Elegi of Rose

Not many people walk down the streets of New York drunk, especially in the middle of the day. They usually rush along the sidewalks and cross the streets, trying to race with time to earn more money.

But not Ayu.

She was taking her precious time wandering around, struggling to walk in a straight line.

Trying to keep her smile to herself, she looked around her, wondering why these people wore poker faces as they talked on their phones while walking briskly down the street. She was thankful she was self-employed-well, as what she would call it.

Ayu took a deep breath, the taste of beer still lingering in her mouth. She had been drinking since lunch time for no apparent reason. She squeezed her eyes for a better vision as she slowly walked while trying hard not to drop on the ground every time a passerby bumped into her. She felt her way to the wall and leaned against it, breathing heavily. She shouldn't have drank that much, she thought. Her hands were getting numb, her feet losing their strength.

I'm going to faint right here if I don't find somewhere to rest, she murmured to herself.

Risa abandoned her when she saw the long crowded street and even her blurred sight was a hindrance. She knew the street very well and she was pretty aware that there was not a place to rest.

Fine, I'll sit anywhere then. Squinting one eye, she walked toward the nearest store and dropped on the bottom step, trying to keep her head high. If she dropped it any lower, she'd definitely throw up right there and then. Her phone started ringing again. She didn't answer. She knew it was her father and he had been asking to see her since last week. She thought she should call him tomorrow, once she was back to her sober self.

Ayu didn't have a problem really-she was just like that. She did anything that came to her mind without thinking. When she had ordered her first bottle, she reasoned she wanted to celebrate her upcoming exhibit. When the second one came, she thought she was celebrating life. On the succeeding bottles, thoughts of celebration flew out the window.

She stood up after her head cleared a little bit. She needed a cup of coffee, and she knew just the place for a perfect one. The rest must have done something good for she found it less difficult to find her way to the coffee shop.

"My head is throbbing, I need a strong one," she told the lady behind the counter the moment she entered the shop.

"What would you like?"

Ayu looked up at the menu, the letters merging into one. "Just...fix me something strong."

"Okay, one really strong cappuccino coming up," the lady smiled.

She fumbled in her purse for some coins, handed the lady a handful and said, "Just get the exact amount. I have trouble counting at the moment,"

The lady looked at her curiously but did as she asked. She handed Ayu the rest of the coins and said, "I'll serve you your coffee if you want." She must have noticed her customer struggling to stay on her feet.

"Thanks. That will be great." Ayu went to the nearest table and made herself comfortable, resting her chin on her hand.

"Ayu Suar?" a male voice said over her.

"Hmm?" was all she could muster. She sensed some movement across the table from her and when she peered through her heavy lids, she noticed that a man was sitting at the empty chair facing her.

"I'm Roy Punda and I need to talk to you."

"Come back at a good time," she slurred and closed her eyes once again.

"Now is the best time," the voice was now etched with irritation so she opened her eyes once again to look at the man, her bluish gray ones meeting his blue ones.

"Best time for what?" she asked, not really in the mood for a chat.

"To give you an offer you surely won't resist."

She snorted, "And what is that?"

"To be my wife."

The alcohol that had been flowing like crazy through her veins stopped and drained down her head as she looked up at the handsome stranger in disbelief

"Let me tell you something you may not know, Mister," Ayu tried very hard to spit out each word separately. "You don't play funny pranks on drunken people."

He peered down at her, his blue eyes narrowed. She was in an awkward position with her upper arms resting on the table, her lower ones framing both sides of her face, and her hands were making motions over her head.

"You're drunk?" his voice asked with disbelief.

She gave out a throaty laugh and buried her face down her arms, "Oh God, you're such an idiot," she said, her voice muffled by her limbs.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing." She glanced up at him with squinted eyes. "Please find someone else to have a crazy conversation with because I'm not just up to it."

He was about to speak up when her coffee arrived. She gave her thanks to the lady who hastily left to go back to the counter. She savored the warm feeling the hot liquid offered when she took a careful sip.

"As I've said before, I'm here to talk to you," the stranger said once again this time with a forceful, patient tone.

Her vision was getting clearer now and she had time to study the man. She straightened on her chair looking at the handsome creature in front of her. She guessed he must be in his late twenties or early thirties, his hair was brown and everywhere-it was like messy but not at all because it gave him a rugged-clean look. His nose was just perfect and his lips were just plain edible. His divided chin was cleanly shaven she could even smell his aftershave. Overall, his rugged face and his formal attire-in dark blue tie and black coat-gave off an aura of power and confidence.

"What? About marriage?" she chuckled, finally remembering what he said earlier about some offer he had for her. "Nah-ah, not gonna happen."

"Really? But I was just being nice earlier by saying I have something to offer you because in fact, you don't really have a choice."

"What do you mean I don't have a choice? And what's your name again?" she leaned on her arms.

"Roy Punda," he answered, leaning forward so their faces were inches apart. "And yes, you don't really have a choice. The contract is sealed."

Ayu's face contorted in confusion, the coffee finally had its effect for her vision cleared instantly. "Wait, stop right there. What contract?"

Roy Punda smiled in contentment upon seeing her reaction and leaned back against his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. "A contract your father signed before we made the deal."

"My father? Deal? What are you talking about?" That time a rush of panic and doom started to rise up her gut. The mention of her father made her realize that the man sitting in front of her may not be playing some kind of prank after all. "What deal?" she repeated.

"Nothing big," he said. "It's just a contract for some loan money in exchange of me getting you for a wife."

Not many people walk down the streets of New York drunk, especially in the middle of the day. They usually rush along the sidewalks and cross the streets, trying to race with time to earn more money.

But not Ayu.

She was taking her precious time wandering around, struggling to walk in a straight line.

Trying to keep her smile to herself, she looked around her, wondering why these people wore poker faces as they talked on their phones while walking briskly down the street. She was thankful she was self-employed-well, as what she would call it.

Ayu took a deep breath, the taste of beer still lingering in her mouth. She had been drinking since lunch time for no apparent reason. She squeezed her eyes for a better vision as she slowly walked while trying hard not to drop on the ground every time a passerby bumped into her. She felt her way to the wall and leaned against it, breathing heavily. She shouldn't have drank that much, she thought. Her hands were getting numb, her feet losing their strength.

I'm going to faint right here if I don't find somewhere to rest, she murmured to herself.

Risa abandoned her when she saw the long crowded street and even her blurred sight was a hindrance. She knew the street very well and she was pretty aware that there was not a place to rest.

Fine, I'll sit anywhere then. Squinting one eye, she walked toward the nearest store and dropped on the bottom step, trying to keep her head high. If she dropped it any lower, she'd definitely throw up right there and then. Her phone started ringing again. She didn't answer. She knew it was her father and he had been asking to see her since last week. She thought she should call him tomorrow, once she was back to her sober self.

Ayu didn't have a problem really-she was just like that. She did anything that came to her mind without thinking. When she had ordered her first bottle, she reasoned she wanted to celebrate her upcoming exhibit. When the second one came, she thought she was celebrating life. On the succeeding bottles, thoughts of celebration flew out the window.

She stood up after her head cleared a little bit. She needed a cup of coffee, and she knew just the place for a perfect one. The rest must have done something good for she found it less difficult to find her way to the coffee shop.

"My head is throbbing, I need a strong one," she told the lady behind the counter the moment she entered the shop.

"What would you like?"

Ayu looked up at the menu, the letters merging into one. "Just...fix me something strong."

"Okay, one really strong cappuccino coming up," the lady smiled.

She fumbled in her purse for some coins, handed the lady a handful and said, "Just get the exact amount. I have trouble counting at the moment,"

The lady looked at her curiously but did as she asked. She handed Ayu the rest of the coins and said, "I'll serve you your coffee if you want." She must have noticed her customer struggling to stay on her feet.

"Thanks. That will be great." Ayu went to the nearest table and made herself comfortable, resting her chin on her hand.

"Ayu Suar?" a male voice said over her.

"Hmm?" was all she could muster. She sensed some movement across the table from her and when she peered through her heavy lids, she noticed that a man was sitting at the empty chair facing her.

"I'm Roy Punda and I need to talk to you."

"Come back at a good time," she slurred and closed her eyes once again.

"Now is the best time," the voice was now etched with irritation so she opened her eyes once again to look at the man, her bluish gray ones meeting his blue ones.

"Best time for what?" she asked, not really in the mood for a chat.

"To give you an offer you surely won't resist."

She snorted, "And what is that?"

"To be my wife."

The alcohol that had been flowing like crazy through her veins stopped and drained down her head as she looked up at the handsome stranger in disbelief

That did not really register as quickly as it was meant to be. The words seemed to travel through the air in slow motion until they crept inside her ears and were processed by her brain. When she finally decoded the message her jaw dropped and her mind tried to deny the information. Denial was fast to disappear because a sudden burst of anger flared up and she cried, "Hell no! That's absurd!" She started to get up, leaving her coffee and the crazy handsome man.

He stopped her by grabbing her wrist, pulling her back toward him. "As I've said, you don't have a choice here," Roy said quietly, his voice edged with a tinge of anger.

She snapped her head down at him, almost cursing herself because it hurt like hell what with the alcohol still lodged in her brain. With her piercing eyes she said, "I don't have anything to do with my father's business so let me go."

"Yes, that's true," he nodded. He met her eyes and tightened his grip instead of letting go. "But I'm sure you don't want your father in jail, do you?"

"I am sure that whatever deal you had with my father was illegal. Let me get sober so I could search for a law book or something and then I'll get back to you. This is the twentieth century, dude. You're lying."

"No I'm not. And it is twenty first. We are in the twenty first century," Roy answered quickly. Ayu ignored him and ge took the opportunity to continue, saying, "If you want, you can call your father. I'm sure he'd be glad to fill you in with the details."

She pulled at her hand but he was strong, "Let me go."

"Not until you agree to listen to me."

"I don't have to listen to any stupid things you have to say."

"Even if it means saving your father from shame and years in prison?"

"Oh my God, I hate you already."

"I get that a lot."

"I'll pay you. I have money."

He shook his head no and said, "I made the contract for a reason, Ayu. As you may very well see, I don't need more money." He looked at her intently. "I need a wife. And your father already signed for it. All I just have to do now is claim it."

"What do you need a wife for?" she asked incredulously. Maybe she had too much to drink and she was just hallucinating. Oh God, this was just plain crazy.

"I have my reasons," he shrugged his shoulders. "But I'm not telling you that. Please sit down," he urged gently but strongly at the same time.

"No, I'm leaving."

"If you leave, I'll have no choice but to drag you back to your chair and strap you to it. And don't think I'm joking." There was something in the way he said it that made Ayu believe every word. Reluctantly, she stomped back to her chair and sat down in a huff. "Good, glad to know we understand each other."

"No, you threatened me. Please go on and let's get this over with so I can go to the nearest police station and have you arrested."

He must have disregarded her last statement because he started his speech. "First, I would like to apologize for-"

"Apology not accepted," she cut in. "Now, please go on to the next topic."

Roy took a deep breath, obviously trying to calm his raging senses and did as what she said. "As I've said, your father and I signed a contract that the moment I transfer the money to his business account, I will have you as my wife in return." He held up his hand when she opened her mouth. "Let me finish. In the contract, we agreed that the moment the business is back on its feet you will be free to leave."

She raised her hand, her eyes questioning. Understanding what she meant, he gave off a curt nod and she said, "How long does the moment the business is back on its feet exactly means?"

"The contract holds until six months," he informed formally, like he was reporting for some business associates. "Of course, it will start on the day of the marriage."

"And if I don't marry you?"

"Simple," he placed his hand flat on the table near her now cold coffee, "your father will lose his business and end up with a bunch of legal problems. If you consult your law book, you will know all of them."

He didn't really have to say it twice because even though she didn't have any knowledge of business, she was very well aware that a written legal contract was just plain legal, ergo paying a great deal of price if you breach it.

She didn't doubt that her father would do anything for his dear business. And right now, she really wanted to fly to wherever he was and claw on his face for going too far. How could he do such a thing to his own daughter? His own flesh and blood? His little darling, as what he always said?

"I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"No, you're not. It's as real as can be."

"Oh my God," she dropped her head in defeat. As much as she wanted to kill her father right now, she didn't want him to lose the business he had worked his sweat and blood for and she definitely didn't want him in jail! Her mother would die with just the thought! "Please, let this be a dream."

Roy chose to ignore her emotional display and continued, "You go talk to your father about this. I'm sure he'll want to explain before the wedding."

She snapped her head up once again. "Wedding...when..." she couldn't bring herself to finish the question.

"Two days from now," was his straight answer. With that, Roy Punda stood up and looked down at her. "And please, don't try to run away, Ayu."

The warning he left her before walking away rang through her brain over and over again. Still in a daze, she looked down at her half-empty cup of coffee, trying to think of every possible thing she could do to get through the mess her father had willingly put her In.