year.

While checking my e-mails, I turn to the window and see Marcão far away, entering his car. He works night shifts and we rarely see each other.

His red car moves slowly down the curb. It joins the highway and I can barely see the faint silhouette, until it disappears from my view.

* * *

“Thanks, Carl. I wouldn’t know what to do without you being around.” Dr. Lee says, “I promise I won’t lock myself out anymore.”

“Don’t worry, Dr. Lee. You’re lucky I was here in the building. Is there anybody else working here?”

“No. I don’t think so. I guess just the security guard.” Dr. Lee takes his things, shuts the lights off, and locks the door. “Boy, what a day!” I wave to Dr. Lee and return to my office.

It is going to be another cold night. I end up having to stay in the school building and work until late. What a nice way to start my week!

When it is much later, I hear someone approaching the office. It is clear the steps are from someone large and obviously wearing boots. Someone carrying many keys along. Then, Marcão appears at the internal window of my office. He waves at me.

“Oh, that’s you. Come in Marcão!” I open the door. He walks slowly, and deposits his torchlight and radio on Marta’s desk. He opens his large coat and sits.

“I saw that your light was the only one left on in the building, so I decided to drop by. It’s a quiet evening, isn’t it?” He rubs both hands and blows into them.

“Yeah, it’s very quiet and cold. How’s the campus tonight?”

“People are quiet. The cold keeps them indoors, which is nice. Excepting for the library and the computer room, there’s no one else around.” Marcão scratches his balding head.

“Say, Marcão, would you like a cup of coffee? I could make us some.”

“Sure! I’d love that!” He offers to help me. I ask him to take the coffee maker, while I prepare the mugs. And sure enough, he goes straight to our tall cupboard. That’s exactly the place Marta and I have chosen to hide it. So, Marcão knows where it is after all!

He goes there and stretches his arms to open the door. I admire his strong and bulgy legs. Boy, his navy blue cotton pants look great on him! I try to look away, but the large glass of my window reflects his perfect and firm rear!

He seems to be having a hard time getting all the stuff from the cupboard. Several plastic cups and some bags end up falling. I have to run to his rescue.

“Let me give you a hand, Marcão.” I have to stand on my toes in order to reach at the top. Suddenly, I feel something brushing against me. As I stand in front of him, it is more than natural we touch one another. “Marcão, I think you’d better put everything back. I need to take a chair. This way we can see what we’re doing.” I guess the cupboard is still a mess since Marta refused to organize it. “I’ll just need to grab a chair.” I disentangle from him and take a chair. I climb it and brush against his hairy hands in order to get to the coffee maker. I notice what nice, fat, and hairy fingers Marcão has!

“There!” I climb down and take the coffee maker with me. Marcão takes the coffee powder, some mugs and the sugar.

“I’m afraid we only have milk powder.” I open the small butter plastic container that we use for storing dry goods.

“That’s all right. As long as it’s hot and creamy.” He clears my table and puts the mugs on. We sit and wait for our coffee to get ready. For a very brief moment, Marcão and I remain silent. He is playing with his engagement ring. He removes it and puts it back.

“Marcão, how’s Claire? You haven’t said much about your engagement. Anyway, you must be very anxious for the big day, uh?” I look at the coffee maker, which is almost filled.

“Actually I’m not.” His voice is deep but warm. “We called the engagement off.” His words die down. I feel at loss of words.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know...” I look down. I stare at my joined hands that hold and play with a twisted white plastic spoon. Marcão stands up and forces a smile.

“Shall we have our coffee?”

“Of course.” I pour the coffee into his mug first. We avoid each other’s eyes for a while.

“Sugar?” I offer him some. “Cream?” I say mechanically.

“Carl, I haven’t told anybody yet.” We both sip our coffee. I haven’t added any sugar to mine. Marcão offers me some.

“Thanks.” I manage to say. I’m glad I’m given a chance to utter words.

“Love is a strange thing, Carl...” Marcão drinks his coffee. After a long pause, he asks me, “Have you ever been in love, Carl?”

“Well, yeah, I guess.” I turn to him, but he is looking down.

“Anyway, you can imagine how I feel. Well, I think I won’t ever try that again. I mean, after this separation...” Marcão sips his coffee and I sip mine silently.

“Marcão, I’m sorry it hasn’t worked for you. I mean...”

“I didn’t deserve her love. I just could not reciprocate her feelings. To be honest with you...as I reflect more about it, I’m not even sure I loved her at all. The relationship just went on like that.”

“I see.”

“Of course, she asked me...she wanted to know if I still loved her.” Marcão helps himself to some more coffee. He puts four spoons of sugar and no cream this time. “All I could say was, ‘I don’t know...’ strange, isn’t it?”

“I think you were not in love with her anymore...perhaps she wasn’t meant to be...”

“I guess you’re right about that. In any case, I could not carry on with that anymore. So, it was natural we broke the engagement off.”

“I’m sure it’ll be good for both of you to have time...”

“One thing is for sure, I’m not a man fit for a marriage. The truth is, I don’t even know if I was actually in love with her. I mean...loving Claire in an honest way any man could love a woman...” Marcão finishes his coffee and takes his torchlight. “I’d better go, Carl.”

“Marcão, wait. I think I know what the whole problem is about...” I fire.

“You do?” He turns to me, as if startled.

“Yes, Marcão. I do.”

* * *

On Monday morning I enter the janitorial office with a smile on my face. To my surprise, the coffee maker is properly washed and stored away. And so are the mugs Marcão and I used on that Friday night. That surely is a nice way to start a week!

During lunchtime, I sit with Dr. Lee and some of the guys from the administration office. They all look tired and complain about the day being Monday. I tell them my weekend was quite different. I told them I cooked dinner and stayed in the house most part of the day. Then, from far, I see Marcão taking a tray and paying for his lunch. I wave to him. He sees me and comes to our table.

“May I join this table?”

“Sure, take a seat!” We all squeeze to make room for him. He just sits opposite to me.

“You sure enjoy a good meal, uh?” Jarbas, one of the most annoying guys at the administration office says.

“I sure do! Can you pass me the salt, please.” Dr. Lee is already leaving us. He asks me in a quiet and polite manner to open his office door again.

“Oh, sure!” I turn to the others and wave goodbye. “Have a nice day, people.”

“Well, it’s surely going to be a long one, my friend!” Jarbas cuts in.

“Ah, Carl, do you have time to come to the security office later? We’re going to install new sensors. I need you to show me the plan of the building, that kind of stuff.”

“Oh, yes. I will be in the school building the whole afternoon. I got the e-mail telling me of the changes in our security system. Anyway, I’ll see you then.”

Dr. Lee and I leave the table. I unlock his door and he thanks me over and over again. I smile back to him and head to my office. And as I walk past the cafeteria, I remember I have an early dentist appointment. I turn to the cafeteria and need to see Marcão about what he’ll need that day. He is by himself at the table.

“Carl, today the coffee is on me.” He stands up and goes to the counter to get us some. Then, he places my mug with steaming coffee in front of me.

“Thanks, Marcão.” I take my mug and tear the sugar sachets.

“You’re welcomed Carl.”

“And thanks for cleaning the coffee-maker in the office, too.” I say matter-of-factly. Marcão looks at me and blinks an eye.

Soon after our coffee, Marcão and I head to my office to get the plans of the building. I help him take all the pants to his office, which has a large table in the middle. In the meantime, we check the plan and study the fire exits and doors that we have. We are about to meet the representative of a security company to bring us some figures that we have requested. Then, I have to prepare an extensive report for the administration office. They’re quite concerned about expenses and our budget is tight. Anyway, that all bureaucratic work that Marta, Marcão, and I hate! I end up having to cancel my dentist appointment, for the work and the meeting end up taking more time then I’ve expected.

Later, we walk around the building with several technicians, an engineer, and a supplier, for a long tour. The technician takes measurements and asks us several questions. Marcão and I open and unlock several doors the whole time. My hands get sore and my legs begin to kill me. To make matters worse, the fire alarm ends up going off due to our endless hustle and bustle. We have to calm down the students and keep the situation under control. It is a very tiresome day for us.

I check my watch and I realize I’ve still got to interview some candidates for work on campus. I turn to Marcão for help.

“Marcão, I’m going to have to interview some candidates for jobs on campus. I’m also expecting some suppliers to bring a lot of cleaning stuff in. I’ve already cancelled the job interview twice and I don’t think it’s fair for the students. So, would you be so kind to meet with the supplier and if you can, make them store the materials temporarily inside the garage by the security office. My storage area is filled with recyclable material. The recycling truck didn’t come yesterday. So, I’m running out of space.”

“Not a problem! You can go to your interview and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Thanks, Marcão! I owe you this one.”

“And, Carl...about that evening...maybe we can continue the conversation over dinner. I’ve got a free evening, what do you say?”

“Well, sure! I’d love that.” I leave in a hurry and Marcão remains with the technicians and the engineer. He is wearing some tight fitting jeans and a black leather belt that squeezes his medium belly. His butt is firm and solid. It is difficult to resist staring at that monument of a man.

* * *

Marcão gets up and begins to dress casually. I admire his solid and hairy frame. He puts his white shorts first, then his tight fitting jeans. I also get up and we kiss again. He puts on his white undershirt, shirt, and tucks it inside his jeans. Then he buckles his large belt up.

“Goodbye, Carl.”

“Goodbye, Marcão.”

“Can I come back tomorrow?”

“Aren’t you going to work in the evening?”

“Yes, but I have someone to cover for me. I can escape for a short time.” Marcão kisses me again and I feel his strong arms take hold of me.

“Good night, Marcão.”

“Good night, Carl love...”