You Turned Away From Me

The day has finally changed, but the sun had not fully risen yet. Nuansa woke at the usual time like when she was still actively selling cassava chips. The girl found her parents who are harvesting cassava as usual, because if they wanted to stop doing this business, they still had to harvest every day until the next week so that their farm can be empty.

To harvests all of the cassavas, there is no way they can eat all of the cassavas in a short time, right? Yups, it seems that Nuansa's parents had thought about this, but they didn't tell their daughter.

"Mom," said Nuansa when Durah came into their house after harvesting.

"Eh, you're already awake," said Durah.

"Emh, I'm late, huh?"

"No, even the sun has not risen yet."

"Hmm. Mom."

"Yeah?"

"Neptunus forgot to give me my wage yesterday, so I'm not going to deposit it to you today."

"No problem, it's okay that he forgot, you guys were got caught in the rain and came home wet, I think that all that he thought last night was only about you two until he forgot about your wage."

"Ehehe, it could be. But, mom ..."

"Hm? What?"

"It looks like I won't be selling chips anymore. Today, uncle Eugene, Neptunus' mom's future husband will come, maybe he will come in the afternoon or evening because Neptunus' mom only has free time at least six in the afternoon. Then before the arrival of uncle Eugene, Neptunus invited me to come to his campus, so, yeah, I probably won't be selling our chips anymore."

"So ...?"

"So why are you harvesting all that cassava for?"

"You mean you want us to let all of that cassavas turn into woods?"

"It's not like that either, but ... If mom and dad harvest those all, we can't eat all of the cassavas because there are so many of them, so my advice is not to harvest all of them."

"Some of it will be sold to the traditional market, so it doesn't matter."

"Ooh, I see."

"Everything we've already calculated, Nuansa, take it easy."

"Emh, hehehe."

"So, how was the party last night? You look so beautiful in your red dress," said Arfan.

"Thank you, Dad. The party was going well, everything was fine," said Nuansa who of course lied.

"Good, they turned out to be good people, huh?"

"They are."

"I'm glad to hear that, at least you're not in a bad circle."

"But that dress must be expensive, right?" asked Durah.

"It's from my wage, Mom, hehe, so my wage for yesterday is not full," said Nuansa, this time she lied again.

"So how much wage will you get?"

"Only ten percent of the normal wage."

"Not bad."

"Yes."

"That means the dress' price was around ninety percent of your wage?"

"Yes, about that much plus makeup."

"Oooh, I see."

'Forgive my sins, God, I have lied to my parents a lot,' thought Nuansa who's afraid because she kept lying to her parents, but she had no other choice, if she didn't lie, then they would tell her to stop working as Neptunus' hired girlfriend because they would worry about her.

Nuansa doesn't want to stop working before her contract expired just because something like last night happened, so she chose to lie.

Suddenly someone knocked on the door.

"I'll open the door first," said Nuansa, she then went to the front of her house and opened the door.

'Gosh, why is Neptunus so fast? I thought he will go to his college a little late, but it turns out this early,' muttered Nuansa. The girl was surprised to found that it was not Neptunus, but Reynand.

"Reynand?" said Nuansa.

"I'd like to have a private talk with you outside," said Reynand.

"For what? What do you want to talk about?"

"Not here."

"But—"

"Just follow what I say."

"Who is that Nuansa?!" asked Durah from inside.

"Emh, only some annoying kids, Mom! I'll come out first to serve them!" answered Nuansa.

"Don't pinch them! Just scold them, but not so loud, their mom are very nagging!"

"Okay, Mom! I understand that too!" Nuansa then exited and followed Reynand who led her out of the alley. 

"What?" said Nuansa.

"Tell me, about the person who hired you."

"The person who hired me?"

"You're working as a hired girlfriend right now, right?"

"How do you know?" asked Nuansa while frowning.

"Your parents told me."

"Huh?"

"I came to your house yesterday, and asked them your whereabouts, they then explained that you are now working as a hired girlfriend. They said that a man named Neptunus had hired you, right?"

"So, what does this have to do with you?"

"Neptunus changed you, right?"

"Reynand, what are you talking about?"

"Auntie Durah and uncle Arfan said he's a rich man, and I know that it made you turned away from me to him. Nuansa, I'm not a rich man, but my love to you is sincere, I thought you understood."

"So you're saying I'm a gold digger?"

"I didn't say that."

"Yes, you didn't say that, but that is the equivalent of what you said earlier. Sorry, but I'm not the type of women who only want a man because of their money, don't you think my economic condition makes me be like that, I don't like the way you thinking."

"But he made you change, right?"

"I changed in what way?! What changed from me?! Say it!"

"You turned away from me."

"I never loved you! How many times do I have to say that I never loved you?! Please respect my feelings, don't force me to love you."

"You're lying to yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"You have never told me about your true feelings for all this time, you also love me, but you don't dare admit it until finally that weird-name-man comes, you turned away from me, and in the end, you opened to me about your feelings for me which have changed because of that weird-name-man. I know, Nuansa, I understand that very well. Why? Because I love you sincerely, not for status and paying you for it."

"I don't understand you. You're the one who changed, this is not the Reynand I knew."

"Huh?" Reynand's facial expression then turned sad. "I want what's best for you, I warn you that I'm the best for you, not that weird name, but is this what I get in return?"

"You're the best? Excuse me, but one who praises us is not ourselves. And for your information, I think Neptunus is much better than you."

"It's up to you, most importantly, I've warned you, things will end badly with people like him, people who use money as a tool to make them seen and highly respected. Sadly, you are one of the victims." Reynand then left after saying that, leaving Nuansa in a very deep sense of unexpectedness.