GROWINGS
14

NO...!!

Dafa immediately ran when he just got off the car driven by Mr. Popo. This morning unfortunately Danu could not deliver it. For Danu has business outside the city with Anindita.

"Whhooaaahh, what a rame! Kayak at the night market..!!" Enthusiasticity.

Some of his classmates called out to him with excitement. Apparently many of his friends, who took part in the selection of the new members of the cooking team, this morning.

"My book is great. I look like a fireman, don't I..?!" Dafa as usual. Vigorous, and also his innocent expression.

"Dafa-Dafa, where there's a fireman, wears his white-and-white shirt like this.." Said one of his friends.

All students who have attended and want to take the selection test immediately form a row to take the sequence number, after the registration table in front of the school kitchen is open.

If in ordinary High School, usually the boys students are very enthusiastic to get into the basketball core team, but not with Martin Luther's hospitality school.

Even the men who dominate the queue to participate in the selection of the cooking team, in order to become Kinno's men.

"What are you doing?"

"I made a sus cake, my mother's mainstay."

"If you?"

"I'm a brownie."

Dafa looked at his friends with an enthusiastic face. Even though he himself still kept what was in the food supply box.

But he was sure that Mr. Martin Luther and all his teachers would love it, his work.

He is so sure...!

Dafa got the number 118. Looks like he'll be at noon. But that's okay, than he got a sequence number of 300, for example?!

At exactly 7:25, Martin Luther gave a word of greeting to all his disciples, who took part in the selection this morning.

"My most beloved children, for this morning -- our school also the arrival of one special guest. He's a friend, a partner, and I've even considered him my own son. And you need to know, he's also one of the founders of this school."

And as the foreign-faced man followed Martin Luther forward, all the students turned their backs with gazes filled with astonishment and disbelief.

"Anthony Grooberry's..."

"Good morning, everyone..." Greet the man as high as 186 inches, with a pair of clear blue eyes.

All the students immediately gave a huge applause to the figure. They really do not expect that there will be an important figure, at the selection event this morning.

"Oh, that's right!!"

"Yes, Mr. Anthony is famous for his sensitive tongue.."

"I'm backing off, ah..."

"Who is he, anyway? How funny is that, huh?" Ask Dafa to his friends.

"Dafa, he's Anthony Groobery. A chef from the UK, who owns four five-star restaurants in Jakarta, Bandung, and Bali!"

"Just so yeah!" Dafa exclaims.

"Kids are all --" Anthony Grooberry spoke again. "Remember that your success is not determined in this selection stage. So even if you fail - there are still many other ways to achieve success out there."

"Happy fighting. Hopefully we can both continue to struggle to raise the name of our school." Martin Luther continued, and then the selection began afterwards.

Grade 11 students began calling each participant according to their sequence number. A total of 5 participants directly entered the kitchen, to be further tested about the results of foods they had made themselves, with the most competent people in the school of course.

Meanwhile, under the tent, Dafa sat down in a huff. It felt like he could not wait to go inside immediately, and show what he had made with Mbok Parni and Mr. Popo, for the whole night.

With a bright smile, he occasionally peeked at the food supply box.

"Why are you doing what?" Ask one of his friends.

"Secret dong.."

"We've all told you, you're the only one still keeping it a secret?"

"I just make it hard! Look at it, to the extent that my fingers are sliced..."

Although Dafa told me everything in detail and detail, he kept his work a secret, from his friends.

Little by little, Dafa's steps continued to shift forward to the forefront. And only a few minutes later, before the adzan dzuhur roared he was already sitting in a long chair in front of the kitchen. That means, just one more step he will go inside, and show the results of his efforts and efforts.

"What are you doing here?"

Dafa held his head up. He throws a smile at the oriental-faced student who almost never smiles in his school environment.

"Of course I want to go to the selection, Kinno." Sahut Dafa is cheerful. "I want to be like you. To be a great chef, so I can travel the world.."

"What did you say, Dafa? You want to be like me?"

Instantly the boisterous atmosphere around them, turned into a gripping silence. Only the sound of the Adhan from the mosque opposite their school was heard rumbling up to a radius of several hundred meters.

"You should never dream, Dafa." Kinno ketus.

"Why can't I dream, Kinno?" Dafa still smiled in response. "Because I admire you so much, and I want to be a great chef too."

Shutt...!

Kinno snatched the Dafa lunchbox, "I'll see how great you are to the point of wanting--" As soon as Kinno stopped his sentence. He barely blinked when he saw the contents of Dafa's lunch box. "This --"

Kinno's reaction, of course, made all the students around him, very curious. They even moved forward, in order to see what was actually inside the light blue plastic box.

"You want to present this disgusting piece of trash, to Mr Martin Luther and Mr Anthony?"

Dafa's smile slowly began to disappear. His chest felt tight, but it had not yet reached the stifling stage.

"That's not trash, Kinno. I made it myself. To the point that I don't sleep.." Dafa's voice sounded soft and weak.

Kinno showed the contents of the box to the other students. "NOW YOU ALL SEE!! IS IT POSSIBLE, THAT FOOL LIKE HIM-CAN GET INTO MY TEAM?!!"

'It does look disgusting. But I think Kinno is outrageous.'

"IF YOU WERE TO BE THE JUDGES OF THE COOKING RACE, WOULD YOU TASTE A MORE DISGUSTING FORM OF THIS ANIMAL SHIT?!!"

"Kinno, that's my cake.."

"Yes. This is your disgusting cake. And this is where -- the trash should be..!" Without any feelings of heaviness and guilt, Kinno dropped the lunchbox into the trash bin in front of the kitchen. "I certainly wouldn't let Mr. Martin Luther get sick and vomit, seeing a meal that looked even worse than a dog vomit in my house.."

"I've made it with great difficulty, Kinno..." The voice of Dafa shook violently. "I was sliced by a knife and hit by a hot oven.."

"And one more thing, don't you ever dream of being like me. Because at any moment, there is no one in this school, and any school, that can rival me.."

"Why are you so mean to me...?"

Kinno turned around, and walked back into the kitchen. "Disqualified him!" He said to his four friends who were in charge of guarding the registration table.

"What am I wrong, Kinno...?" A tear began to fall soaking his reddish cheeks. "Am I that bad in your eyes?"

The window glass that was right next to the main door of the kitchen was broken. Kinno, who was only a few meters away from the window, was surprised not to play.

"WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO ME, KINNO?!" And they were all startled by the emotional scream of a blue-eyed student, who had not set foot in their school for long.

Kinno turned around. Along with the exit of all the people in the kitchen.

"YOU ARE THE MOST EVIL PERSON I'VE EVER MET IN THIS WORLD!!" Again Dafa shouted. With tears that he could no longer bear.

"What have you done to him?" Ask Martin Luther.

"I--"

"Kinno threw Dafa's stockbox in the trash, Mr. Martin.." Answer a student in a soft but firm voice.

"You threw it away?!" Martin Luther's eyes were wide.

"I did, because food is like garbage, Mr. Martin!! Very unfeasible and disgusting!!"

"IT'S NOT DISGUSTING!!" Dafa was still shouting out emotions. Her chest of irregular kembis. "I MADE IT MYSELF, AND YOU SAID MY CAKE WAS LIKE TRASH?!! YOU'RE SUCH AN EVIL MONSTER, KINNO!!"

'Kinno is great. But I feel more sorry for Dafa.'

'He can't dislike. But I don't agree with his way..'

'I think he's so outrageous!'

Kinno was silently sculpting. He seemed very domineering. But now, it was as if his mouth was tightly locked.

"I SWEAR BY ANYTHING, I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU --" Dafa said with a horrifying look. "UNTIL I DIE---I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU-BECAUSE YOU ARE THE MOST EVIL PERSON-TO WHOM I HAVE EVER MET-IN THIS WORLD..."

Anthony Grooberry looked at Dafa's face with a sad look. Although this was the first time he and the boy had met, he felt that there was a rope that seemed to bind him and the blue-eyed boy.

"I'LL AVENGE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE TO ME. AND I SWEAR --- WITH MY HAND HERE -- I WILL DESTROY YOU -- AND THIS SCHOOL ---"

"Becch..."

"YOU--- ASSHOLE...!!"

Dafa turned around, and ran as fast as he could, past the school gate, and disappeared somewhere.

Anthony approached the dumpster. Then with his hand, he grabbed Dafa's lunchbox.

"Mr Anthony..." Old man James, his personal assistant reminded him.

Anthony opened the box. His expression was ordinary. "James, my spoon."

Everyone flinched instead of playing, when an Anthony Grooberry wanted to taste the cake that was not clearly shaped.

"But sir, what if you get sick?!"

"James!!" Anthony's voice was rising.

Old Man James handed him a small shiny gold spoon which he had previously wrapped in a clean white cloth.

"Sir, I'm just worried in case you're --"

Late. Because now, one small mouthful of the cake, it's already in Anthony's mouth.

Everyone is silent. Waiting for what reaction will be shown by him.

Silent...

Until then, surprisingly, the little spoon fell apart from his hand.

'What are you doing, Angela?'

'Ahh no. It's nothing, baby.'

'You make cakes? It looks so good..'

'No, Anthony. This is my failure. I don't want you to get to the hospital because of my..'

A tear fell from the corner of his eye. The shadow of the figure of the woman he loved the most, came back to him. After a long time he closed the pit of pain. Now, with all the good memories stored together in it - the hole was opened again.

"Repaint..."

"Mr Anthony..."

Those teardrops, turned into an unstoppable cry. Anthony fell down with a lethargic face.

"Are you all right, sir?"

"Russia, James. I feel like he just -- he --- Oh my God...!!" Anthony looked at the cake again. "Why does it feel so exactly the same?"

Martin Luther crouched near Anthony. "Let me taste it too.."

"Sir Martin..."

Martin Luther nodded. He received a small spoon from a student who had just taken it from the kitchen.

Martin Luther's eyes were closed as his mouth chewed on the cake. But not for a few seconds, his eyes opened again. Opening with a glare, and tense once.

'Mr. Martin's bread is delicious! I'm sure that Mr. Martin will succeed and become a rich man!!'

'Sir Martin, this is my cake. I call this cake a meteorite. Because the shape is round and the color is brown rather black..'

Martin Luther's eyes glazed over. He got up and closed the food box.

"Sir Martin..." Kinno lirih.

"If you can't bring her back, then you're not the only one in danger. But we're all --"

"Sir Martin..."

"This cake is bad. But this cake was the most beautiful miracle I have ever enjoyed, all my age. And you, would never be able to make something like this.."

Kinno jerks. He felt slapped very hard. So also with all the students around the school kitchen.

"Bring him back. If you don't want to see this school destroyed."

"Sir Martin..."

Meanwhile, from the towering gate of the magnificent school, an old grandmother with her wooden stick, stood together with her two Persian cats.

He lifted his head with his beautiful eyes.

"Didn't I come and see them... So, why did they even forget the promise they had made themselves?"

The old grandmother tapped her wooden stick three times.

"Fly as high as you can, my granddaughter. Know that the world is so beautiful and vast that you can explore... May God, always be with you..."

...###### ...