Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

“Isn’t it sick? But why don’t you take medicine, see you 3 times a day.”

“What are you saying El!” Rizky replied when he heard Elena grumble. Even Rizky’s feet, which were already on the other side, stopped just to understand the meaning of Elena’s words that he had just heard. Elena’s face suddenly turned sour. Like when you meet someone you don’t like. Since childhood, that’s been Elena’s character. The girl never hesitated to show her dislike for people she didn’t want.

“Did I say that, bro?” Elena asked back with an innocent expression. His mainstay when trapped in a tight situation like the one he is currently experiencing.

“You said you took medicine three times or something like that just now,” replied Rizky, worried because he thought Elena was not fit. Then why didn’t the girl just say that she was sick? If Elena said that, of course Rizky would prefer to use a taxi or motorbike taxi to go home. Earlier, Rizky had deliberately asked to be picked up because he wanted to meet Devan first. There is a message for Devan from Azka that he must convey directly.

“Oh… That. El is reading a chat from Melodi,” said Elena while showing her cell phone screen. Elena was lucky because before the car stopped she was chatting with Melodi who commented on her and Dirga’s WhatsApp status. Elena deliberately posted photos of her time together with Dirga. I don’t know what the purpose was, what is clear is that Elena was satisfied when she did it, especially since many people commented on it.

“Okay, that’s it. Brother, go down first. Just a moment. Or will you just come down?” Rizky replied while offering Elena to come with him. But of course Elena quickly refused. He was fed up with having to meet the workshop owner continuously in just one day.

“Okay, just a moment,” replied Rizky then hurried downstairs.

Elena stared at Rizky’s back which was walking away. However, before Rizky entered the workshop, the man who was currently the subject of Elena’s grumbling came out with Dinda. The woman he met at DAS Caffe with Devan. The woman he once considered his rival.

“They’re really annoying!” Elena was annoyed, who was watching with her own eyes when Devan smiled happily and led Dinda into his car. Don’t forget Devan’s sweet treatment in opening the car door for the woman. Elena’s stomach suddenly felt nauseous. He wanted to vomit right now. If necessary, he vomits in front of them all at once.

After Dinda left, Devan and Rizky were seen having a serious conversation. What they discussed exactly was unknown to Elena, and she had no interest in finding out. Anything related to Devan now felt nauseating, even though Elena couldn’t deny that she still missed the moments with her Daddy’s friend. Elena quickly pretended to be busy with her phone when suddenly the two men walked towards her car, where she was currently.

Rizky then got into the car, while Devan stood by the car window where Elena was sitting. Unexpectedly, the window on the left side of her body suddenly rolled down. It was Rizky who did it. Now, the only barrier between her and Devan for making eye contact was gone. As usual, Elena would put on the sweetest smile in front of the man she called “aki-aki” (old man). This drama would continue to be played out indefinitely.

“Uncle, we’re heading back now. Thanks!” Rizky bid farewell while raising his hand already on the steering wheel.

“Bye, Uncle Devan!” Elena joined in bidding farewell with the most appropriate demeanor.

“Take care!” Devan waved his hand, smiling at Elena. Elena did the same. She waved while saying goodbye as the car window slowly closed.

“Why does he look so handsome when he smiles!” Elena mumbled to herself while gazing at Devan, who was still standing there from behind the rearview mirror, waving.

That night, Devan felt restless and frustrated with himself. Only Elena’s face continued to linger in his mind. He had repeatedly tried to push away the strange feelings growing in his heart for the young girl. Devan continued to resist, convincing himself that Elena was just his niece or his own daughter.

“Oh God, why am I like this? This is wrong. This is not right,” Devan murmured, gazing at the stars scattered in the night sky. He hoped they could provide an answer to soothe his troubled heart.

“Gita, what should I do? Convince me that these feelings are wrong, Git!” Devan monologued, hoping Gita, his late wife, would listen to the dilemmas in his heart.

Still with his head looking up at the sky, Devan closed his eyes. He felt the gentle breeze brushing against his body. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled strongly, momentarily stopping the activity of his lungs to allow free access of oxygen into his body. Perhaps this way, he thought, his mind would regain clarity and sanity as before.

Devan stood in that position by the balcony for quite some time until the sound of a knock on the door accompanied by a loud call managed to break his reverie. With a weary look, Devan entered the room. Not forgetting to close the balcony door, he stepped forward to open the bedroom door for someone on the other side.

“Papa, aren’t you eating?” Erick asked because he had been waiting for his father at the dining table for almost an hour.

Suddenly, Erick felt worried when he saw a hint of sadness on his father’s face. “Is Papa sick?” Erick asked again, with a worried look.

“Papa is still full, Erick. Papa just wants to rest for a while. You go ahead and eat first,” Devan replied, smiling while gently patting Erick’s head.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Erick’s jaw tightened as he clenched his fist. This was the expression he hated most from his father. Erick was sure that his Papa was again thinking about his late Mama, who had passed away. This was why Erick wanted to see his Papa get married again soon. So that the man in front of him could break free from the whirlpool of the past and find happiness again.

“Alright. Erick will eat first, Pa,” Erick said, not wanting to disturb Devan’s time alone. He looked at Devan with an unreadable expression for a moment before leaving. Erick then returned to the dining room. To be honest, Erick had lost his appetite since earlier, but out of respect for Dona, who had worked hard to cook their food, Erick forced himself to eat.

Devan sat on the sofa, grabbed the TV remote to find entertainment. After finding an interesting show, Devan took out a cigarette from its case and lit it with a lighter. He inhaled the tip of the cigarette until the flame sparked. White smoke began to fill the room, and its aroma mixed with Devan’s distinctive body scent.

Apparently, the TV show in front of him failed to bring any comfort. He pressed the on/off button and placed the remote on the table. Devan tried another way to entertain himself by opening his social media accounts. The first app he opened was the WhatsApp chat group called “Club Cogan,” which was never empty of their absurd conversations. In this group, Devan usually found amusement whenever he was alone in his room, like tonight. However, for some reason, the group suddenly fell silent. He saw the last message from Anton, which was already 2 hours ago. It seemed like they were all conspiring together with the turmoil in his heart.

Devan eventually closed the chat group. Then, he began to check the activities of people he knew through their WhatsApp stories. Devan’s fingers moved up and down slowly, choosing whose status he found most interesting. Starting from Club Cogan’s status, he moved on to the next generation. Devan’s consistent finger movement suddenly stopped abruptly when he saw a picture of a happy teenage couple. In the picture, their smiles were perfectly radiant. The girl even took the picture herself. Not just one picture, but many different poses were displayed in that selfie.

Without thinking too much, Devan immediately commented on one photo that he found most intense with the caption ‘With You’.

“You’re not mahram. So, no need to get too close in the photos!”

Devan stared at his phone screen without blinking, waiting for the blue checkmarks on his message to change. Unconsciously, Devan sighed in disappointment. Even one checkmark had not turned into two, let alone changing to blue. To ensure if Elena was online, Devan tried to call her.

Tut… tut… tut….

***

The next day, Citra and Melodi would come. They had made a promise the night before to gather at Elena’s house. Of course, the two girls wanted to interrogate Elena about her date with Dirga yesterday. Especially since Elena boldly posted a photo of them together as a WhatsApp story. Not only Citra and Melodi were excited when they saw Elena’s WhatsApp story, but also all of Elena’s high school friends. Even her family sent her private messages, asking who the guy was in the photo with her. Elena only replied to some of the messages, specifically from her friends and family.

Suddenly, a hint of curiosity arose in her mind when she saw Devan’s name in the unread chat list. This curiosity led Elena to check who had viewed her WhatsApp story with Dirga. A perfect smile instantly appeared on Elena’s lips. Her goal was achieved.

“Yes!”