Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

“Are you not interested in visiting Jakarta during the semester break?” Devan offered, looking at his son who seemed different than usual. Erick also appeared unenthusiastic about finishing his breakfast.

“Nah, Dad. Erick already has plans with friends for band practice,” Erick declined, not intending to enjoy his school vacation by traveling far. Erick wanted to spend the holiday with his school friends in Yogyakarta.

“Alright then. Do whatever you like, Erick. But one thing, you have to take care of yourself and know your limits,” Devan reminded. “Oh, Erick, don’t you want to have your own car?” Devan offered again. Devan had wanted to buy Erick a car for a long time. Besides, he wanted Erick to enhance his driving skills.

Without answering directly, Erick placed the spoon upside down as a sign that he had finished his breakfast. Then, he looked at Devan with a gaze that was difficult to interpret. Devan was stunned because this was the first time he couldn’t interpret his son’s feelings.

“Up to you, Dad. If it makes you happy, then go ahead!” replied Erick with a statement that sounded ambiguous to Devan.

Devan looked at Erick, who was now leisurely sipping his drink. Devan felt there was something different about Erick this morning. Devan was very sure that he hadn’t done anything to make his son angry. The last time they argued was when Devan expressed his desire to remarry. After that, there were no more significant discussions. Everything went back to normal as before. No one could disturb the relationship between father and son. Not even Elena.

“Okay, tomorrow come with Dad. You choose your favorite car yourself,” Devan replied with a smile without breaking eye contact.

Erick responded with a smile, then left. Erick casually put on his backpack and said goodbye to Devan.

After Erick left for school, not long after, Devan took out his phone from his pants pocket. To avoid disturbance, Devan also moved his empty plate and glass to the side. Devan began to open his photo gallery to greet his beautiful crush. After resisting for some time, the longing finally broke down the walls he had tried to build. Devan accepted Ivand’s offer to talk directly with Elena. And now the effect was extraordinary. The feeling of longing was like a psychopath joyfully torturing him before killing him. So painful and suffocating when he could only gaze at Elena’s photo every time or just secretly observe her from a distance. Without anyone knowing except Jeremy, of course. Devan was very sure that it wasn’t just Elena under the watchful eye of the possessive man. But also his movements.

Why didn’t Devan just call Elena? Or send her a message to meet somewhere? No. Devan wouldn’t do it. The freedom granted by Jeremy was only an illusion. Faint. If he made a mistake just once, there would be no second chance for him. It’s as if Devan is standing on a minefield. There are only two choices. Stepping forward will surely end in destruction or surviving with a well-thought-out plan to defuse it.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Good morning, Bee,” greeted Devan as he stroked the face of the beautiful girl smiling on his phone screen.

He took the photo when they went on a date to Curug Pulosari waterfall. It was their first and last date. There, their love story began and ended together.

Dona, who was about to clean the dining table, immediately returned to the kitchen when she saw her employer lost in thought. This wasn’t the first time Dona had seen Devan like this. Specifically, since a month ago, Devan had been seen daydreaming more often when alone. Arul, Dona’s husband, also often saw Devan being silent behind while feeding his fish.

Dona and Arul certainly knew the reason why their employer had been in low spirits lately. Dona had accidentally overheard a conversation between Devan’s parents and Devan’s sibling about the family’s current issues. Initially, Dona was shocked and couldn’t believe that Devan had a special relationship with Elena. The daughter of their long-time acquaintance. The girl was like Devan’s own daughter. Dona couldn’t comprehend why they could fall in love with each other, given their significant age difference. But who could prevent the arrival of love? Isn’t love timeless? Love fills the cracks in the heart. Love is never wrong.

Thirty minutes passed unnoticed by Devan. Staring at Elena’s photo would never make him bored. The more he looked, the greater the burden of longing in his heart. The hardest torture was the longing that couldn’t find an outlet.

Devan had to end the activity that might seem like a waste of time, just in case Lucky hadn’t called him. It turned out that Devan forgot to give the spare key to the workshop to Lucky yesterday. Devan hurriedly left the dining room and went upstairs to his room to get his jacket and Blacky’s key. He made sure to put his wallet and the workshop key into the inner pocket of his jacket.

***

Vanessa smiled as she saw Elena daydreaming by the poolside. It wasn’t the first time Vanessa had caught her daughter daydreaming. Everything returned to normal after Elena reconciled with Jeremy. But as a mother, Vanessa could feel the sadness in her daughter’s heart. Elena could wrap up that sadness with laughter in front of everyone, but not in front of Vanessa. Since the beginning, Vanessa had sensed a change in Elena.

In her steps, Vanessa tried to understand Elena’s feelings toward her friend. Was it true that her daughter’s love was not just an ordinary love? Not a fleeting love that teenagers her age often felt.

“A girl should not daydream too often!” scolded Vanessa, causing Elena to stumble.

“Mommy? Who’s daydreaming? El just wants to play with water,” Elena lied, raising her face to look at her mother. “Is Mommy leaving?” Elena asked, observing Vanessa’s well-groomed appearance.

“Yes, want to come to the boutique? Today there’s a photoshoot for new products, and the model Mommy is using is still a teenager. Well… more or less your age, maybe you’ll be compatible co-workers later,” Vanessa invited while stroking Elena’s hair.

Elena seemed to think for a moment and then stood up. “Okay, El will come,” she answered without thinking too much. Mommy’s offer was quite interesting entertainment for her.

“Mommy, wait in front,” Vanessa said, patting Elena’s shoulder before leaving.

***

Elena’s decision to join Vanessa earlier turned out to be the right choice. In the photo studio, Elena got acquainted with the new model mentioned by her Mommy, and they turned out to be a perfect match. From a distance, Vanessa observed the camaraderie between the two teenagers with a smile. Vanessa missed her daughter’s carefree laughter like before. Now Vanessa began to reconsider her decision with Jeremy, whether it was the right one. Honestly, in Vanessa’s heart, she felt reluctant to separate Elena from her friend. But Vanessa couldn’t do anything. All of this was for Elena’s future.

Vanessa reaffirmed the decision she had made with her husband. Don’t let it waver due to following her rebellious heart from the start. For her, Devan was not just anyone. She already considered him like a brother; even during college, Vanessa saw Devan as the older brother she never had.

In a hurry, Vanessa shook her head to dispel the doubt that was beginning to dominate her heart. Then, Vanessa welcomed Elena’s arrival with a gentle smile.

“Mom, El’s hungry!” Elena said playfully while reaching for an orange juice on Vanessa’s table and sipping it down.

“Okay, Mommy will order food first from DAS Caffe,” Vanessa replied, then grabbed her phone to call the cafe employee to deliver food to the boutique.

Elena, who was engrossed in following the lyrics of the song playing in Vanessa’s room, suddenly froze when she saw the name of the sender of the WhatsApp message that had just come in. Someone who had almost never responded to her chats before. With nervousness, Elena immediately replied.

“Mom, can El go outside for a moment?” Elena asked, looking at her Mommy with pleading eyes.

Vanessa fell silent. Her eyes fixed on the pair of copper-colored irises of the girl in front of her, who seemed to be waiting for her answer with hope. Then, Vanessa took a deep breath before speaking. “Where to?”

Elena was stunned. Confused about what answer to give to her Mommy. Being honest would certainly not be good for her. Lying was a sin.

“Melodi and Citra invited Mom to have lunch together.” Elena smiled broadly, showing the last chat with her two friends from earlier this morning. It seemed like luck was on her side this time.

Vanessa hesitated for a moment, glancing at Elena’s phone screen. Still staring at her daughter, Vanessa finally handed over her car keys.

“Just use Mommy’s car!” Vanessa replied, trying to suppress the restlessness that suddenly arose within her.

“Okay, thank you, Mom.” Elena moved, taking the car keys and then approached Vanessa to give her a kiss on the cheek.

***

Devan had just finished the Dhuhr prayer when suddenly his phone rang. Wiping the remaining ablution water from his face, Devan walked toward his desk.

“Daddy.”

“Yes, what’s up?” Devan replied to a call from someone on the other side who sounded annoyed. “What’s wrong, Erick?” Devan continued gently.

“My motorbike broke down on the road. Can you pick me up now?” an irritated Erick asked, causing Devan to burst into laughter.

“Okay, I’m leaving now,” Devan answered after listening to Erick’s explanation of his current location and quickly ended their phone call so he could leave immediately.

Without much thought, Devan grabbed his jacket and put it on quickly. Making Erick wait for a long time was certainly something Devan wanted to avoid. Even when Erick wasn’t allowed to ride his own motorbike yet, Devan often became the target of Erick’s anger. Erick’s anger was a thousand words silent and very difficult to persuade unless Erick initiated the conversation.

Seeing the cloud looking gloomy, Devan abandoned his intention to ride the motorbike. Devan went back into his room to exchange the motorbike key with the car key.

As it coincided with the school dismissal and office break time, it was no wonder that the streets were crawling with traffic. Devan repeatedly checked the digital clock on his phone to make sure Erick wouldn’t have to wait long. Twenty minutes later, Devan arrived at the destination. Devan immediately parked his car in the Alfamart parking lot, following the address Erick had given.

Not getting out of the car immediately, Devan first scanned the area, looking for the person he was looking for.

“Where’s Erick?” Devan mumbled while taking his phone. Planning to call Erick to ask about the teenager’s whereabouts. Devan assumed that Erick might be trying to find the nearest workshop because he had been waiting for too long.

“Why is he rejecting?” Devan mumbled again while getting out of the car.

In the cafe across the street, Elena was anxiously waiting for Erick’s arrival. She had been waiting for Erick for 15 minutes, but the teenager was nowhere to be seen.

“Why is this guy playing games or something! Inviting me to meet but not showing up. And now he’s not responding to my messages and calls!” Elena grumbled, then quickly sipped her ordered lemon tea.

Elena hurriedly got up and headed to the cashier to pay for her drink. Outside the cafe, Elena went straight to her Mommy’s parked car. But before she could reach it, Elena caught sight of a man she knew very well. The man seemed to be talking on the phone next to his car. Unconsciously, Elena took a step forward. The man was across the street. Just once, Elena wanted to meet him in person.

Erick, who was not far away, observed the meeting of the two lovers with a melancholic look. Hoping the plan to reunite his Dad and Elena would succeed. He wanted to witness firsthand how they both felt.

With tear-filled eyes, Elena continued to echo Devan’s name in her heart. The man’s body seemed thinner than the last time they met. His face, usually clean-shaven, now seemed to be covered with fine hairs. But even so, the man still looked the most handsome in Elena’s eyes.

Suddenly, Devan felt like he heard someone calling his name. His heartbeat raced faster. Devan lowered his phone and turned to look back. His body froze in place. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. On the other side, the girl of his dreams was standing there.

“Elena,” he murmured, taking a step forward.

To make sure what he saw was not just a mirage, Devan tried to hold back his tears, preventing his eyes from blinking. The passing motorcycles didn’t hinder Devan from looking at the girl, who now had tears streaming down her face.

“Uncle!” Elena called out loudly when she saw Devan smiling.

Unconsciously, Elena took another step, forgetting that they were currently blocked by the busy road. Devan, blinded by longing, also forgot about the traffic. But soon, Devan snapped back to reality.

“Elena!” Devan shouted when he saw a motorcycle approaching from the west at high speed. Devan ran with all his might, trying to stop Elena.

Brakkk…. The sound of a hard collision deafened everyone around. Followed by the screams of several road users.

Erick, who had just come out of his hiding place and was about to leave, turned his head towards the source of the sound. Seeing someone in a black jacket lying in the middle of the road, Erick ran and shouted.

“Dad!!!”