Chapter 107: Intermission
"How many times do I need to tell you, Shev, don’t worry about it! My father has it under his bag!" Bagas said once again exasperatedly when Sheva asked him over and over again about if it was okay for his father to accept the request nonchalantly like that. "You know that my father always wants to help you, right? Hell, if you are not stubborn enough to work, he will just pay everything for your family so that you can go to college without having to worry about anything!"
Sheva scratched the back of his head sheepishly, remembering that something like that indeed happened in the past. He felt a little bit awkward about the fact that in the past, he rejected the direct help from Bagas’s father out of pride and wanted to stand on his own, yet here he was, going back and swallowing his words to beg for the man’s help.
"Don’t worry about such a trivial thing," Bagas said once again when he saw Sheva’s awkwardness. "You know that he loves you, right? Hell, I even think that he cares more about you than me, his own son!" He cursed his father out loud in an attempt to ease the tension here. Sheva couldn’t help but chuckle, yet not daring to laugh at the joke. After all, it was Bagas’s father who helped him, so it would be rude if he laughed when the son himself was mocking the man.
Right after that, they arrived at one of the biggest supermarkets in Jakarta, going straight to pick up everything on the list that Sheva’s mother gave before paying them all later. They had done it quite fast before going back to Sheva’s house. Once they arrived, those two boys were greeted by an incredible sight; four women chatting and laughing in such a cramped building without caring about anything. A cup of tea in front of each one of them was the cherry on top here, making them look like the wives of those noblemen from Britain in the classic romance novel.
"Really, Auntie?! Sheva did that dumb thing?!" Claudia asked in disbelief while also holding back laughter.
"Yeah! His father even has to bail him out from the school counselor!" Sheva’s mother sighed helplessly. "You don’t know how much trouble he created during his time in school..."
"I know... He and Bagas always love to do the dumbest thing in the world..." Sarah added with the same helpless sigh. "I guess, boys will always be boys, right?"
Sheva felt the corner of his mouth twitching when he heard that. Although he didn’t know which one of his dark histories his mother had just exposed here, the boy knew it would definitely be the most embarrassing one.
"Okay, enough, you guys!" He barged into the building rudely, glaring at everyone else there. "Mom, is this the time you should go? You know that if you didn’t arrive early, your usual spot in the market would be occupied by the others, right?" He asked his mother.
"Yeah, yeah, just ruin my fun, will you?" The woman pouted indignantly, far from being suitable for her age. She rose from the floor, then sent a mischievous wink to the other girls. "Let’s continue the conversation another day, okay? Let me tell you when the boys are not here."
A thick vein popped on Sheva’s forehead, not expecting his mother to be like this. Honestly, his mother had been quite lively for the last couple of weeks, not feeling too stressed over anything else. Maybe, although they were still far from it, this was the kind of effect that financial freedom could have on any normal human being. Still, it was better compared to when she had to sell the snacks day and night with so little rest. Now, at least, she treated this snack-selling thing like a hobby instead of a proper job.
"So..." Once his mother left, Sheva crossed his arms slightly, staring at the guilty Claudia and Anna, who looked sheepish with dangerous eyes. "I know that Sarah is here with Bagas, but what are you two doing here? I mean, where did you get my address?" He asked interrogatively.
"Uh... Well..." Claudia turned her head around, trying to get some help from her sister and Sarah. However, those two older girls, the traitors they were, turned their heads away, letting Claudia handle this situation alone. Seeing this, the little girl had no choice but to blame them. "It is Big Sis’s Idea! We also get your address from Sister Sarah! They forced me to join here, I swear!"
Both Anna and Sarah coughed violently at Claudia’s shameless attempt to shift the blame. They snapped their heads within a second, sending their fiercest glares at the little girl. Being the youngest girl in the room, of course, Claudia would act more shamelessly here by hiding behind Sheva and Bagas, sticking her tongue out to mock the girls there.
"So, that’s your idea, huh?" Sheva crooked one of his eyebrows, unimpressed. He knew that this was Claudia’s attempt to shift the blame, but he still played along to see what they were planning here. "Now, care to tell me why you are here?"
Anna looked pretty awkward here under Sheva’s flat stare. In the end, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh and spill the tea. "Okay, fine! It is Master Irfan’s idea!"
"Master Irfan?" Now, Sheva was confused. "Why is he related to this? Also, if he has any business with me, should he call me directly instead of sending you here?"
"As if you have the right to say." Anna rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "You know that you haven’t answered any messages from us in the last couple of days, right? I mean, I get that you are exhausted, but maintaining basic communication is important, you know?"
This time, it was Sheva who looked guilty, as indeed, he forgot to open his phone. "Anyway!" He coughed, trying to change the topic quickly. "What does he want to do with me?" He asked curiously.
"Dunno. He just said that if we could contact you, we should drag you into his house, and he would explain this matter by himself." Anna shrugged. "So, shall we go there?"