Hello again! I was talking about how Marcos set out to become a Paraca (paratrooper), but before getting to that, I need to explain how Marcos managed to graduate high school.

Marcos attended classes with Jorge and Daniel because, of course, Marcos repeated a grade. Later, they repeated too. (Yes, I’ll tell you about the day they broke a window, Sandra—give me time!) Since Marcos was alone in the new class, he ended up hanging out with this super strange guy named Federico, who will also get his own entry because his story is way too long to explain here. Trust me on this: never take Federico to a party—I’ll explain why another day. Everything in its time.

The thing is, Marcos spent the entire summer without touching a book. About a month before the exams, he decided it might be a good idea to start studying. His study sessions didn’t last more than 30 minutes, but at least he was consistent. As the exam day drew closer, Marcos became increasingly paranoid.

When the big day arrived, Marcos hadn’t slept at all. It was a done deal. He came out of the exam feeling blank but optimistic, saying he didn’t want to go to college anyway—he just wanted to pass so he could take the Paraca entrance exam.

Five days later, the results came out, and I went with Marcos to pick them up. On the way, we bumped into one of his teachers, who told him he shouldn’t get his hopes up—she had given him a grade he might regret. Marcos, being Marcos, bolted ahead of us, running to check the results.

He got to the list, and after a few tense moments of not finding his name, he sighed in relief—but he wasn’t done yet. He went upstairs to speak with one of the teachers. Several minutes later, he came back down, crying.

Out on the street, he explained the whole ordeal, pulled himself together, laughed, and carried on. He had done it. Marcos was, after all, Marcos. He had passed, and that was the goal. Nothing now stood in his way of taking the Paraca exam.