"I already told you, almost 40% of the raw materials we received yesterday were unfit for production."
Maria had spent nearly thirty minutes just peeling a single potato. She repeatedly stopped whenever her anger was triggered by the conversation with one of the factory employees. Her housekeeper, Mbok Ja, shuddered in horror every time Maria raised the knife. She was itching to take over, but Maria completely ignored her.
"I don't care how you do it—we have to get compensation. At the very least, the raw materials need to be replaced and shipped again. If they can't do that, they need to refund our money."
Mbok Ja simply listened. She was cutting carrots and other vegetables herself. It wasn't like her employer to make time to cook in the kitchen in the middle of the day. Maria had even had breakfast with R. Usually, the woman left before dawn and came home around midnight.
"That's enough. By the time I get to the office this afternoon, everything needs to be settled. The raw materials for the day-after-tomorrow's production need to be finalized, and the problem with the supplier needs to be resolved too."
Maria ended the call. She set her phone down roughly. Luckily, it was sturdy enough that it didn't crack at all. The woman continued drawing in and exhaling long breaths to calm her anger.
"Are you done, ma'am?" Mbok Ja asked.
"Sorry, Mbok. I haven't even finished one yet."
"I mean, are you done with the call?"
Maria stammered, "Oh, yes, I am."
Mbok Ja nodded. Maria continued peeling the potato. The woman had never cooked before. Ever since she was little, she'd always had a housekeeper. As a result, she'd never had to deal with knives or the smells of a kitchen.
"This is unusual, ma'am. You're not going to the office?" Mbok Ja asked softly, afraid of offending her.
"No, Mbok. I want to cook for Aris."
"What's going on, ma'am? Why are you cooking for Mr. R too? Usually, he's happy to eat whatever I make."
Maria smiled. It was true. R was very used to Mbok Ja's cooking. She had helped raise him ever since he was a baby.
After her conversation with R last night, Maria realized that she wasn't close to her son. R was still reluctant to share his thoughts with Maria, and their relationship was still limited to material support. The woman decided she wanted to spend more time at home. She had even asked her secretary to tell HR that the company needed another field coordinator, which would make it easier for her to keep things under control.
"I'm just doing some self-reflection, Mbok. Aris, my son, has grown up, but I haven't grown as a mother. Starting today, I'll be home more often, Mbok."
"Thank goodness. That's wonderful, ma'am," Mbok Ja said gratefully.
"I really want to keep an eye on Aris. It seems like he's starting to fall in love at school. I'm afraid he'll go down the wrong path and end up suffering through a bitter experience like I did, Mbok."
Maria said it in a trembling voice. Memories of her divorce from her husband in the past suddenly came rushing back. Maria often heard people say that a child's fate wasn't far removed from their parents'. So now she worried that R might also experience the same kind of heartbreak she had.
"Keeping an eye on him is good, ma'am. Children do need to be monitored as they grow, but interfering with their development isn't good either."
Maria stopped looking at the potato and turned her gaze toward Mbok Ja. The woman her mother's age cut carrots with ease as she offered Maria some advice. Maria smiled all of a sudden, grateful that she had still found a mother figure, even if it wasn't her biological mother.
"I don't intend to control Aris either, Mbok. The more you restrict a child, the more they'll find ways to do things behind your back. I'd rather let him socialize with whoever he wants than forbid him from doing it and have Aris stop telling me anything."
R waited for Stela outside her classroom. The school bell had rung for recess only a few seconds earlier. He had a habit of leaving class five minutes before the bell rang. It was nothing new to the teachers or students at Immersion High School.
He waited patiently for Stela. R leaned his head against the wall beside the classroom's main door. Dean and Loen waited there too, keeping their friend company.
Dean winked at R after seeing Stela leave the classroom with Mia and Vero. R quickly straightened himself up and approached Stela. The girl looked startled when R suddenly appeared in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" she snapped.
"Are you still mad at me?"
Stela shook her head and pushed R away. Mia and Vero followed behind her. R still wasn't satisfied. He chased after Stela and grabbed her hand. Stela turned around and stopped, while Mia and Vero kept walking. Dean and Loen put their arms around the girls and forced them toward the cafeteria, leaving Stela alone with R.
"What the hell? Look! Now they've left me behind, okay?" Stela complained.
"You can go to the cafeteria with me."
"What do you want now, R?"
"What do I want now? I haven't gotten anything from you yet, Stel."
R took both of Stela's hands and held them. The girl could only stare at her hands, now locked in his grasp. Then she looked away, avoiding R's eyes.
Deep down, Stela wanted peace. What had happened last night was trivial. She wasn't the kind of girl who would make such a huge issue out of someone bringing up the past. Stela only wanted R to understand that violence wasn't a good way to solve problems. She was furious at the way R always resorted to brute force to resolve every conflict.
"I want you to reflect on yourself first, then come see me."
"Reflect on what? How? I don't understand. I don't get it. I can't do it. I need you. So forgive me first, okay?" R pleaded.
Stela snorted in annoyance. How childish, she thought. She still refused to look at him.
"Stel, I'll change and do anything for you if you'll just forgive me. Don't waste our time. I want all of this settled quickly so I can say 'we.'"
Stela looked into R's eyes. There was sincerity in them. She wanted to laugh after hearing such a ridiculous line from him, but she tried to stay serious.
"If you don't want to waste your time on me, then just leave, R. I won't stop you."
"No, no, that's not what I mean. Time keeps moving. I can't just press pause and make everything stop for a while. I can't press rewind and easily go back to the past. I can't press next to skip over this moment and get to the future right away, either. The only time I have is now. This second. Forgive me quickly, Stel," R explained at length.
Stela giggled softly. "What the hell happened to you?"
Mia and Vero kept looking back and forth between R and Stela. Dean and Loen already knew everything from R, so they weren't curious about what had happened anymore. The scene was incredibly strange. This was the first time R and his two friends had sat at the same table with someone else, especially a girl.
Stela couldn't move. Her friends' eyes were right in front of her, and R hadn't left even an inch of space beside him. All she could do was stare at her food and eat slowly, trying to act as naturally as possible.
Meanwhile, R enjoyed looking at the pretty girl beside him. Every dish he'd ordered paled in comparison to the sharp lines of Stela's face. Mia and Vero found it disgusting and uncomfortable.
"Wait, this is weird. What's actually going on? Are you two dating?"
"No!"
"Yes!"
Vero reflexively raised an eyebrow when R and Stela gave opposite answers in perfect unison. R agreed, while Stela denied it. Dean and Loen couldn't hold back their laughter.
"Since when have we been dating?" Stela asked angrily.
"I already told you I like you."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we're dating!"
"You came to dinner last night. That means you said yes."
"It doesn't work like that! We—"
"You even used the word 'we,' Stel."
Stela fell silent. She cursed her own stupidity. She swore inwardly for choosing the wrong words yet again. Dean and Loen burst out laughing once more, while Mia and Vero stared at her questioningly.
"Um, round tofu, five hundred-ish each, savory and delicious!" Vero got up from her seat, carrying two empty bowls of meatballs.
"Hey! Vero, wait!" Mia followed her without saying goodbye.
Stela smacked R's arm hard. Then she pinched him with all her strength. R immediately groaned in pain, chuckling at the same time.
"You're such a jerk!"
"Mercy, girlfriend."