Bittersweet Arrangements : A Sugar Dady Affair

Elena, following her request, had led them to a traditional street-side eatery near the town square. She appeared the most enthusiastic, choosing a variety of dishes before her.

Elena ordered her favorite pecel rice, a dish consisting of various vegetables such as papaya flowers, kenikir leaves, bean sprouts, and cabbage. These vegetables were then topped with sweet and savory peanut sauce. Elena also added some skewered fish, chicken intestines satay, and quail egg satay. Meanwhile, Devan and Erick opted for gudeg (young jackfruit stew) and beef empal (sweet soy sauce-marinated fried beef) for their dinner.

Now, they sat cross-legged, enjoying their preferred dishes among other culinary enthusiasts. The lively and cheerful atmosphere of Yogyakarta’s town square at night heightened Elena’s excitement. She couldn’t remember the last time she was here at night. Her Daddy’s protective and possessive nature had never allowed her the freedom typical of teenagers. Elena wanted to hang out with friends her age, whether hunting for culinary delights, shopping, or just strolling around on weekends. She often felt envious when her friends talked about the romance of their Saturday night dates with their respective lovers. Elena could only bite her finger as she would never experience her teenage years like they did. Her Daddy’s excessive worries had successfully imprisoned Elena in a semblance of happiness. Her family might seem perfect and ideal to everyone, but Elena didn’t feel that. She needed space to explore and express herself.

“El, don’t eat too much spicy food; it might upset your stomach,” Devan said, observing Elena reaching for more spicy dishes.

“Don’t worry, Uncle; I’m used to eating spicy food,” Elena replied casually.

Erick, witnessing his Dad’s attention towards Elena, suddenly felt disgusted. He left his half-eaten food and lost his appetite just by watching Elena seek attention from his father.

“Yeah, but don’t eat too much of it,” Devan added, continuing to feed himself.

Devan stopped chewing when he noticed Erick acting unusually. His only son never left food on his plate, regardless of whether he liked it or not, as it went against the teachings of not wasting food. Moreover, this was Erick’s own choice.

“Why didn’t you finish it?” Devan asked, studying Erick’s unenthusiastic expression.

“I’m already full, Dad,” Erick replied shortly, grabbing the warm tea in front of him and finishing it.

Devan fell silent, attentively observing the two teenagers before him-Elena, seemingly calm and unaffected, and Erick, aloof and disinterested.

“Why are they like this? They usually hang out together,” Devan muttered to himself, puzzled by Erick’s unusually cold behavior towards his adopted siblings. Siblings bound not by blood but by the friendship of the Club Cogan formed since their youth.

Quickly, Devan settled the bill for their meal, ignoring Elena’s protests as she was still reluctant to leave. Perhaps next time, Devan would fulfill Elena’s wishes, but not tonight. The girl was facing her Final School Examination, and soon, the National Examination or UN.

“It’s only 7 PM; this isn’t fun at all, Mr. Devan!” Elena complained, only met with a smile from Devan.

“Can you shut up? You’ve been complaining since earlier!” Erick rebuked, no longer able to contain his frustration.

“Come on, Erick. Why are you so sensitive? It’s like you’re a girl on her PMS,” teased Elena, bursting into laughter.

“Such an error-prone girl!” retorted Erick, not wanting to lose. He was now sitting in the chair next to Devan.

“Oh, my God, why are you two fighting? You’re acting like crazy!” scolded Devan, shaking his head, bewildered by the teenagers’ behavior.

Erick chose to seal his lips, diverting his gaze outside the window to calm himself. He didn’t want to create trouble and invoke his father’s wrath.

Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived home. Devan instructed Elena and Erick to fetch their textbooks for a study session.

“I’ll study in my room,” Erick refused indifferently, heading towards his room.

Devan sighed deeply, dropping his body onto the living room sofa. Shortly after, Dona, the housemaid who had been working with him for ten years, came over, offering him coffee. It was a timely offer, considering his worsening mood.

“Yeah, good idea,” Devan replied, flashing a smile.

To dispel the discomfort caused by Erick’s change in behavior, Devan reached for the TV remote, searching for an interesting program. Metro TV was Devan’s favorite channel, as it always provided updated news from both the country and abroad. Soon, Elena arrived, carrying her school bag. She sat down on the floor with a carpet underneath, taking out the textbooks to prepare for tomorrow’s exams.

“Can I listen to music, Uncle?” Elena asked, grinning widely. Devan’s eyebrows furrowed, puzzled by her request. Typically, students preferred a quiet environment for studying, just like he did in his youth. Even Erick couldn’t concentrate in a noisy or crowded setting.

“Can I, Uncle? My brain can’t work in this atmosphere, especially with news about politics,” Elena reiterated, not receiving an immediate response.

“It’s up to you, just focus on serious studying!” Devan replied, refocusing his attention on the TV screen.

Eagerly, Elena got up to retrieve her earphones from her room. She returned, settling back down while putting the earphones in both ears. The soothing music entered Elena’s ears, and her lips unconsciously followed the lyrics of the memorized song.

“Would you like a drink, Miss Elena?” Dona offered after placing a cup of coffee on the table in front of Devan.

“No, thank you. I’m still full,” Elena declined, deliberately leaving one earphone off to show respect when responding to someone.

Dona returned to the kitchen to tidy up before heading off to rest. Working as a housemaid at Devan’s house for ten years, Dona had always received kind treatment from her employers, especially from Erick, whom she had cared for since he was a child.

Suddenly, Erick emerged from his room, not to study with Elena but just to get some cold mineral water. He glanced at Elena, who was engrossed in her studies while singing, and then shifted his gaze towards his father, Devan.

“What’s up, Erick?” Devan inquired when he saw Erick coming out of his room.

“I’m thirsty,” Erick replied briefly, then left without further words.

Devan sighed deeply. Erick’s reserved and reticent nature often left him perplexed about how to handle situations. This sometimes made Devan feel guilty because of the circumstances that led him to become a single parent after Gita, his late wife, passed away, leaving Erick an orphan when he was still a toddler.

“Uncle, are you not bored of being single?” Elena teased, biting her pen.

“What do you mean?” Devan asked, not understanding.

“Why hasn’t Uncle remarried? Besides, Uncle is handsome even though he’s old,” Elena said innocently. Devan was taken aback by Elena’s question but also objected to the term “old.”

“Focus on your studies! Why are you worrying about me?” Devan deflected, not intending to entertain Elena’s question.

“Ih, Uncle, this is pathetic! My friends on WhatsApp keep asking to be introduced to you. They say mature guys like you are fun,” Elena honestly expressed with her innocence.

Devan was momentarily stunned by Elena’s words and her innocent facial expression.

“They even said they want to sign up to be Uncle Devan’s sugar baby,” Elena continued, giggling mischievously.

In Elena’s mind, the term “sugar baby” had a completely different meaning compared to what her friends and Devan might have thought.

“And then?” Those were the only words that managed to escape Devan’s lips as he stared at Elena with a bewildered expression. The girl was either genuinely naive or putting on an act.

“Well, instead of them fighting over you, Uncle Devan, it’s better if I claim you for myself. That way, they won’t be noisy asking about you all the time,” Elena explained, then returned to focusing on her textbooks in her lap. Devan, on the other hand, could only remain silent with his mouth hanging open.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .