Slow but Sure
Usually, Samuel takes or picks up Ariana at the front of the road. This time, the man parked his car right in front of the orphanage, just like his last visit.
Of course, it wasn’t easy for the man to park his car there. He had argued for a moment because Ariana objected that Samuel had to come down and return to visit the orphanage where the woman lived.
“What are you doing downstairs? It’s better to go home,” Ariana refused. He was already getting out of the car. But, seeing Samuel, who also wanted to follow, he immediately confronted her that second.
“So what if I come down? Is there a problem? Besides, I want to meet Ms. Clara while giving information about my extended family’s plans to visit me to propose.”
Ariana sighed. Why is it so hard to understand Samuel? Of course, he had a reason why he refused to let his boss stop at the orphanage where he had been living all this time.
The last time the man came to the orphanage, his left and right neighbors got excited. Some even go so far as to gossip that Ariana is trying to hook up a rich tycoon so she doesn’t have to live such a hard life as now.
And if this time they find out that Samuel is back for a visit, then tomorrow, there will surely be slanted rumors spreading. Ariana could even guess that if later the neighbors found out that she was going to marry the daughter of a conglomerate, then there would be lots of gossips.
Ariana herself was originally ignorant of all kinds of talk. It’s just that he doesn’t like Clara’s mother. Her mother couldn’t bear to think about it because her foster children were told things that weren’t true.
“Okay, no need for all kinds of pleasantries, sir. My foster mother knows your family will come home with the extended family on Saturday.”
“What’s wrong with you? So what if I want to meet you now?”
“That’s not it, sir. I don’t like the neighbors,” Ariana explained. “Here, the neighbors are always confused. Here, you park your car in front of the orphanage like this; tomorrow, it will become the subject of one RT’s story.”
Samuel laughed. But with a serious face, the man returned to speak indifferently.
“If it’s not good, just give it a cat. It’s tired of trivial things like this using everything unpleasant with the neighbors,” said Samuel later. “What difference does it make if I visit now or later, Ariana? After all, in the end, both of you will still be here. Besides, you should be proud to be gossiped about by a handsome and famous person like me.”
“Jesus Christ. Why are you so selfish, sir? I’m serious.”
“You thought I was joking? Besides, I purposely stopped by to pick you up and Clara’s mother. Don’t forget; we have a dinner schedule together.”
After saying that, Samuel casually released the key and opened the car door. Get out of the vehicle, then walk leisurely towards the orphanage building, about 50 meters from the parking lot.
Ariana, who could no longer stop Samuel, could only chuckle loudly. In that second, he immediately followed the annoying boss who had arrived in front of the terrace of the orphanage building. From here, Ariana finally understood that Samuel was a stubborn type of man who couldn’t be stopped in the slightest.
“Mr. Samuel, just wait here. Let me and Mother get ready first,” Ariana ordered Samuel to sit in the available chairs on the front porch.
“Would you like me to wait inside?”
“No need. Just stay here. If you protest a lot, it’s better to go home.”
Samuel chuckled back. Waving his right hand, the man asked Ariana to come in so he could prepare immediately. While waiting, he was busy playing with the orphans who approached him.
“Big brother, do you want to take Ariana for a walk?” asked Alula-the little girl who, the other day, asked Samuel to help explain how to use shavings.
“Yes. Tonight Sis Samuel borrowed Sis Ariana and Mother first, okay?”
“Where are you going?” asked the girl curiously.
“Want to go for a walk?”
“How come the rest of us weren’t invited too?”
Samuel immediately scratched her eyebrows. That didn’t itch. Now he is confused about what kind of explanation he should give to the orphans looking at him with pitiful faces.
It’s your fault for answering without thinking first. He should have said that he was taking Ariana and Clara out tonight because he had work instead of going out.
“Alula and the other younger siblings. Tonight, Sis Samuel, Sis Ariana, and Mother are not just taking a walk. But there are things to be done.”
“But it’s still called traveling, Sis. All of us who live here have never gone out there once. At best, we are invited to attend a celebration or read a prayer together.”
Samuel was getting worse and worse. Moreover, all the children kept looking at him with sad faces as if asking for mercy.
“For tonight, Samuel can only bring Ariana and Mother. But I promise, next time, I’ll take you all for a trip to Dufan and Seaworld.”
“When?”
“Yes, it’s true. Time to lie. Anyway, soon. Wait for Sis Samuel’s work to finish everything.”
“It’s Fun!!!”
All the children immediately jumped for joy. It’s nice to hear what Samuel promised.
“Don’t mess around, sir. A promise is a debt that must be kept. Lying to an orphan is a big sin, you know!” From the direction of the door, Ariana appeared and immediately grabbed the conversation between Samuel and the other orphanage children.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
He didn’t like it when Samuel gave false hope to her younger siblings, who had high hopes. Ariana certainly didn’t want to see their hearts broken because they hoped too much for the pseudo-promise that Samuel had made.
“Who’s lying? You’re very suspicious.”
“Your father looks suspicious.”
Samuel snorted indignantly. Lazy to debate at length what Ariana said, she preferred to greet Clara, who had just left and was ready to go.
“Mother, how are you?” greeted Samuel kindly.
“Very good. How about Mr. Samuel himself? Thank you all for being invited and bothering to be picked up.”
“It’s okay, Mother. A future son-in-law must be like that, right?”
Ariana, who stood beside Clara, felt like throwing up. Ariana admits that her boss is very good at winning other people’s hearts, whether it’s just acting or Samuel’s attitude.
Samuel’s attitude was completely different from usual. He wasn’t as annoying when he was angry or when he was having an argument with her.
“Yes. For the size of the future son-in-law, Mr. Samuel has already graduated.”
“Because you have passed the exam, just call her Samuel from now on. Don’t use the labels of father or sir. Let’s get to know each other better.”
“I swear, yes! You want a lot.” Instead of Clara, instead of Ariana, she was protesting again. The longer, the more exasperated woman saw her boss’s behavior.
“You too, Ariana. You should start by now getting used to calling me Samuel. Or if you want to call me affectionately like baby, honey, or bee, that’s fine too. I’m not forbidding you,” said the man on purpose.
“Don’t dream too much, sir!”
***
As soon as they arrived at the residence of the extended Walters family, Ariana, and Clara were immediately greeted by Arabella and Alfonso with great enthusiasm. Even though they are known to be very rich, the husband and wife couple did not in the least mind the social status of the two guests tonight.
Full of kindness, Arabella took Clara to enter immediately. Then, afterward, he invited the foster mother to walk into the family room to be invited to sit there together.
“Thank you very much, Mother, for coming to our house. I am happy that Ariana and her foster mother took the time to come to fulfill the dinner invitation I made.”
Clara smiled back kindly. Little did not expect the welcome given to him.
“You’re welcome, ma’am. I’m also very grateful for being invited to come here.”
“Neither of us wants to waste time,” Arabella continued. “Ariana must have told me about Samuel’s plan to marry her. For this reason, Samuel’s father and I specifically invited Mrs. Clara to discuss the relationship between our children.”
Clara smiled again. At first, he was hesitant to let Ariana marry Samuel. He felt strange when his foster child suddenly said he wanted to get married and would be proposed to soon.
However, after seeing Samuel’s attitude and the enthusiasm shown by her parents, Clara could breathe a sigh of relief. He felt that the man whose status was the boss of his foster child was sincere about his plan to marry Ariana.
“To be honest, I was surprised. But seeing how Samuel and her family couldn’t wait to get married, I couldn’t help but give my blessing.”
A smile immediately appeared on Arabella’s and Alfonso’s faces. Like they got the green light, both of them felt happy with Clara’s response.
Therefore, not wanting to waste the opportunity, Arabella again bombarded Clara with all the plans she had made. He was determined that his son should marry Ariana as soon as possible.
“In that case, do you mind if my husband, Samuel, and I come to your residence this weekend to propose to Ariana?”
Clara shook her head. He did not refuse the request that Arabella made just now.
“Of course I permit. It’s just…”
“Just what, Mom?” asked Arabella curiously when Clara didn’t finish her whole sentence.
“I’m afraid that Samuel’s family will feel uncomfortable. Because you know, the place where your mother and father are going to is an orphanage. It’s not a luxury house, let alone a high-rise building.”
Arabella angrily smiled in amusement. It turned out that it was a trivial thing that bothered the mind of his prospective in-laws.
“Don’t worry, let alone feel embarrassed. We are all the same. From the start, my husband and I didn’t mind Ariana’s background. After all, we already liked your foster child.”
After hearing what Arabella had just said, Clara was even more convinced to bless Ariana and Samuel’s relationship. He is sure Ariana will be happy if she becomes part of the Walters family.
“In that case, I am happy to wait for the arrival of ladies and gentlemen at the orphanage. One by one, the passed processions will run smoothly until D-day.
“Aamiin. We can’t even wait for that time to come.”