In the taxi heading to Ethan’s family home, a house he bought a few years ago with a large, lush yard. After a long flight with one transit in Tokyo, Ethan was now the support for Rica, who had fallen asleep due to jetlag, her biological clock disrupted.
“Why is he calling?” Ethan muttered when he saw Indra’s name on the phone screen.
Ethan glanced at Rica and smiled. She looked comfortable asleep, her head resting on Ethan’s left shoulder. Her hair was spread down to her shoulders, her bangs slightly messy, and her cute face partially covered by her hair.
Before answering Indra's call, Ethan gently pushed the hair away from Rica's face and fixed her messy bangs. His touch was warm and full of affection. Rather than acting like a boyfriend, he felt like he was taking care of a child. After making sure she was okay, Ethan finally answered Indra’s call.
“Yes, sir. What’s up?”
“If I’ve calculated the time correctly, you should be on your way home by now. Is Rica safe?”
Ethan took a quick look at the girl in question and smiled as he realized his boss was concerned about the Princess.
“She’s sleeping in my arms.” He exaggerated on purpose to irritate his boss.
“Ethan, I’m serious. We know Rica has a wild side, but please don’t do anything that could ruin her future. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I’ve been her babysitter since the plane, sir. Don’t worry.”
“Alright, well, have fun!” Indra ended the call.
As usual, Indra was arrogant and controlling. Ethan glanced at Rica again, who now seemed to be having a nightmare. Her forehead furrowed, and a tear fell down her cheek. He gently wiped it away with the back of his hand and patted her shoulder softly. A message came in shortly after. It was from Indra.
[ Check your bank statement. ]
Without expecting anything, Ethan opened his mobile banking app but didn’t see any notifications. Then he checked his foreign savings account, and after a few seconds, he snorted upon seeing the dollar amount Indra had sent him.
“Please take care of Rica.” Ethan read the message from the transaction.
It wasn’t the amount of money that made Ethan smile, but the way Indra asked for forgiveness—it was exactly like how his own parents used to act, just like his mom when she was still healthy. Whether aware of it or not, most parents in Indonesia tend to do the same when they want to end a fight with their child. His mom would always ask, “What do you want to eat, Allan? Want me to buy you pizza?” when Ethan locked himself in his room and wouldn’t come out.
“I guess he really is fit to be a father,” Ethan muttered. “Alright, I take back my complaints. I hope his wife’s baby is healthy and doesn’t look like me when it’s born.”
***
In front of the mirror in the hospital’s VIP room, a middle-aged woman with a thin body was brushing her hair, which had thinned due to heavy treatments. An hour ago, Ethan had informed that he had arrived at home and wanted to rest before going to the hospital.
“Ma’am? You’ve been looking so happy since this morning, and I’m happy for you too,” Sissy said, bringing in food.
The older woman turned to smile broadly. “Do I look good, Sissy? I can’t wait to meet Allan’s girlfriend.”
“He might be lying, Ma’am. Doesn’t he usually avoid talking about that topic?” Sissy set the food tray on the table and took out makeup tools from her bag as she approached Mrs. Ling, who was still standing in front of the mirror on the wall.
Earlier, Sissy had asked Mrs. Ling not to move too much, especially not to stand for too long in front of the mirror, which had been placed there to help her comb her hair. But Mrs. Ling insisted that it was okay and that she just wanted to do a little exercise because the air outside was too cold for a walk in the hospital garden.
Sissy then asked for permission to reapply Mrs. Ling’s makeup. The middle-aged woman complied and closed her eyes, imagining Allan’s arrival. Mrs. Ling had already envisioned that Allan would be here with his girlfriend in the next two weeks. She didn’t care much about it, as Allan didn’t like discussing his love life.
“He’s busy working because of his parents’ mistakes. I feel sorry for him and guilty. I hope he finds his soulmate and gets married. I don’t want Allan to be lonely after I’m gone. My time isn’t long anymore, Sissy.”
Mrs. Ling slowly opened her eyes, her gaze heavy. This time, the makeup on her face looked fresher thanks to Sissy. But the girl smiled awkwardly because of Mrs. Ling’s words. Talking about death always left a painful feeling for anyone who heard it.
“Ma’am, that means God still wants you to be by Mr. Allan’s side until he meets his soulmate. Please don’t talk like that and make me sad. Death is God’s secret, and I believe your current condition is a blessing from God. Doctors are just intermediaries and extensions of God’s love.” Sissy quickly wiped away her tears, feeling embarrassed.
“I’m lucky to have met you, Sissy.”
“I think I’m the lucky one, Ma’am.”
They both smiled at each other. Then, Sissy helped Mrs. Ling back to her bed, adjusted the pillow to make her more comfortable, covered her up, and set the room temperature to make it warmer.
Soon after, the door was knocked. Mrs. Ling quickly turned her head toward the source of the sound, sure that it was Allan. Indeed, Allan entered with a bouquet of red roses, smiling cheerfully at his mother. Sissy excused herself to give some space to the mother and son, who had been separated for a long time because Allan worked in Indonesia.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” asked Mom.
Ethan turned toward the door. “She’s in the restroom.”
“Why didn’t you wait for her? What if she gets lost? This is a big hospital.” Mom tapped Ethan’s shoulder.
“Ouch! It hurts, Mom. Restroom is just next door.”
“Your Indonesian accent has gotten quite good now, huh?” Mom teased.
“I’ve been living there for over two years, Mom. No wonder my accent is a little influenced.”
Ethan chuckled at the comment. Since he was young, Ethan Allan Saputra had been fluent in two languages because his parents were of different races. But now his Indonesian had become more “Indonesian” and no longer sounded like a foreigner, thanks to his frequent interactions with people at the company.
“Mas! Why’d you leave me?” Rica complained as she entered the room. However, she immediately apologized when she saw Mrs. Ling.
“There she is.” Ethan pointed to the girl who was now smiling sweetly next to him. “Beautiful, right?”
“Sorry, Auntie, Mas Ethan promised to wait for me, but he didn’t. I got lost looking for your room.”
Mom immediately hit Ethan on the shoulder with the flower for lying. Ethan laughed out loud. Meanwhile, Rica tried to stop the minor violence, and Mrs. Ling only stopped after the girl begged her not to keep hitting Ethan.
Now, Rica was sitting in a chair next to the bed, holding Mrs. Ling’s hand. “Auntie, I’m Frederica, but they usually call me Rica, though Mas Ethan calls me Princess.”
Ethan, who was leaning near the window, rolled his eyes as he made eye contact with Rica, who was acting sweet. “Yeah, because she’s so spoiled.”
“It’s natural for girls to be spoiled. It’s okay. Men are supposed to protect and pamper their partners.” Mom then smiled warmly at Rica. “Forgive my child, okay? He’s really headstrong and stubborn.”
“It’s okay, Auntie. I also have many shortcomings in his eyes.”
“So, when are you two getting married? Don’t wait too long to get engaged.” Mom looked at Rica with hopeful eyes.
“I haven’t graduated yet, Auntie,” Rica answered with a sweet smile.
Ethan scoffed. “Mom, come on, Rica is still young. Her family doesn’t like me. My soulmate might be out there somewhere.” His gaze drifted far out the window.
 
--The End--
 
NB:
This book is still related to my book titled "Aggressiveness", please read it if you want to know more about the relationship between Ethan and Rica. However, I realize that Rica is not a lovable character, so it's understandable if she is not liked. Anyway, thank you for reading this book, please visit my profile if you want to know my other works.