It has been five years since I left my home. And I will admit that until now I have not been able to move on from the pain caused by that man but I had a new reason to continue living.
A lot has happened in those five years.
I also completely resigned from my job and decided to go to a place where no one knew me.
With Ferry's help, I ended up in a place I knew Enver would never go so the new life I wanted for myself would be quiet.
I built a small cafeteria near a candy factory, and I made good money because I was in the right place.
I have had many customers who work at the factory, and they have all been kind to me, so as time goes by I am also becoming comfortable with the changes that are happening in my life.
One of them is Mikea Reese, a line leader at the factory.
She was the first customer of my cafeteria, and she always ate there. We also live close to each other, and we often go home together every night which is why we became close until we became friends.
But just two months ago, she resigned from her job as a line leader and moved to a bigger company as a secretary.
Her work is a bit hectic because of the amount of work her boss makes her do, but she is happy doing all that because she is also getting paid a lot there.
And because of her hard work and perseverance, her boss gave her a two-day vacation and she thought of using it to hang out here at my cafeteria.
"Shouldn't you be using this day for your rest?" I told her after I gave the order to one of my customers. "You rarely get a day off so you should make the most of it."
"Milan, my boss makes me take care of a lot of work, but it's not that heavy compared to my work at the factory," she said. "So I don't need a day off. It is just that my boss wouldn't come to the office so he said that I don't need to go there either since he was going on a personal trip."
Well, I also used to work in an office so I can say that this kind of job is not that demanding. Mind and hands are often engaged in such work while sitting, so it is no wonder that this woman doesn't want to sleep during the day.
"Besides, I prefer hanging out here because we rarely see each other," she added. "I miss you." She even held onto my arm while treating me. "Didn't you miss me?"
I stared at her and I just laughed because of what she was doing. I flicked her forehead so she quickly let go of me and rubbed her forehead.
"What was that for?" she asked, annoyed.
"I don't know where you learned to be cute like that." Yes, this Mikea has a childish mindset, but she was not like this to me back then, no matter how close we were.
She snorted. "I saw that in my officemates," she said. "They play cute with my boss when they want to be noticed."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "And you tried on me?"
She nodded.
"And why?"
Her smile widened at me. "For you to agree to hang out with me."
I was going to slap her on the forehead again but she immediately moved away from me so I sighed. "Even if I want to join you, you know I can't just leave this cafeteria of mine."
"I know," she said. "That's why we are leaving tonight."
I raised an eyebrow at her. "And where are we going tonight?"
"Because the night market in the other town is open and I saw on social media that the food there is delicious," she said. "That is why I thought of taking you there. You know, you can think of something to add to the dishes you cook when you taste the foods there."
She has a point. It will also help me if I try different dishes and I don't just stick to a few dishes that I know.
Even if my customers don't say it, I know they want to eat other dishes too. They have no other choice because I am the only one who sells food near the factory where they work.
"So?" She came to me again and held my arm. "Will you come with me tonight?"
I just held my breath. It looked like even if I tried to say no, this girl wouldn't stop bothering me so I just nodded.
"Yes!" she said happily. "I'll be the one to go to your house to tell Paige that you'll be late tonight."
She didn't wait for me to answer and immediately ran in the direction of the apartment I was renting.
That girl is really smart. She left immediately to make sure that I would not change my mind and that I would accompany her tonight on her wanderings.
I just shook my head and turned my attention back to my work.
**********
Enver Andrius;
"I can't believe I managed to stay as your friend," Dash snorted at me while he was pacing back and forth in front of me. "What I am asking for today is simple, after all, you gave Mikea a day off."
"Just get lost, Dash," I pushed him away. “I still have a lot of work to attend to. And I took Mikea off for the day, not so that I could rest but so that there would be no disturbance in my work."
"Aish!" He stopped walking right in front of my table and ruffled his hair in annoyance. "It's up to you what you want to do now but I'm telling you, I will be back here tonight and you will come with me wherever I go, whether you want it or not!"
And to make sure I couldn't refuse, he immediately left in front of me and went out of my office to which I just shook my head.
That one was too childish, but even so, he stayed by my side even when I fell to the ground.
I looked at the calendar on my desk and gasped when I saw what the date was today.
It was five years ago.
But it seems like yesterday because the pain of her leaving without even letting me know is still fresh in my mind.
Because of a mistake that I didn't mean, the relationship that I had kept for several years was broken. And I have no one to blame but myself because I let myself fall into my own father's trap.
I wish I had just talked to Milan, my wife, and explained everything to her. I hope that she found out everything from me herself so that she was enlightened that I did not like what happened.
The solution is simple communication but I didn't do it because I lacked trust in my wife.
But what else can my repentance do?
She has left me forever and no matter where I look for her, I can't because her friend is blocking me.
So I had nothing else to do but to continue living while waiting for the chance to meet again.
There is no certainty, but I don't want to lose hope because I believe we are still destined for each other.
And because Mikea wanted to be sure that I would accompany her where he was going, she arrived at the very time that I was closing my cafeteria. "I told Paige and he agreed to stay outside until 10 p.m.," Mikea said after I locked the gate of the cafeteria. "So don't worry about your house, okay?" I just held my breath. She already took care of everything from my house just to make sure that I wouldn't get a chance to escape. "Yeah, sure." I put the key in my bag before approaching her. "Let's just make sure we don't go past ten o'clock at night, huh? I will pinch your cheeks if you don't go home when I ask." She smiled and held my arm. "Don't worry. I know you can't go past that time, so I promise, we will go home right away." “Good.” This one is easy to talk to so it is not bad that I give her a chance now. Besides, she also rarely has a day off and such opportunities are rare for her to do. "Then, let's go to the night market and eat a lot!" she happily said and I just laughed
Woah!I have been to numerous night markets before when I was still in college because my ex was such a foodie, but I never really expected that this night market has its charm that attracts a lot of people.They serve different cuisines, and they have a twist in it that makes it easier to eat since they put it in a to-go box with a fixed cup in the bottom. In that way, those people who want to keep strolling around the market can still eat.And aside from food stalls, there are also stalls here for entertainment. Most of it is for games where the winners can win prizes such as stuffed toys, sweets, and many more.That is why this place is not only for adults to enjoy. Even kids will surely love being here.If only I knew that there was something here like this, I would probably bring Millie along so she could also enjoy this place.“I told you, you will love it here,” Mikea said. “And you might learn one or two dishes that you can add to your menu.”Well, she is not wrong on that one
“Seriously?” Dashiel was shocked when I told him that I met Mikea at the night market where we went last night.He went here in my office first thing in the morning to nag at me because I left him there, but I immediately shut him up with that.“Yeah,” I said. “We coincidentally met at the exit of the market.”“Is she alone?”I shook my head. “She is with someone. He introduced him to me as her friend. His name is Francis.”“Oh.”Well, I am aware that Mikea is the reason why Dashiel kept going here even though he doesn't work here. He likes my secretary though I don’t know when and where they met because it is clear to me that they already knew each other before Mikea applied to my company.“She will come here later so you can just ask her about what happened on her day off,” I said. “Now, tell me what is the news of the deal that we had yesterday.”“Ah…” He took out something from his pocket and put it on my table. “You can call him at that number and set a date yourself when you are
I always open my cafeteria only for half a day whenever it is Sunday. The factory is closed and most of my customers are all employees there, which is why only a few people are visiting my place.So, I closed at noon and made sure that my helper was able to get home. And after that, I decided to go home.And while I was approaching the apartment where I rented a unit, I frowned when I saw that most of my neighbors were outside, whispering about something.There are also ambulances and that made me nervous so I immediately ran toward there thinking that something was going on in my house.And when I finally reached the gate of the compound, I saw Mikea’s mother, Michelle, was unconsciously lying down on the ambulance stretcher. Beside her is Mikea’s sister, Michaella, who was crying.“What happened here?” I asked Lucile, one of my neighbors who was also curious about what was happening. “Why is Michelle unconscious?”“She had a heart attack,” she answered. “Michaella said her mother ha
Enver Andrius’ PovMikea asked for an emergency leave for the rest of the day because she got a call from the hospital where her mother was admitted.I don’t know the whole story since I didn’t pry on that and just let her leave early.But I didn’t expect that as soon as she left, Dashiel arrived at my office and he was getting on my nerves because he didn’t have a chance to see her.“Why, Eh?” he asked. He is holding his chest as if he was hurt. “Why did you let her leave without even waiting for me?”I shook my head.This one is dramatic.“You should at least tell me.”“She got a call from the hospital,” I said.That made him stop his drama and immediately sat in the vacant chair. “What happened?”“I don’t know the details but it looks like her mother got a heart attack,” I said. “It might be complicated because she was crying while asking for emergency leave. So I think she might also not be here until tomorrow.”“But you will need her for the rest of the week, right?” he said. “Sh
I didn’t know how things got into this kind of situation.Yes, I said that I want to help Mikea but why do they think of a way like this? I mean, can’t they think of any other way besides this one?“Are you sure about that, Mikea?” I asked.Her boss gave his permission so she can take an indefinite leave but there are some conditions that she needs to settle. That is why she came here to my house to tell me all about it.Her boss also visited her mother yesterday but we never had a chance to meet because I left the hospital early because of Millie.“That is what my boss said,” she said. “I need to find someone who will replace me temporarily as his secretary if I want to take a leave for as long as I need without giving up my job.”I pointed at myself. “And you choose me?”She immediately nodded.Just like what they talked about, she can take an indefinite leave and she can go back to her job in the same position as long as she can find someone who can fill her job while she is gone.
I felt nervous as soon as we entered the building where the Raiden Car Shop was located. And it looks like Mikea noticed that which is why she decided to roam around the building before we went straight to her boss’ office.And to be honest, the amusement that I am feeling while learning about the whole company is overwhelming my nervousness.I just learned that this company is giving full benefits to its employees, especially when it comes to health benefits. They also have entertainment facilities that only the employee can use, but of course, only when they are off duty.Aside from that, they are giving free meals, from breakfast up to midnight snacks to everyone which only a few companies have implemented. And the salary is great.That is why I am not surprised to know that there are a lot of people who want to be part of this great company.Even those people that were assigned to the production area also have the privilege to use the facility in the building.“This place is such
After some time explaining everything about me to her boss, Mikea immediately said goodbye because she needs to pick up Millie and go to the hospital before lunchtime.And it has already been two hours since then but until now, we still haven’t said a word to each other.Well, on my side, I don’t know what I am going to say. And I am afraid that if I just say anything, I might spill something that could help him learn about Millie.And I don’t like that thought.It is not that I don’t want him to be part of Millie’s life. He still has that right because he is the father no matter what I do. But I want to make sure that Millie will not get hurt if they learn everything about each other.That is the only thing that I don’t want to happen. Seeing Millie getting hurt will surely shatter every piece of my heart. She is my lovely daughter and the only person that gives meaning to my life when I was being challenged by my fate.To be honest, I wanted to back out of this agreement. I am not s