2. An Accident

Mario clearly remembers that night he had just come home from work. After finishing cleaning up. He quickly dressed neatly. A friend will pick him up in a few minutes and ask him to go to a bar. One of his best friends, Darrell, has a birthday tonight. He decided to celebrate the birthday at their regular place.

Mario had not finished wearing clothes when he heard a knock on his bedroom door. Buttoning up his black shirt, Mario then directed his feet towards the door. It opened immediately, then found the mother, who was already standing there with a glass of milk.

"Where are you going so neat, Calvin?" she asked. The 45-year-old woman came closer, then handed me the glass of milk she was carrying.

"Mom, I'm already big. Why do you like to deliver milk like this."

Instead of answering what Diana asked, Mario even protested. It was indeed his mother's habit, consistently delivering warm milk every night so Mario would sleep easily.

"Mama asked you, Calvin. Where are you going tonight? Didn't you just come from work?"

Mario nodded. Before answering, the man gulped down the milk Diana gave him. When finished, he handed back the empty glass, then answered.

"Darrell's birthday is tonight, Ma. That's why I'm getting ready because I'm going out to go to the event he's making."

"You'll be home at midnight?" Diana inquired.

"I don't know, Ma. It's finished tonight. Besides, tomorrow is a holiday. So it doesn't matter if I come home late."

Diana exhaled slowly. Even though he knew his son was no longer a child, he was always worried when Mario left until late at night. He was afraid that something terrible would happen to his only son.

"Then who did you go with? Did you bring your own vehicle? If you do bring a vehicle, Mama please don't drink until you're drunk, son."

Mario immediately laughed. He understood the worry his mother was feeling.

"Mom, you don't need to worry like this. You know myself that I don't like to drink, so how can I get drunk? After all, Felix picked me up and will take me home later. So don't worry about it like this, Mama."

"I'm grateful." Diana, this time breathed a sigh of relief. The feeling of worry he had been feeling was slowly fading away. "That's why, hurry up and find a partner. Don't stay like this alone, son."

Mario's facial expression immediately showed a confused expression. "What's the correlation between going to a party and finding a companion, Ma?"

"Yes, even if you have a girlfriend, date, or wife, you don't need to be alone when you go anywhere. Mama gets bored every day seeing you being picked up by male friends. Or don't... don't..."

"Could it be what you mean, Mama?" Mario immediately narrowed his eyes. His feelings immediately turned sour. The Mama unexpectedly even cupped his cheeks. Staring intently, then muttering softly. "Calvin, Mama ask please answer honestly, you're a normal man, right?"

"Meaning, Mom?"

"You're not gay, are you?"

"Jesus Christ!" Mario immediately exclaimed. His face looked irritated. "I'm of course a normal guy, Ma."

"But how come Mama never saw you go out with a girl friend once? That's what caused Mama to wonder whether you actually like girls or not."

"Of course I like it," said Mario quickly. "Don't you know, in this world I only like one woman?"

Diana nodded. He understood what his son meant. When he was in junior high school, Mario once told him that he liked a woman named Aurorae. That feeling of joy and awe arose when Aurorae, kindly saved Mario from a bunch of naughty kids.

Until the man grew up and even had a job, Mario always said the same thing, that he only loved one woman and would never change even though Diana and her husband had repeatedly proposed many candidates to accompany the white man.

"But it's useless for you to like a woman who doesn't even recognize you, honey. You're such a waste of time," protested Diana. He always made exasperated with all the behavior shown by his son.

"In a minute, Ma," said Mario. "Slowly I will make him remember. Once successful, I will immediately ask him to marry."

Diana chuckled. Instead of being supportive, the woman looks like a pessimist.

"I don't know why I'm not sure you can get that woman, Mario. I'm also worried that the woman you are after actually marries another man. If that happens, you're really wasting your time."

Mario just smiled. Hearing all the possibilities that his mother feared did not in the least discourage Mario or choose to back down. His resolve is unanimous. No matter what, Aurorae must be his.

"Just pray for the best for me, Ma. I'm sure God will immediately hear Mama's prayers."

"His, this child," Diana growled. He was excited after hearing his son's answer. "You really are stubborn. Very similar ---"

Diana's sentence was cut off when she and Mario heard a car horn from outside. It's been confirmed, and it must be Felix, Mario's best friend, who is on duty to pick him up.

Ignoring the previous conversation, Mario quickly grabbed his wallet and cell phone from the bedside table. Then he returned to his mother to hug and kiss him as he said goodbye to leave.

"I'll go out first, Ma. We'll continue our conversation later."

"Be careful on the road, don't come home late at night."

Mario nodded before leaving, and the man had time to answer.

"Relax, Ma. Instead of coming home late, I'll just be home the next morning."

Finished saying that, Mario immediately ran, intending to escape. He seemed to have memorized his mother's habit of hitting or pinching if he answered carelessly as he had done before.

***

Arriving at the Bar, Felix immediately directed Mario to go to the VIP room on the second floor. There is a private room that a friend deliberately rents to celebrate a birthday with only close friends attending.

For more than four hours, they were all in the Bar. Until it was 12.30 pm, and Mario intended to go home. Coming down the stairs while talking, Mario's eyesight accidentally caught a woman he knew so well sitting leaning his head on the bartender's table like he was drunk. To confirm what he saw, Mario quickened his pace. Closer, then closer. And it turns out his guess was correct.

There was Aurorae, leaning back, holding a glass filled with a drink. It was evident that the woman was in a drunken state.

"Mrs. Aurorae," said Mario. "What are you doing here?"

The half-drunk Aurorae raised her head. Clucking, annoyed, then shortly answered what Mario asked him.

"Can't you see? Of course I'm drinking!"

"Yes." Mario nodded. "I know you're drinking. But why get drunk like this."

"Who's drunk?" Aurorae asked back. "I'm still conscious, Mario. I can even tell the color of the clothes you're wearing right now."

Mario nodded again. For some reason, he suddenly felt worried seeing Aurorae's current state.

"But it's late, madam. You'd better get home before Mr. Arsene or Mr. Oliver finds out where you are."

Instead of obeying, Aurorae just laughed. He felt that what Mario had said earlier was nothing more than nonsense.

"They're not going to come looking for me, Mario. And you stop interrupting. Better to walk away than keep on rambling in my face."

Mario shook his head. This time he needed to comply with Aurorae's request.

"No madam. I'm not going to leave you like this."

Hearing Mario's answer, Aurorae then sighed lazily. Ignoring the man next to her, the woman chose to continue finishing the drink in her hand.

At first, Mario let Aurorae finish a glass of drink in his hand. Mario snatched it without permission as soon as he was about to drink the second glass. Distant, as if forbidding Aurorae to continue her activities.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Mario shook his head. "I just did what I had to do. You better go home now, Mrs. Aurorae."

Aurorae looked even more fed up. Ignoring Mario's chatter, he then paid for the drink he had finished to the bartender. Seconds later chose to go. But after walking a few steps, Aurorae, who was starting to get very drunk, looked shaky and lost her balance. Inevitably, the woman would almost fall if Mario did not swiftly catch her body.

"You can't drive your own car in this situation," said Mario.

After saying goodbye to his friends, Mario focused on Aurorae again. Deliberately holding the woman's body, then slowly leading her away towards the car.

"I don't want to go home, Mario," Aurorae muttered softly when she and Arsene's assistant were already in the car.

"Then where are you going at this night?" confused Mario.

"It's up to you where you take me. To your hotel, penthouse, or apartment. Either way, just don't take me home."

Mario seemed to think about where to take his first love tonight. He had thought about taking him to a hotel or penthouse, but he was soon worried. He was also afraid that something would happen to Aurorae if he left her alone.

There's no way Mario could take him home, either. If there is a father and mother, they will immediately interrogate various things. There were better choices than returning Aurorae to her house last night.

Dizzy, with his inner struggles, Mario got an idea. Remembering that he had a private apartment located in the Paddington area, he quickly brought Aurorae to go there.

Upon arriving, Mario carefully led Aurorae to immediately enter the apartment unit and the guest room. He led the beautiful woman to lie down, even helping to pull up the blanket so that her body would not get cold.

However, whatever thoughts possessed Aurorae, she pulled Mario into her arms instead of sleeping. He felt that that night Mario had suddenly turned into the figure of Arsene.

"Madam, what are you doing?" said Mario trying to escape.

"Don't leave me, Arsene," Aurorae said softly. "Why don't you want to touch me first?"

"Madam, you must be very drunk by now. I am not Mr. Arsene."

Those were the only words Mario could utter at this time. When he managed to escape, he quickly kept his distance.

"Don't dodge. Do you really not like me?" Aurorae said again. Straightening up, the woman then sat on the side of the bed. Without the slightest hesitation, she opened her dress and threw it anywhere.

"Am I not beautiful? Is my body not your taste?"

Mario gulped. Seeing Aurorae, who was now in an innocent state, she quickly pulled the blanket and covered the woman's body in front of her. If this continues, the defense could collapse.

Mario is indeed a good man. But it's also a lie if you keep proffering it and don't be tempted. He is an ordinary man, as usual.

"Good heavens, madam. You'd better sleep instead of doing crazy things like this."

Aurorae shook her head. Grabbing Mario's wrist with a frustrated face, he spoke again softly. "Why don't you even touch me? You really humiliated me."

"It's not like that ma'am," Mario answered in a frustrated tone. "It's just that I'm not the man you want. You're drunk. If anything happens to the two of us, that is, it's you who will regret it later."

Mario was made dizzy by himself facing Aurorae's behavior which was getting more and more difficult to control.

"Please," Aurorae said again. "Are you sure you don't want to do this with me?"

While holding Mario's wrist, Aurorae stared fixedly with misty eyes. It looked like he was begging for his request to be granted immediately.