Once again, we return to Marcos, who had practically turned the gym into his second home. He had become friends with a paratrooper, nicknamed El Paraca, and the two started getting along quite well. They talked about everything, and of course, El Paraca told him all about his job. Marcos found the whole idea fascinating—so much so that he wanted to be just like his new hero. The thought of becoming a soldier quickly took hold of him, and the idea became almost an obsession.

It wouldn’t be fair to blame El Paraca entirely, because as you probably already know, when Marcos got an idea in his head, he wanted it as if there were no tomorrow. On top of that, he was very impressionable.

Marcos’s dream of joining the military quickly started to wear on everyone around him—family, friends, and of course, those of us here: Sandra and Lucas. He celebrated Armed Forces Day and attended events in person, completely captivated by them. Naturally, he enrolled in an academy to prepare himself for military service.

Before he could join, though, he had to go through a grueling period of studying. He barely passed most of his subjects—but not all of them. As a result, he had to wait an entire summer before he could move forward with his plan.

Marcos struggled to concentrate for more than five minutes at a time, and before he knew it, the summer had flown by. It wasn’t without its share of adventures, though—adventures that must be told before we can continue, as is only fitting.