A Handful of Love for You
4. The Man named Atep

Atep POV

My name is Atep Dananjaya. I was a final-level student who was working out a thesis as a condition for me to get a college degree. Actually, for me this college degree isn't that important. If for most final students, a college degree is one more stage that must be passed to get a piece of paper as a condition for finding a job, but it does not apply to me.

Not to be arrogant, even though I am still a student but already have enough income to support our wives and children later. I am now 27 years old, very late to get an S1 degree where most students get an S1 degree at the age of 23 or 24.

It is not strange that at the age of 27 years I am still struggling with thesis because two years after graduating High School, I started a business while collecting fees for college. After the tuition fee was collected, I was lucky to be accepted into a public college with a fee that was not too high.

During college, I had to apply several times for leave because my busyness helped my adoptive brother pioneer his business. Actually my foster brother was the son of the employer where my mother worked. My mother and father worked for a very wealthy family. They've served the family since my father and mother were unmarried.

They met because they worked together in the family. My father worked as an assistant to my adoptive brother's father. My father died in a plane crash that also claimed the lives of both parents of my foster brother while my mother worked to help take care of two children from her employer. Now my mother accompanied my foster brother who lived in the village of Cibeber, mother's home village because my adoptive sister was running away from the husband who often hurt her.

Since school in high school, I have started to be independent and decided to go for a boarding house. At first my mother didn't approve it because I was her youngest child. I was too worried and afraid that I would leave like my father if I lived alone and away from Mom but I managed to convince my mother that I would be fine. I have an older sister who is married and brought by her husband, a TNI member who served outside Java, precisely on the island of Borneo.

Starting 2nd grade High School I have started working even if only part-time job. Sometimes I become a cafe waitress, courier, selling or any other important business to save. I want to pay for college with my own money and not burden my mother even if my mother's salary is enough to pay me even if I go to private college.

I admire my beautiful, kind and sholehah foster sister. Awe since childhood may now have turned into affection and love but I will never dare to express my love. I can only hold my love for my foster brother in my heart. I felt it was inappropriate to simply express love and I did not want my expression of love to change our fraternal relationship. Maybe later if I've succeeded with my career, I will be a little brave to express my love.

My adoptive brother's name is Sadiyah, and I call him Teh Iyah. My foster sister has twins from the husband she left behind. I have never met her husband in person. I've only seen from a distance when they got married. I'd be happy if I married my foster brother. I will be happy to care for and educate the children of my foster brother. However, my dream to marry my adoptive brother is still hampered by many things, one of which is the absence of divorce papers or divorce papers from the court. Teh Iyah has filed for divorce but no court summons until six years have passed since my foster brother filed for divorce and left her annoying husband.

Now is my last chance to finish the thesis. Studying at public universities does have a time limit and cannot be careless. I am grateful to have a teaching counselor like Ms. Syafrina who really understands my desire to do research. He is very patient and nurturing. I really admire that very smart young lecturer. Unfortunately, Ms. Syafrina had to go on maternity leave and was replaced by another lecturer who had only taught one month in my department.

Today is the first day the new guidance lecturer invited us - students who had been mentored by Ms. Syafrina. The six of us were already inside the new lecturer's room. Oh yes, the new lecturer was named Alena. I don't know his full name yet and I don't care. The first time I met him, I didn't like his arrogance. I didn't like it when he said he only had 30 minutes for the six of us. If he's busy today, why doesn't he schedule another day for us? It is very different from Ms. Syafrina who is very organized and disciplined. Although Ms. Syafrina is busy but she can manage her schedule well.

“I am your guidance counselor, replacing Miss Syafrina who is on maternity leave. Today I ask you to report how far you have worked on your thesis. I only have 30 minutes today for you, I hope you can report your thesis progress effectively and efficiently to me. Please who wants to first report the progress of each thesis.”

I heard word for word from her brazen mouth that looked sexy, my ears were buzzing. Very busy.

“Mom only gave the six of us 30 minutes to report our thesis progress. How can we report it in just 5 minutes?” my protest.

I saw the lecturer's face had started to blush if he had started to get emotional but I didn't care. I really don't like this kind of arrogant human being like the woman before me.

“This is our first meeting. I just want to know in general your thesis progress so that I can schedule and plan your guidance period.” The arrogant lecturer began to come up with excuses that further enraged me.

I was also amazed by my attitude like this. I am the kind of person who is friendly to everyone regardless of who they are. But somehow when facing this one woman my emotions so high.

The lecturer did not heed my protest so I was lazy to respond to anything he said. He started calling our names and listening to reports of the development of the thesis that my friends were describing.

I looked at the lecturer who unfortunately looked beautiful in my eyes. Cih, beautiful but arrogant for what?" I cursed in my heart.

“Atep Dananjaya!” call that lecturer.

“Please report your thesis progress!” his orders in a trenchant tone.

“No need to use such a tinge as well, Mom,”.

I stared at the lecturer's increasingly fierce face. My heart is happy to see him upset. It's really strange because I can feel the happiness of seeing him upset.

“The time I gave you is five minutes away. Please if you want to report it now. However, if you don't want to, it doesn't matter to me.” I'm getting excited to hear the lecturer's slick tone.

“Do not make it hard, too, Bu.”

“You..”.

“Iya, Ma..., this I want to report.”

I'm reporting on my script progress. When it was guidance with Miss Syafrina I was already going to start going into chapter three. I also outlined a plan for the research method that I will do which was actually approved by Ms. Syafrina. I saw the lecturer muttering while listening to my explanation.

I finally finished my script progress explanation in less than 5 minutes. I try to explain as concisely and clearly as possible. I think the teacher understood what I wanted. Although I am a student who is really late in completing college but I am a smart student even since Elementary School, my brain has been recognized as moncer. During school from Elementary to High School I always get scholarships because of my academic achievements. Even when high school, I was named an outstanding student and won several competitions held by both the government and private.

“Good. I have understood a little what you want to do with your thesis. Next meeting, I'll inform you later. Thank you for your presence today.” The lecturer ended his first guidance with a smile that was never directed at me.

I am not surprised if the lecturer does not give a smile to me, anyway I do not care whether the lecturer will hate me or not. When I finished, I immediately left the lecturer's room. From the beginning I called my guiding lecturer the lecturer. She also has a name, Alena Damayanti Nataprawira. It seems I've heard the surname of the lecturer but I forget where I've heard that name.

*******

to be continued....