MSL - The Offer

"Good evening, Uncle Bento." I greeted the cafe owner who was sitting on the banch on the bar when I entered the room.

"Good evening dear, how was your first day of college?" He asked me.

"Cool." I answered cheerfully. I rushed to the pantry to find my apron. After that I walked to the bar table to join Zee and some of our colleagues.

"Table 13." Zee said and I immediately carried the tray of one espresso cup to table number 13. I was very surprised when I saw who was sitting there. My heart even suddenly lost its ability to beat and it made me short of breath. I don't know how long I've been standing still, but I think it's been a long time. I even realized when the man turned and looked at me then smiled. Oh . . . . I think the air in this place is getting thinner, until it feels like I'm starting to catch my breath. How could he be in this place? This shop was small and not luxurious enough for someone of his caliber to visit.

With legs that suddenly felt like jelly I forced my steps forward. "Behave properly Bell." I muttered in my heart. "You can do it, let's go ahead and be natural." I kept encouraging myself as I continued to advance towards table number thirteen under the gaze of the man, I mean Mr. Christ, my lecturer.

"Your coffee sir." I said nervously, and when he smiled at me saying "Thanks" I think I suddenly turned into some kind of melted ice cream.

"Could you sit here for a moment?" he asked.

"Sorry sir, I can't. We are not allowed to chat too long with customers." I rejected.

"It's ok,I can wait until your work is over. Get back to work." He smile and I immediately rushed off the table with mixed feelings. Even though Uncle Bento would not be angry if I had agreed to sit at the table and have a conversation with the guest.

***

Some of the workers recognized him as the wealthy businessman who owned Morrow Ltd and Hudson Corp. The two giant companies in the IT and Telecommunications sector apparently often milled about on television for various award shows, but I never saw them.

"You know that guy sitting at table number thirteen?" asked Zevanya, my co-worker while pointing at my lecturer.

"Yes." I answered doubtfully.

"He's a wealthy businessman, owner of Morrow Ltd and Hudson Corp." She explained.

"I only know he's my lecturer." My answer is short.

"You're lucky you got a scholarship at that prestigious campus." Ze said, and it was absolutely true. Otherwise, I'll end up like my friends here, with a standard basic education and a coffee shop waitress my whole life. But my dream, one day maybe I will start my own coffee shop, with my own name. Ah . . . I wish this could end up being a reality and not just a dream.

"That man has been watching you." Uncle Bento said while I was cleaning the bar table.

"No, he's enjoying his coffee, uncle." I answered while Uncle Bento glanced at his watch. "He's been sitting there for two hours, maybe the coffee is cold too."

"Then he will definitely order a new one." I smiled and returned to clearing the table.

"Go and see him, maybe he wants to talk to you about something." Uncle Bento know that something wrong with that man. I sighed, turned to look at him and he seemed to be busy looking at his cellphone screen.

"Should I see him?" I quietly asked Uncle Bento and the old man nodded with a smile on his lips. After considering for a few seconds I stopped my work and walked over to him, he looked surprised as I stood in front of him silently.

"Hey ..." He smiled at me.

"Do you want another cup of coffee, sir?" I asked with a flat expression.

"Um No thank you, I'm enjoying my coffee." He answered.

"Your coffee has been cold for hours." I replied.

"I enjoy sitting here with a cup of coffee taking care of my work." He still insist.

"But Uncle Bento said you've been watching me ever since." I lowered my head and drew closer to him.

He put down his phone, then turned his attention to me fully "Is that bothering you?"

"Yes." My nod.

"You're pacing around me, so it's only natural that I should pay attention to you for a moment. It wasn't on purpose either." He answered.

"Ok, please enjoy your coffee." I said and immediately turned around, but I almost jumped when I felt my hand being grabbed by him.

"Thank you." He seemed to have just remembered something. "Bring me another cup of espresso." he added.

"Yep, please wait a moment." I answered politely. But I didn't come back with a cup of hot espresso for him, but Zee, I asked him to deliver the espresso. Zee seemed to chat with him for a while, but then he came back with a tray and a rolled up piece of paper.

"He wanted me to give it to you." Ze give that piece of paper.

"I'll take you home when you finish your job." he wrote, and as soon as I read his handwriting I looked up at him but he seemed to be on the phone.

"Oh . . . what does he really want?" I muttered in my heart. Zee seemed to have been curious all along, until she decided to ask me directly. "What did he write?"

I quickly rolled up the paper and put it in my apron pocket. "Oh, it's a college assignment."

"You mean girl, how can he give you college assignments when you're not in college."

"Who knows. Ask him, he is the lecturer..." I immediately carried the tray of dirty cups to the back sink for Susan to clean.

"You need my help?" I asked Susan and she nodded. "If you're not busy."

"Not for the moment." I smiled in relief, of course hiding behind would keep me from seeing the man at least for a while.

***

My shift is over, and I can go home. I thought the man had left because table number thirteen had changed people.

"See you tomorrow." Uncle Bento said with his trademark smile.

"See you."

I walked out of the shop clutching my sling bag and suddenly the sound of a car horn startled me. I turned and the car window rolled down.

"Come in." Said the man in the car with the car stopped on the side of the sidewalk where I was walking, while the engine was still running. "I'll take you home."

"I . . . live in the dorm." My reply was curt, and of course it would make him think of taking me home. He's a lecturer and I'm a student, we can't be seen together anywhere if we want to live a normal life and stay away from any rumors.

"Dorms?" His brows furrowed, he didn't seem to like hearing my answer. "Ok I'll take you there."

"All the college students will know that you drive me to the dorm tonight, and there will be the huge rumors about you, Sir."

"So what?" The answer is indifferent.

"You're going to catch some cheap gossip."

"I don't care with that, come on in."

I considered for a while until I finally got into the man's car, I mean Mr. Christ, my lecturer. It feels crazy, in my entire life I have never ridden in a luxury car, let alone this luxury.

"It's nice to see you again."

"We will meet every Saturday." Why did he say it was nice to see me again when we would meet every Saturday as lecturers and students.

"I know." The answer is short.

I looked down not daring to look at him, he really is like a perfect Greek god especially behind the wheel of his luxury car, with a blazer and shirt that is much more formal and also a super luxury watch that he wears.

"You've intrigued me since our lecture this morning, Miss Isabella."

"Me? Why?" My brows furrow, and I finally dare to look at him.

"You look different from the rest of your friends."

"Oh..." I looked down. "I'm older than them. That's what you mean, Sir?"

"It's not about that."

"Then?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I don't know how to describe this thing." He said he didn't even know how to describe what he meant by "different".

"Is it different on a good way or bad way?" I asked doubtfully. And he answered curtly. "Good way."

"Maybe it's because I was the only student on campus who went to college on a scholarship." I looked down. "And I'm the only one who wasn't born into a business family, or at least I'm an orphan."

He looked at me even though I didn't dare look back at him, but out of the corner of my eye I could see he was looking at me.

"You have more competence than children born to entrepreneurs, even conglomerates."

"Just because I managed to guess whether you're married or not?" I asked innocently, he really can't say I'm competent when we've only met for a few hours.

He smiled. "You're so innocent, even looking a little shy."

"Is that a competency?" I asked doubtfully, because it was clearly not competence at all.

"People like you are very easy to shape, because you are very pure. Unlike people who feel they are capable, feel they have so much that they don't need to process anymore." He said ambiguously. I guess I didn't even get the meaning of the sentence.

"You're wasting your time chatting with me, Sir. I don't really understand what do you want to talk to me, what the purpose?" I looked at him, somehow I felt I had to end this unbalanced chat.

"It's Saturday, I have a lot of time to waste." He change the topic. "And I need an assistant to tidy up the library at my house. Do you still need a part-time job?" he asked and this seemed like a more reasonable conversation compared to everything we'd been talking about since I got into his car.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah . . . my library is so messy I didn't have time to tidy it up. I even had to find some books to make course materials. I think you can help me."

I didn't immediately agree, because to be honest I'm still confused about why he chose me, even though there are many other students who are much smarter than me to help him.

"Aren't there many other students who are far more competent than me, Sir?" I asked him.

"I told you I see you differently, but if you ask too many questions I might change my judgment about you." He turned to me. "I like that you don't talk much." He said again and I couldn't say anything.

"When can you start work?" He asked, but I didn't answer him. "I'd prefer it if you could get to work ASAP." he added. "Can you do that now?" He asked again, even though I had not answered the previous question, his eyes look like intimidate me, or bewitched me more precisely until I answered, "If you wish."

"Good, we are going to my house now." He said and the luxury car turned around.

"I like working with people who don't talk much and don't procrastinate." He said those lines on our way to his house, and the rest of the way I didn't say anything.