Aretta & Secrets

Mr. Aidan

Even though it's clean and tidy, I still like to check my belongings again. Just to make sure nothing is lost or stolen. The first place I checked was the shoe box in my closet. I put it in the top corner of the corner. I took her down and took her to my bed for me to check. There's a diary of mine and also an old, shabby-looking photo. There was also a polka-dot brown sock the last gift from Papa that I managed to receive. Inside was a bunch of money I had. This is emergency money. There are still some other socks and the contents are the same. The emergency money I received while I was working during the holidays. I took all the light work that didn't burden me.

In my old residence, some neighbors asked me to feed their pets. Every month I get 1.5 million and it's been going on for two years. Next I helped harvest from the garden and got paid 3 million monthly for the past year.

The total money I have collected so far is 119 million and some of it I keep in various places in my room. At least if the box is found out, I still have another storage place.

Maybe for some people the money I have is a lot. But it's not worth all the hard work I've done so far. I've been collecting my own money since I was 12. Because small, many do not pay me according to the agreement. Especially when I work as a milkman. Because of my fat condition they gave me reason for being slow and cut my salary by twenty-five percent.

Since I knew Mama was not like before, I decided to make my own money. Mama's concern slowly faded and everything I needed was no longer given to her. That's what got me up and started making money. Because if I don't work, I can't possibly survive until now.

I smiled a little when I realized that from tomorrow I already have my own job. And one more thing, why don't I run away from home if I have that kind of money, because I don't want to be suspected and end up having my money forcibly taken.

I put the money back together and put it in a sock. I have to remember to cover it up so Gio doesn't get suspicious when he opens my closet.

After half an hour of struggling with the room, I decided to take a break. I picked up my stretcher guitar and started strumming a note I already remembered outside my head. Tone of my favorite song. I enjoy my time. If there was Mama and Gio, I couldn't really play the guitar because they would both corner me and make me feel noisy.

Not long after the sound of the front door opened. I stopped playing my guitar. The footsteps of two people could be heard stepping quickly up the stairs and towards Gio's room. After that, the music is tuned with a fairly tight volume. It seems like she won't bother me for now so I decided to go to bed early.

I saw the clock. It's been five o'clock, which means I've been playing my guitar long enough. I had already raised my shirt to change clothes when suddenly the door of my room was forced open from the outside. I looked at Gio, his eyes were looking at my face and I knew he was looking at the bruises from yesterday that had started to fade. He was silent for a while and then opened his mouth.

"Lo fell down again from the stairs. Why are you so careless. You stupid fool." I'm gawking in disbelief, not me being stupid but him. Even with a sign like this, she assumed I was falling. What fool fell down the stairs and injured his stomach.

"By the way you didn't like the surprise I gave you this morning? I think that's the nicest gift you've ever received." Gio chuckled while stepping out of the room.

"Don't forget to be careful. You're gonna fall again like that."

I'm still trying to digest what Gio said just now. As for the surprise, I don't think I got any presents this morning. I flicked my shoulders indifferently and immediately shook my head. Never mind Gio because that crazy kid always talks nonsense.

As before, I rushed off early in the morning as usual. After making sure I won't see Mama later when I get out of the house.

I got to the usual cafe on time, but what surprised me a bit was that I found Mr. Aidan already sitting there. In the ordinary seats we occupy. I was arguing with myself whether I should go in or not. But seeing the many empty seats I finally decided to enter.

When I had ordered and wanted to sit down I saw that the place that Mr. Aidan had occupied before was empty.

Making coffee always takes longer. I decided to wait while sitting in front of the counter. Not as usual where I prefer to wait on the couch.

I kept looking at that place and it turned out that Mr. Aidan did not come back. That place is now occupied by someone else.

My coffee so, I decided to find a place and start listening to music as usual from my old-school phone.

I held the coffee cup with both hands. The warm feeling warmed my palms. After taking a few sips, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. I absorbed the verses of John Mayer's song, until a pat surprised me and fortunately it didn't make my coffee spill.

I opened my eyes and removed my earphones away from my ears. I immediately scrunched my forehead when I found that Mr. Aidan was already standing there.

His figure loomed high before me. His broad shoulders gave off an intimidating impression. If it was anyone else I would have shrunk in place. Fortunately, it was Mr. Aidan who somehow did not make me feel like I was in danger.

He looked at me for a while before taking a seat beside me.

"I just want permission to sit next to you. You're afraid you'll be surprised to find out I'm sitting here all of a sudden." He said that. It seems like he has gone deep and knows what my personality is. He just did it to make me comfortable. This guy is a school counselor.

"Ah, yes sir" I replied.

"You can call me Aidan if we're both together" he said, "I just want to get closer to you and it's just the time of the two of us. Let the kids not be jealous" she said with a sweet smile that she always showed.