"BRUCK."
"Walk with your eyes, Uncle!" shouted fiercely a young man wearing a black leather jacket who collided with William at Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry!" William replied, then continued his fast steps while dragging his suitcase towards the final plane ticket-checking section.
The airport officer with the name tag Diana Sihotang smiled amusedly and then said, "Good afternoon, Sir. Sorry, are you a passenger on American Airlines bound for New York?"
"Yes, Miss. I want to board now!" William answered impatiently while glancing at his watch.
"Yeah ... sorry, the plane just took off from the runway, Sir. You were 15 minutes late from the last call before the plane door closed!" Diana explained she was also concerned.
Even though he was angry, there was nothing William could do other than turn around and go home. He had to reschedule his departure for New York. The driver who took him to the airport had also left the place after dropping him off earlier. So William reached into his jacket pocket to take out his wallet. He'll take an airport taxi.
"Hey, where's my wallet?!" he said, panicking as he reached into his jacket pocket and cloth trousers in the middle of the Soekarno-Hatta Airport lobby, which was busy with the flow of passengers. He also remembered the incident where he collided with a young man in a black jacket earlier. "Tsk, damn it. You pickpocket, I didn't know I was being so unlucky and even took my wallet!" he was annoyed.
When William hurriedly turned around his tall, stocky body, he accidentally bumped into a petite girl who almost fell on the airport floor.
"Ah!" screamed the girl as she closed her eyes.
"HA-HA-HA. Hey, you're safe!" said William, hugging the tiny girl with a pair of strong arms. He smiled to himself, seeing the face of the young woman with long, wavy hair in his arms.
The girl scolded William, "Thanks, Uncle! But be careful next time. Uncle's body is like a bulldozer. It can give people lumps!" She then continued her journey to a coffee shop to buy a drink before ordering a taxi to take her home to her grandparents' house.
Emmy stepped into the Harlem Cafe and looked at the menu board and prices above the ordering counter. He then placed an order, "One Caramel Frappuccino, sir. And two blueberry muffins!"
"Okay, Miss. Please wait a moment, okay?" answered the baristas while inputting Emmy's order into the cash register. He then stated the amount of the bill for Emmy to pay.
While waiting for her order to be made, Emmy sat in a chair adjacent to the cafe window at the airport. The mixed-raced man with a large body like a polar bear who had hit her was still standing in the same place.
"That uncle, why did he crash like a dazed person like that? It's really a shame-" Emmy muttered softly as she stared out the cafe window.
Intrigued by sympathy, Emmy finally got the courage to go to the man who had hit her. "Um... sorry, Uncle. What are you waiting for? Do you want me to treat you to coffee there?" pointed Emmy in the direction of the Harlem Cafe.
"Oh, that's fine. Coincidentally, my wallet was stolen at the airport, so I didn't have any money with me!" William answered, and then he dragged his suitcase, following Emmy into the Harlem Cafe.
"Uncle, what do you want to order? Feel free, I'll treat you because you helped me earlier. I don't have to hit the floor," said Emmy in a cute teenage voice.
"Just espresso," answered William, who really likes black coffee.
Emmy asked again, "Would you like donuts, croissants, or pie?"
"Donuts are fine, too!" William said without fussing. He smiled when he saw a girl he didn't know before treating him to coffee and donuts.
'She's really cute, how old is she? She looks like she's still a teenager!' William thought while secretly observing Emmy.
When Emmy returned to the table, she sat opposite William and stretched out her right hand. "Let's get to know each other first, Uncle. I'm Emmy, in full Emmy Estelia Setiawan!" she said cheerfully.
William shook the tiny hand that was half the size of his palm and grinned in amusement as he answered, "Will, short for William Samsons MacRay. Have you just come home? Why are you alone at the airport, Emmy?"
However, Emmy actually giggled at the assumption of the handsome uncle across from her. "Do I still look like a teenager? Even though I've already graduated from college, Uncle!" she answered without feeling offended.
The cafe waiter brought both of their orders to the table and then said, "Please order, Sir, Miss. If you want to add more orders, you can go straight to the display table, OK!" He left the table.
"Oh, it's cool that you have a degree. How old are you?" William inquired, starting to become interested in getting to know Emmy more closely.
"I'm twenty-two years old, Uncle. How old is Uncle William?" Emmy said like someone who had just met each other and was definitely curious.
William coughed when asked about his age, which deserved to be called 'Uncle'. Emmy swiftly approached William and patted the man's back. "I'll look for some water, Uncle! Wait a minute-" She then jogged to the cashier to buy William a bottle of mineral water to soothe his throat.
'Shit, we are fifteen years apart. Hmm ... I feel really old!' William thought as he drank the bottled mineral water that Emmy had bought.
"I'm thirty-seven. Why is that?" William answered.
"It's okay. Why are you asking so much, Uncle!" Emmy pouted and turned her face to the cafe window while munching on her favorite blueberry muffin.
'Wow, if you're his age, it seems normal to be a cranky girl. Hmm!' William thought, assessing Emmy's temperament, which seemed to fluctuate according to her mood.
"Oh yes, the blueberry jam is smeared in your lips corner!" William then cleaned the sticky purplish-blue color from the edges of Emmy's lips. He licked his fingers while looking at the girl's face, which was suddenly blushing
"Thank you," said Emmy softly. She blinked nervously as she drank her Caramel Frappuccino. After glancing at the watch on William's wrist, she said, "Uncle, do you want to take a taxi with me? You said you lost your wallet when you were pickpocketed at the airport!"
Hearing the offer he needed, William answered enthusiastically, "Yes. Let's go home, Beib!"
"Baby?!" Emmy raised her right eyebrow.
"Yeah, you're still very young and cute, so I should call you 'Baby'," answered William while chuckling as typical uncles.
"I don't want to, Uncle. Just call me Emmy. I'll be mistaken for your sugar baby!" the girl protested fiercely, with her eyebrows knitted in annoyance.
William scratched his head. It seemed that the cute girl was super moody. He suddenly felt like he had a new nephew and had to be extra patient with 'the baby'. The bright side is that Emmy is very sympathetic and likes helping people, and William likes that.
"Okay, let's get out, Uncle. Let's search for a taxi to go home together!" said Emmy, smiling with a dimpled smile as she got up from her cafe chair.
The two of them walked side by side, dragging their respective suitcases towards the exit of Soekarno-Hatta Airport. William, who usually follows these orders, had to be willing to find a taxi for them. However, he was strangely happy to do it. What's wrong with William?
"It's been a long time since I set foot in Jakarta. Apparently, something hasn't changed. Hmm!" said Emmy, looking at the sea of motorized vehicles like a bunch of cendol in her favorite drink: cendol ice.
William laughed at the sarcastic words of the petite girl beside him in a taxi stuck in metropolitan traffic jams. "Welcome to Jekardah, Emmy!" he said.
"Where is Uncle William originally? A Caucasian mixed-raced, right, Uncle?" asked Emmy, looking curious.
"I was born in Birmingham, England. My father is from there. My mother is Indonesian. Since I was three years old, I was brought to live in Jakarta. Hence, I am fluent in Bahasa, even though I still speak English every day regarding my work," said William casually, as if he didn't mind the young girl's curiosity about his origins.
Emmy also said oh, several times. She digested every word William said well because she was used to taking difficult lectures at Harvard University, Massachusetts. Meanwhile, the taxi started moving again after the traffic jam had resolved.
"What about you, Emmy? Uncle also wants to hear about your family," said William, looking at the girl with his shady honey-brown eyes.
"Um ... I'm an orphan, raised by my grandparents from the age of three until I was a teenager. I went to school in America on a full scholarship, Uncle. If not, my grandparents could afford it, it's really expensive. And I work part-time as a laundress dishes while living in America!" Emmy answered without hiding her origins from a humble family.
Of course, the surprising information for William just made the man sympathetic. It turns out that behind Emmy's tiny body and cute face is hidden the tenacity of a Wonder Woman. 'That means that for about four years of education, the young girl supports herself while studying. Cool!' William thought, impressed by Emmy's hard work.
"Then you went back to Indonesia, and have you found a job?" asked William, who was increasingly interested in getting to know Emmy.
"Of course, Uncle. If it's not better, I'll work as a dishwasher in there. The pay is big!" said Emmy without feeling embarrassed.
"Oh, good luck then for your new job, okay?" William said that he directed the taxi driver because his house was near their location.
Finally, the blue sedan stopped in front of a magnificent wrought iron gate with pointed grilles on top. William also said to Emmy, "Thank you for the treat at the coffee shop and the taxi ride, Dear Emmy!"
"You're welcome, Uncle William. See you sometime. Who knows, we are a match!" Emmy joked cheerfully as if carefree.
Hearing the girl's words, William was stunned. He asked casually while holding the taxi door because he was about to get off, "Do you want to be my wife?"
"Hah, no... no, it was just a joke!" Emmy cursed herself for speaking out of her heart. He continued, "Uncle, the taxi driver will wait a long time. Get off first!"
"Hmm ... okay. Bye-bye, Emmy!" William got out of the blue taxi and received his suitcase, which the taxi driver had lowered from the back trunk.
While waiting for the security guard to open the front gate for him, William watched the taxi carrying Emmy leave. Chatting with this cute girl never got boring, as if they were perfect for each other, even though there was a fifteen-year age gap.
"Sir-Sir William!" Call the house security guard because the owner is confused and doesn't know what he's looking at in front of the gate that has been opened.
"Ehh ... Mr. Asep, yes. Thank you, Sir. I'll go in first!" William answered and then dragged his suitcase through the front yard of his house, which was like a Disneyland palace. He designed it himself. Unfortunately, this prince never found the beautiful and kind-hearted princess.
On the front terrace of his house, Haikal Sutrimo, the head of his household assistant, greeted his boss with excitement, "Oh my goodness, Mr. Willy. What's wrong with this? You've already been taken to the airport. Why are you returning home again?!"
"Mo ... Mo ... I'm basically canceling my trip to America. Here, take the suitcase and bring it back to my bedroom to unpack. Don't slam it!" William replied, amused to see the head of his household member who was waving slightly and reprimanding him.
Then he strolled into the house and went straight to the kitchen to prepare the late lunch alone. The house chef automatically doesn't cook because he knows his employer will be traveling abroad for a week.
William stirred two eggs with the addition of cheddar cheese, tomatoes and green paprika, then fried them in a Teflon pan. Fortunately, white rice is always available because there are a dozen employees at his house who take care of the gate, front yard, and kitchen.
In an instant, he could eat a simple, delicious menu. William took his cell phone and checked his email. The name Emmy Estelia Setiawan seemed familiar to his mind. It's just that he forgot where he went off on a tangent.
He opened the sent email box casually, and William found the answer to his curiosity. The spoon that was heading towards his mouth failed to reach its destination and was placed back on the plate in front of him. "The new architectural assistant's name is Emmy Estelia Setiawan. This must be the same person as the cute girl earlier!" he muttered alone.
A big smile graced William's face. He was happy that he didn't have to wait long to see Emmy again. Tomorrow morning, the cute girl herself will come to his house because his architect's office is one with his private residence.
"Emmy, it turns out that we are soul mates, you know. Watch out for the angel passing by when you were joking! HA-HA-HA," said William cheerfully. He doesn't usually pay attention to the opposite sex because his brain has been tuned for years to be friendly with RAB calculations and building designs.
(RAB: Draft Expenditure Budget, for submitting tenders for building construction projects)
"Ehh, what the heck, Boss, why are you laughing at yourself? So I'm scared! You didn't get caught by Nini Lampir at the airport, did you?" scolded Haikal Sutrimo, who was sitting across from the island table where his employer was enjoying lunch.
(Nini Lampir: folklore woman ghost)
William responded lightly with a chuckle, but he had a special task for his trusted assistant. "I like it, Mo! Anyway, take it happily. Anyway, I have a task for you. Take care of the lost ID card and the lost letter at the police station to take it to the bank's customer service, and then I'll list any bank. My wallet was pickpocketed at the airport. I don't have much cash. I'm just too lazy to take care of debit and credit cards plus KTP, SIM A, SIM C. IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE!!"
(SIM: driving license)
"DAMN, it's a headache to go around taking care of all those cards, Boss!" Haikal exclaimed, almost fainting. He put his head on the table.
"Don't pretend you fainted! Anyway, from tomorrow morning, you take care of all the contents of my wallet which was stolen, okay?!" William insisted bossily. He smiled like a desert camel, showing off a row of straight teeth.
With a pitiful look, Haikal obeyed his big boss's orders. However, William's orders were not finished yet. The handsome man with honey-brown eyes said again, "Mo, tomorrow morning, there is a special guest. Tell Chef Juno to cook a Western-style breakfast. Make some muffins filled with delicious blueberry jam. This is a special request from me straight away. Remember that!"
"Wow, who is that, Boss? A girl, right?" Haikal teased William by laughing so excitedly that the handsome man's face turned red.
"You don't need to know!" said William fiercely, then took the last spoonful of his lunch before going up to his bedroom.
"Miss, it's arrived according to the address you gave me earlier!" said the online taxi driver who took Emmy to her new place of work.
However, Emmy suddenly felt embarrassed because she remembered that yesterday afternoon, she had arrived at the same place. With a different purpose, of course, she took Uncle William home from the airport.
"Ehh ... oh, that's all right, Sir. Thank you. I'll go down now. Next time, you want to catch up on the deposit while it's still early!" said Emmy, then exited the online taxi carrying a plastic folder containing her portfolio and CV.
Finally, the black Avanza car left in front of the tall iron gate and left Emmy alone there. Hesitantly, the girl pressed the bell button next to the fence, and a moment later, the security guard's face appeared on the monitor screen above the bell button.
"Good morning, Miss. Can I help you?" said the security guard named Asep via the small screen.
"Ehh ... morning, Mr. Security Guard. I want to meet Mrs. Rita Sundari. Is she available? I'm the new employee of Fame Palette Artisans Co," said Emmy, stating her needs.
Soon, the high gate opened automatically in front of Emmy. She rushed inside before the gate closed again.
"Wow, the front yard is really big. It's funny how the house is made like a mini Disneyland castle!" Emmy commented as she looked around her new boss's house.
The security guard who greeted Emmy approached her and said, "Miss, just go straight in there via the front terrace. The door is open. Mrs. Rita has just arrived!"
"Ready, Mr Asep. Thank you!" said Emmy cheerfully. Then she rushed to the front terrace of the unique house.
"Excuse me!" Emmy exclaimed because the magnificent house looked deserted, as if uninhabited.
A moment later, a middle-aged woman came out of a room and smiled at Emmy. She stretched out her right hand and said, "Hi, you must be Emmy Estelia Setiawan, right?"
"Hello, Ma'am. Yes, that's right. I'm Emmy, applying to be the new assistant architect at Fame Palette Artisans Co. Are you, Mrs. Rita Sundari?" Emmy answered politely.
"Yes, I'm Mrs. Rita. Come on, let me introduce you to your new boss. I'm just a secretary and also an accounting officer." Mrs. Rita walked ahead of Emmy into a room that looked like a small meeting room for ten people.
Around the table sat employees who looked neat in appearance. Mrs. Rita introduced Emmy to her new co-workers, "Friends, this is Emmy Estelia Setiawan. Please help her quickly learn the job as an assistant architect to Mr William's!"
The appraising looks from the female employees in the room made Emmy quite intimidated. The women look fashionable and well-groomed, full make-up, of course. Meanwhile, this morning, Emmy only used sunscreen, skin care and natural pink lipstick.
"Oh, my new assistant has arrived! Emmy, come with me for a moment," said William, who had just entered the room full of people and immediately became friendly with his new assistant architect.
William took the cute girl's hand out of the staff meeting room, followed by the envious glances and whispers of the women.
"How come the boss seems to know Emmy already?" said Virna with a sullen face.
"No, Mr. Willy is always friendly with his subordinates, Vir!" Yuni argued while scribbling notes on her document paper.
"I hope Yuni is right. It's a shame to add competition to attract the boss, isn't that right?" said Vera, who had long harbored feelings for their big boss.
Anneke, the female employee with the sexiest appearance, also chimed in, "Ahh, Emmy's casing is common. Isn't it true that Mr. Willy likes country girls like that?!" Her friends also agreed with Anneke's opinion and stopped overthinking about Emmy.
This was different from Mrs. Rita, who was already immune to hearing the conversations of the female employees there. She could only shake her head without any interest in commenting.
It turned out that William was pulling Emmy's hand to follow him into the dining room. "Sit down first! Have you had breakfast yet, Emmy?" he said as he pulled out a chair for the girl.
"That's it. Grandma made pecel rice at home earlier," answered Emmy, who was still confused about how to address the mature man who was none other than her new boss. She asked, "Should I call you Uncle or Sir or what's better?"
Hearing Emmy's question, which sounded confused, William laughed. "Just Bro, right? William is more affectionate, Emmy!"
"I don't want to. Uncle, it's the most suitable or Sir, you also sound professional!" said Emmy stubbornly without a smile on her cute face.
William scratched his head, then sighed, "Whatever!" He also remembered the sweet girl's favorite blueberry jam-filled muffin. "Try the muffins made by Chef Juno, my home chef. Maybe you like them. Other menus are fine, too! Anyway, accompany me for breakfast, and this is my next order when I don't have work abroad, understand?!"
Emmy's attention, which had been focused on her new boss's face, was immediately diverted to the breakfast dishes on the dining table. She is also a culinary lover because while in America, she worked in a restaurant. "Wow, it looks delicious. I'll try the muffin, Uncle Will!" said Emmy, then picked up a blueberry muffin and took a bite.
William didn't usually pay attention to his subordinates like he did with Emmy. He is fierce, especially if his employees or employees are idle and not working. However, looking at the expression on Emmy's face, who was enjoying the British cake, excited him.
When Emmy had finished devouring a muffin, the man immediately pushed a plate containing various mini pastries in front of the cute girl. With pleasure, Emmy took a mini pasty filled with bacon and cheese.
"What would you like to drink, Dear Emmy?" asked William, who was serving the girl even though he was Emmy's boss.
"Just water, Uncle!" Emmy answered with her mouth full. She took a cupcake decorated with purple blueberry cream and chewed it slowly.
A glass of mineral water was placed in front of Emmy by the host himself. "Eat what you like. You're free! After breakfast, we'll work together in my room!" said William with a big smile.
Emmy just added a blueberry muffin and then stopped eating. She didn't want to be full on her first day of work. The girl patiently accompanied William to breakfast until it was finished.
"Okay, back to work! Let's go to the office, Beibeh!" William said as he put his arm around Emmy's shoulder and headed towards his office.
When they passed the meeting room, the employees suddenly became confused and ran to the door to peek at Emmy's closeness to William. The door to their boss's private office was closed tightly with the couple inside.
"You've been hit hard, Ver. Big boss has a taste for young leaves!" said Yuni while laughing at her colleague who had always been a big fan of the handsome, stormy architect who was none other than her boss.