20 Years Adrift
Chapters 102. Destiny or Incidental

Whether because of groggy or what, Faya's hand nudged Pak Rendi's stationery on the table until it fell scattered to the floor. Faya stopped her steps and wanted to pick up the dropped stationery. However, Mr. Rendi had already intervened to clean it up.

"Cie .. cie ...! The romantic scene begins!" exclaims a student teasing Faya and Pak Rendi.

"Here you share it. Let me do this" said Mr. Rendi.

Faya nodded and immediately went to share the matter in her hands. His friends still tease him but he tries to ignore him. As much as possible he tried to be confident and not respond to the babble of his friends.

It is even Mr. Rendi who looks wrong. He did not dare to look at his students. His unestablished life made him not dare to approach any woman.

Mr. Rendi is the best graduate of this campus, he got a scholarship from the government to finish S1 here. While in college, he was also appointed as an assistant lecturer and spent some of his time serving on campus. The Rector and senior lecturers also agreed to recruit him as a lecturer there.

Pak Rendi's family in the village was only a farmer. They rarely met because he only came home once a year. This year, Mr. Rendi tried to return to his hometown.

Faya then immediately did his job after he finished sharing the matter. He looked serious and worked on it very thoroughly. Secretly, Mr. Rendi noticed him while he was doing his job.

"Another ten minutes of answers are gathered!" exclaiming Mr. Rendi invited various reactions from his students.

For a moment the atmosphere became rowdy but did not last long. They refocus to work on the rest of the problems they have not yet solved. One by one the finished students came forward to collect their assignments.

"Today's lesson I end here. We'll meet on another occasion. Don't forget to re-learn the material I've been told. The result of the meeting quiz I put here yesterday, please take it to be a lesson." Mr. Rendi left behind a stack of answer papers that had been corrected by him.

Some students immediately took their own papers. They do it quickly because soon other lecturers will teach there.

Faya smiled as the result of the last meeting quiz was quite good. Although not rated by numbers, there are very few crosses there. Even so, Faya still did not know how much value he got.

Some of his friends screamed in excitement and some were silent because many answers were wrong. Faya doesn't care about it. He chose to keep his answer paper in the bag.

The change of lesson hours has entered the tenth minute but the lecturer who wants to teach has not been seen. One of the students went to look outside the room. There are no signs yet if the lecturer who teaches will come to the classroom in the near future.

The room became rowdy when the student said it if the lecturer had not been seen. The class looks very relaxed. The residents chatted and joked with each other.

"Fay, you're just a whim. We're going to the mall this afternoon, aren't we? Vino's birthday, you know. Anyone who wants to join will be treated with him," said Sandra.

"Sorry, I have a family appointment." Faya did not want to attend the birthday event without an official invitation from the event owner.

"Daddy, you! Though exciting, you know. We can all shop. Don't worry, if we don't have the money we just look around don't pay, kog." Sandra spoke with a slight mock.

"Other times. I really can't today. My driver was ready to pick me up at the time of college." Faya was firm on his stance.

"Yes, I've." Sandra looked disappointed.

Behind Faya his friends ask Sandra about Faya's response.

"How's it?" ask one of them.

Sandra shrugged her shoulders while shaking her head. This has been the number of times they have failed to invite Faya to events outside campus. And the umpteenth time they did not succeed.

The atmosphere calmed down again as the sound of footsteps approached the classroom. The student sitting at the very front and close to the door signaled his friends to be quiet. Suddenly the room became quiet.

***

Having to service Faya's car routine, Mr. Toni was a little late to pick him up to campus. His friends have gone home, only a handful of people are still seen on campus. Faya walked back and forth near the campus gate.

A biker suddenly stopped beside Faya. His face was not yet visible because he was wearing a helmet and mask. Judging from his posture, he was a man.

Faya did not want to be too confident that the man stopped to greet her. He was acting indifferent and looking the other way. Every now and then he looks out into the streets to check if Mr. Toni has come or not.

"Assalamu'alaikum, are you still here?" ask the biker who took off his helmet.

Faya turned her head towards him and looked around looking for another figure in that place. There's nobody there. It means Faya is the one who is greeted by him.

"Wa'alaikum greetings, sir. Yes, Sir. The car that picked me up was a little late but was already on its way here" Faya explained.

"Oh, I thought you were waiting for a taxi. These hours are a little difficult if you want to find a taxi." The motorcyclist was Mr. Rendi.

"Thank you for the information, sir. I rarely take a taxi." Faya smiled faintly and then looked back down.

Mr. Rendi nodded and still did not budge from the top of his bike.

'What does this guy want, anyway? Why did he not want to leave. What if a student sees us talking? Maybe tomorrow the whole class will be a big one. Worse yet I can be attacked by fans Pak Rendi, ' murmured Faya in heart with a feeling of anxiety.

Time seemed to be slow at that time. Faya felt uncomfortable standing in front of the gate with Mr. Rendi. Campus guards who were working nearby also often looked towards them.

Mr. Rendi looks relaxed. He checked his phone while sitting on the bike. His long legs support the motor and his body is slightly leaning forward with elbows that depart on the handlebars of the motor.

After more than fifteen minutes of waiting, the car that picked up Faya finally arrived. He almost forgot about Mr. Rendi and just left him. Although he did not ask her to accompany him, Faya had to say goodbye as a tribute between the student and his lecturer.

"Pak Rendi, I'll go first. The car that picked up has arrived. Assalamu'alaikum" said Faya.

"Wa'alaikum salutations." Mr. Rendi answered him politely.

After Faya's departure, Mr. Rendi again put on his helmet. He looked to the left right and found several pickpockets and snatchers sitting in front of the campus. They do not act every day but often act if the victim is off guard.

***

In his car, Faya looks very happy. Although it looks cute but actually he is happy that Mr. Rendi noticed it. Among the hundreds of students who idolized him, only he got his attention.

'Hopefully no one will see when Mr. Rendi accompanies me at the gate, ' Faya whispered inwardly.

"Where do we go or stop by, Non?" ask Mr. Toni on his way.

"Go home, sir. I'm so sleepy" Faya replied as she covered her yawned mouth.

"Good, Non." Mr. Toni refocused on the crowded streets he passed.

When sleepy, Faya is very easy to fall asleep. Like this time, he fell asleep immediately after speaking to Mr. Toni. He had no idea if the car he was driving was a little troubled.

The workshop that handled Faya's car cleaned up the service in a hurry. They didn't re-examine the machine before handing it to Mr. Toni. They did it as ordered by Mr. Toni because it was too late to pick up his employer.

"Why this?" Mr. Toni pulled his car over and intended to check his car.

Before descending he looked back and found Faya sleeping fast. Mr. Toni opened the door and exited carefully so as not to wake Faya up. Mr. Toni then opened the front engine and checked it.

"It turns out the radiator's water is running out. Far away from the store again. My drinking water is a little." Mr. Toni looks confused about who to ask for help.

Mr. Rendi did not know if the car that broke down was Faya's car. His high social psyche made him stop and intend to offer help. He doesn't care who the owner is.

"Assalamu'alaikum, sir. Is there anything I can help you with? I am not a workshop but a little know the machine," said Mr. Rendi offered to help.

"Wa'alaikum salam. Thank God, thank you, Mom. Look, this car is not damaged. It was also out of routine service but before it was handed to me they forgot to check the radiator water," explained Mr. Toni to Mr. Rendi.

"alright, Sir. Then wait here for a second. I'll bring it to you." Mr. Rendi turned the motor back on.

"Finally thank you, Mom!" exclaimed Mr. Toni looks happy.

Faya is still asleep and does not realize if the car stops. Lucky Mr. Rendi is back soon. He then helped Toni to fill the radiator water.

"Now please come in and try to turn on the machine first. If it turns normal, let me close the front hood," said Mr. Rendi.

"Good, Mas." Mr. Toni got into the car immediately and started the engine.

The engine is running well.

Mr. Rendi immediately closed the front hood. Faya's car shook as she closed it hard. The sound he made sounded so loud that Faya woke up.

Faya reflex opened her eyes and saw Mr. Rendi's face in front of the car. Still sleepy, his vision blurred and he fell asleep again. In his semi-conscious state he was like hearing Mr. Toni's voice say thank you to Mr. Rendi.

"Is he really Mr Rendi? I think I'm too hallucinating." With her eyes closed, Faya muttered and then fell back asleep.

'I don't mean to go near him but why is what I do always connected to him.' Mr. Rendi then continued his journey back to his boarding place.

Not only on campus was he idolized. In the boarding place he is often noticed by the opposite sex. His good attitude with his calm character makes him have his own charm.

Between the male and female costs are separated by a guardrail. There were guards guarding each place for twenty-four hours. However, one can still visit each other and chat on the front porch.

Often the female boarding house residents send food to Pak Rendi. They often make a rowdy so that Mr. Rendi never want to accept it. He told the security guard to eat the food because he didn't want it.

Actually they know but not kapok to give food even though it is not eaten by him at least he knows because the security guard who received it must report to him.

"Good afternoon, Lecturer!" greet the security guard who opened the door for him.

"Good afternoon, sir. Healthy news?" ask Mr. Rendi while leading his motorcycle to a special parking lot.

"Thank God be healthy, Mom. Someone was giving fruit in the post, Mas Lecturer would take no?" ask Heri's security guard.

"No, Sir. Just bring home a child's gift. I want to go inside first, assalamu'alaikum," said Mr. Rendi.

"Wa'alaikum salam. Thank you, Mommy." Heri's security guard smiled happily because almost every day get food from Pak Rendi's fans.

Mr. Rendi just nodded his head in passing.

'Very strong faith Mas Lecturer. Though right, the girl who costs next to pretty-beautiful. They are also average office workers.' Heri security guard was amazed at the figure of Mr. Rendi who was not easily tempted by women.

While in his room, Mr. Rendi again imagined Faya's face. Although her appearance was very simple but she looked graceful. The figure of the woman who was very coveted by him.

"It seems that Faya comes from a family of being, it seems unlikely that I would get her heart even though I was attracted to her. Maybe limiting the feeling of just being a lecturer with a student would be better for me." Mr. Rendi is aware of his position.

As an intern, his salary is not yet how much. He did not want to burden his parents to pay for his marriage. Little by little, he will save his own money.

Before graduating from college, he lived in a smaller and simpler cost than this. He has only moved here since a year ago after he earned extra money from being a teaching assistant. For daily food, Pak Rendi prefers to cook by himself.

A man from the village can mostly cook. Since childhood, they have been trained to be independent. They are also used to helping their parents farm.

***

At Affan's residence, the,

Faya had arrived home asleep. He only woke up when Mr. Toni opened the door and closed it hard.

"Sorry, Non. I was not intentional" said Mr. Toni, who again opened the door to apologize.

"It's okay, sir. We're home, huh?" asked Faya while rubbing her eyes that were still reluctant to open.

"Already, Non. Non Faya sleeps really. Last time the car broke down, Non Faya did not know," explained Mr. Toni.

Faya was a little surprised by what Mr. Toni said. He remembers looking at Mr. Rendi while awake. He thought it was just a dream.

"Oh, strike, yes," said Faya still half in disbelief.

"Yes, Non. Fortunately, there are people who help. The guy's handsome, good again. I did not expect that in a big city that is all valued with money there are still people who want to help without strings attached," said Mr. Toni.

'Wawat! Means Mr. Rendi just saw I was sleeping, dong. I must have slept bashfully.' Faya feels insecure if he meets Mr. Rendi next time.

"Hopefully I don't look embarrassing when I'm asleep, sir." Faya got out of her car talking.

"It looks like he didn't see Miss" said Mr. Toni.

"Alhamdulillah. Mr. Toni knows that sometimes I like to look silly in my sleep. It must be so embarrassing." Faya laughed as she passed.

"Non Faya can do it." Mr. Toni laughed because he often saw his employer sleeping with his mouth open in the car.

In the living room, Aira was playing with Sapphira and Sarah when she arrived. Sister Sifa is bathing and praying ashar at this hour. They seem to play even though the room looks cluttered.

There are some new toys that are bought online by Aira. Sarah and Sapphira liked it. Having only been here for a short while, they already had a lot of toys.

"Gee, new toy, here! Assalamu'alaikum, Ma," said Faya as he approached Aira.

"Wa'alaikum salam. Yes, just arrived. Let Safira not get bored with that toy. It can also train the child's intelligence." Aira showed several blocks of letters and numbers scattered on the floor.

"Yes, really. Looks like we need a special room to play. If splattered fear can make Bi Sumi or others slip." Faya noticed a lot of toys with various shapes scattered on the floor.

Aira looked around. It is true what Faya said, toys splattered everywhere. This can endanger anyone passing by and not knowing it.

"I'll ask your father's opinion on this matter. There seems to be some empty space that does not function properly. We can ask him for a place to play. For example there it is," point Aira.

Faya follows the direction of view pointed by Aira. A spacious place without walls that is near the CCTV room and facing the side garden. He still did not understand because there was no wall that limited the space.

"Is it not strange then, Ma? Isn't there a wall?" ask Faya.

"We can make a barrier that is not too high. The important thing is that the toys in it do not scatter out. It seems like the non-permanent barrier is also good to put there," Aira explained.

Faya nodded. He did not know what Aira meant but the idea was very good. They can use the empty room without having to change the main building.

Faya's body felt sticky so she felt uncomfortable and wanted to rush a shower. Faya also has not performed Ashar prayers. He tells Aira and Sarah to go to his room.

While on the way Faya met with Mbak Sifa. They talked for a while and then went to their respective destinations. Sifa's mother felt bad leaving Sapphira too long because Aira's condition had not recovered properly.

"Sorry, Madam. I'm late in the day." Sister Sifa made small talk when she arrived in front of Aira.

"It's okay, Ma'am. Safira henchmen after having a new toy. I hope he doesn't get bored easily." Aira had been watching Safira playing with Sarah.

Sarah was good at giving in to her sister and teaching her to play stacking. Slowly the two begin to forget the sadness of losing their mother. Had their father been here, they might have both taken care of them.

Aira has no idea what Hana's life in Turkey is like. Sarah also did not understand about the problem of her parents who she knew they had separated and her mother brought her back to Indonesia. Hana did not tell Sarah the problem so that the child was not burdened with her parents' problems.

Although Sister Sifa had already come Aira did not immediately go to her room. He wanted to wait for the usual Affan to be home soon. If not busy Aira always called it.

Sister Sifa brought Sapphira to the dining room to be fed while Sarah cleaned the toys scattered on the floor. Aira provided a special basket to store it. Not wanting to interfere with Sarah's activities she chose to go to the front porch to wait for Affan's arrival.

It was about half an hour from Affan's usual return home. Aira used it to take a walk in the front garden following Bi Sumi who was watering flowers there. There are not many types of plants in the front garden because it is only used as a sweetener.

"It looks like it will be good if added with flowers," said Aira when he arrived next to Bi Sumi.

"I don't understand what a good flower looks like. When the gardener came, God only wanted the front garden to be decorated like this. If in the park beside me did add a lot of flowers that I bought in the market," said Bi Sumi.

"Mas Affan is a simple person. Where does he want to think hard." Faya gave her smile imagining her husband's indifferent face at the beginning of their marriage.

Bi Sumi confirmed Aira's speech. He has worked for this family for a long time. Little does he know what the nature of his family members is from Affan's parents to posterity.

Although she is only a housekeeper but Affan and Faya already consider her like family. Bi Sumi was delighted to have such an excellent and simple wife as Aira. She had previously thought that Affan would marry Amanda.

If until that happens perhaps the entire estate and household arrangements will be completely controlled by him. At a glance, Bi Sumi had seen Amanda's very arrogant and crazy nature of luxury. Despite having known her for a very long time Affan is not interested in making her as a mother continued Faya.

"Tumben Madam is walking here?" ask Bi Sumi.

"I was waiting for Mas Affan on the porch but seeing aunt here I wanted to follow along." Aira spoke in a half-joking tone.

Their chatter is halted when Affan's car has entered the yard. Aira walked up to him and waited for him beside the car.

Affan got out of the car with a paper bag. Although not yet know what the contents are but from the outer logo Aira knows if the items were purchased from their family subscription boutique.

****

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