Paper Dove

THE BELLA 1 PROBLEM

“ So what's your confession about?”, I'm sitting on the sofa. We were at Max's Club, a middle-aged man with a battered face kneeling before me. 

“ We were paid by mistress Hartanto to scare the girl. In exchange for quite a lot of money”, he said quivering. 

I blame my cigarette. “ Tell me everything. Don't make me ask twice”, I said trying to prolong patience. 

“ Sir please don't kill me. I will tell you everything”, he said begging. 

“ Well it depends on your honesty”, I said then smoked my cigarette deeply. 

“ Mrs Hartanto wants her to sign a letter. I don't know what letter it was, but he obviously wanted the girl to come alone with her feet to the main house”, he said again. 

“ How?”, Doni introgated him impatiently replacing me.

“ We will kidnap the girl's grandfather, until the girl comes to sign a letter from mistress Hartanto”, he said again.

My face was red with anger. “ He intends to kidnap his own uncle ?”, my question is to make sure.

The man nodded in fear. I stood up and approached the man, and put out my cigarette in the palm of his hand. He screamed in pain and asked for forgiveness. 

“ You know who I am?”, I asked him with a sharp look.

“ Yes sir. You are one of the Asian Dragons, everyone knows you tuan”, he said fearfully. “ If I knew the girl was master's wife, I wouldn't touch her at all. Please forgive me”, he said begging.

I took a breath and stood behind him. “ Go back to your mistress. Tell him this is his first and last warning. ‘ Never again try to touch mine’. Tell him”, my orders are in a deep, cold voice. 

“ Good sir will I convey”, answer it undertakes. 

I nodded towards Doni giving a voiceless command, then took a seat on the sofa. Doni looked towards his men. 

“ Cut one wrist of his. And send him back as a warning to his mistress”, Doni's orders are cruel. 

“ No sir. Forgive me sir. Sir please forgive me, I beg”, he shouted as he was dragged out of the room. 

“ Sitting”, my orders on Doni are directly according.

“ Doni, how is your mother?” doing, ask me while pouring drinks into two glasses on the table.

“ Good mother news sir. Because of you I can still be with mom until now. Thank you very much for your help”, he said politely. 

I'm patting. “ Doni, you're still young. Don't you want to reach your goals like you used to?”, I asked him. 

He shook his glass slowly. “ No sir. I've decided I'll keep following you until the end of my life”. The answer I have heard so often. 

I'm nodding. “ If you want to retire early I will allow it”, I said casually.

“ You're bored of me? Did I make a mistake?”, Doni looked at me curiously.

I Laugh “ No Doni. I just want you to get better, maybe by opening a kusaha”, I said.

“ I've opened a minimarket for my sister and many other businesses sir. That's all I use from my salary when working with you. Other than because of money, I work with you because I admire you sir. So please don't ask me to retire early, because only you would accept a thief to work with you”. 

“ Alright. Don't say much more and spend the drink”, I give the order that is directly obeyed by her.

My phone vibrated, the name of the little thief on the screen. 

“ Hello”, I picked up the phone.

“ I'm working. What's up?”, my question.

“ I'll tell you something but you don't get mad ya”, he said a little doubtfully. 

“ Depending on your story”, I'm patient.

He took a deep breath then spoke “ Bella got into a fight with her schoolmate. He called me to meet his teacher. Now I'm in a taxi to school. Bella is afraid of you, can you stop by later?”, she asked slowly.

“ Yes I will be there”, I said briefly and then hung up. 

“ Doni prepare our car to Bella school now”.

“ Good tuan”, replied Doni obediently.

***

I get to Bella's school and find Jeni pulling a middle-aged woman's hair, like the guardian of the schoolgirl who was attacked by Bella. I heard the woman yelling at Jeni.

“ Female base Jal*ng. Don't know the rules, thugs”, he shouted. 

“ Yes, I am a thug. You know my nickname in school? my nickname is crazy haha”, Jeni yells back.

I held back the laughter behind the door seeing her absurd behavior. Some teachers tried to separate them but couldn't seem to. I went in and immediately pulled Jeni and took her to the corner of the room. 

“ Let go of me, I have to grab that woman. The magic grandmother that mentally shuts the child down. You're that good, huh? wait until my husband comes, you must be dead”, he cried out in solidarity. 

“ Jeni this is me”, I reprimanded her hard enough to make her instantly speechless and look at me.

His eyes suddenly glazed over, his fiery eyes gone nowhere. Bella beside him immediately hugged Jeni's arm out of fear for me and started sobbing. Whereas I saw Bella with the spirit of giving support to Jeni who was wrestling and suddenly they had acted sad when in front of me. 

A man came in and immediately asked the situation of the child and the woman who had been in the jambak Jeni. He yelled at us, with my position on his back, 

“ You dare hit my wife and son. You guys are tired of living huh?”, he shouted. “ Fire his homeroom teacher is now”, the man yells at the headmaster standing on the other side of the room.

I turned around and looked at the middle-aged man, I recognized him immediately. 

“ You, wah long time no see ya”, I said kindly but smiled coldly. 

“ You...”, the man pointed at me with a horrified face.

“ Nice to meet you sir...”, I pretend to remember his name. “ Sorry I forgot your name. What if we sit down and talk calmly”, I said coldly.

The man nodded obediently. Jeni held onto the edge of my shirt as if she remembered the man, I smiled at Jeni.

 “ Calm down, I'll take care of it”, I said gently patting the back of his hand. Jeni looked at me and smiled in trust

I just found out that Bella was bullied at school a lot. That's one of the reasons he doesn't want to go to school every day. My heart is sad to remember that every day I force her to go to school.

I asked Bella and Jeni to go home first. I talked to the man and his wife. As Doni walked into the room carrying an envelope and handed it to me, I saw the man's face turn into horror. He's afraid of Doni. 

“ I apologize for the deeds our son” did, the man directly spoke to me as the principal gave privacy to us to resolve this matter.

I just smiled at her apology that was pushed out of fear not from sincerely apologizing. Man is too proud, so I will do the same to him.

***