ARNOLD AND JAYA

"If you're asking how I feel about Troy, right now I can only say that I liked him at first sight. But, not necessarily at the next meeting, this feeling of admiration will still be there. I can't come up with a mature answer at this point, Dad. So please, just tell me now about everything before I realize it too late and regret it later!" replied Mona firmly.

"You are smart and intelligent like mommy, Mona! For this I admit, that I didn't think long before including you in our plans," replied Arnold glumly.

"Just say it now, Dad. I'm ready to hear even the worst!" replied Mona confidently.

Arnold took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down before telling him how the plan to approach the Garendra family had started.

After calming down, Arnold began to tell the story of the beginning of his relationship with the Brawijaya family. And how did he become part of Brawijaya?

Arnold is an orphan who has been cared for in an orphanage since childhood. At that time Arnold was sitting on the edge of a not-so-wide artificial lake. A place where the orphanage's pet ducks roam and swim after leaving the cage.

At that time everyone was busy looking their best to welcome the arrival of the rich who would donate some money, food, and new clothes for the orphanage children.

Arnold wasn't interested at all. Picking duck eggs in the cage when the ducks come out and swim in the lake, is more fun than having to smile as sweetly as possible at rich people just to be given objects and money. Because without having to do such troublesome things, all the orphans would also receive their share.

Arnold didn't care about the crowd in the front yard of the orphanage. He began to squat in between the duck cage and occasionally dipped his hand into the hole in the ground where the ducks lay eggs.

There was no disgust in Arnold's heart because he was happy every time he saw tens or even hundreds of eggs scattered on the muddy ground ready to be picked up.

Counting the number of eggs he puts in the basket was something Arnold loved. He often forgets to eat breakfast first and goes straight to the duck coop when the sun starts to rise.

"Aren't you disgusted by holding those eggs?" asked a little boy who was about 4 years older than Arnold. He was Jaya Brawijaya who at that time was 13 years old and Arnold was 9 years old at that time.

"Not. It's really fun and exciting. But maybe you're disgusted that this kind of dirty isn't a toy for a rich kid like you!" replied little Arnold arrogantly.

For the first time, it seemed that Arnold had something to be proud of in the children of the rich people he met.

"Not entirely true! If you who are still a child are not disgusted, why should I lose to you? I want to try it too! I also want to quote the eggs too. May I?" asked Jaya curiously.

"You can't! You're going to get me in trouble! Your clothes are a little dirty, I'm sure I'll be scolded by the orphanage. Stay out of the cage or you'll get dirty!" Arnold said arrogantly to Jaya.

But, will an older child listen to what a snotty little kid like Arnold has to say to him? Of course not.

Unbeknownst to Arnold, who was busy picking up the eggs that were still scattered about, Jaya entered the cage quietly and took part in picking up the eggs that were scattered on the muddy ground.

When Arnold began to feel that someone was following his actions behind him, Arnold suddenly turned his body to make Jaya who was busy quoting and putting eggs in her bag into a shock, until Jaya fell into a puddle of mud and his body was really dirty like Arnold.

"I warned you not to follow me inside, didn't I? Why didn't you listen to me? Is every rich kid born stubborn?" asked Arnold angrily.

"Hey, arrogant little brat! Don't scold me. I'm older than you! Quickly help me up now! The duck egg in the back pocket of my pants is broken!" Jaya set to Arnold who was still furious.

An anxious and lazy look was on the little Arnold's face. It's not impossible that because it was Jaya who fell into the mud and was dirty, he would be the one who would be punished by the orphanage's mother for making the children of a rich person like Jaya feel uncomfortable.

Jaya stretched out his hand to Arnold to pull him who was having a hard time dealing with the slippery muddy ground.

"I'll help you if you agree to help me, how about that?" Arnold made an offer.

Jaya raised an eyebrow and thought. What would this arrogant little brat do to him? That's what's on his mind.

"Tell me what the offer is then I'll agree to what you want from me!" said Jaya weighing his decision.

"I don't want anything. I just want you to defend me in front of the orphanage's madam because I didn't invite you to be dirty like this. It's not my fault and tells them you wanted to go into the duck cage yourself, even though I told you not to!" said Arnold with his hands on his hips.

"Is that all? Alright, that's easy! So help me up, hurry up!" answered Jaya agreed.

Long story short, Jaya and Arnold got out of the duck cage and went straight into the bathroom near Arnold's room.

At that time the situation was very chaotic and panicked because Jaya's parents and bodyguards were busy looking for Jaya around the orphanage area.

Of course, the first place they went was not the rooms occupied by the orphans but the backyard of the orphanage and its surroundings.

Amid the excitement, Jaya, who finished cleaning the body, came out and approached his father in Arnold's shabby clothes that looked too small on Jaya's body.

The panic ended when Jaya had met her father and told him every incident that only the head of the orphanage had listened to. The head of the orphanage immediately apologized for the incident and promised that such problems would not be repeated in the future.

After Jaya and his father returned from the Orphanage where Arnold was, Jaya's smile grew because he was happy to have taught a lesson to an arrogant little boy like Arnold.

After Jaya left, Arnold got a punishment that made him sick, and had to sleep outside his room with the ducks in the cage.

A few days after the incident, Jaya felt bad for lying to everyone that Arnold was the one who asked him to pick up the duck eggs in the cage.

Jaya admits his mistake and invites his father to apologize to Arnold for his lie.

After Jaya returned to the Orphanage where Arnold was, he did not see Arnold anywhere, because Arnold was being treated at the village clinic due to fever after three nights of sleeping with the ducks in the cage.

Jaya was angry and asked his father to punish the head of the orphanage who had done this to Arnold.

After that Jaya asked his father again to bring Arnold home as his younger brother because Jaya feels he and Arnold are very suitable to be brothers.

From then on Arnold became part of Brawijaya.

"I owe a lot to Helena's father. He always stood up for me when I made a mistake. Bro Jaya treated me like his own brother. Covered my mistakes from his father and lied so I wouldn't be punished,"

"Even when I made a fatal mistake when I was just starting to help BroJaya in the office,"

"I accidentally lost important company data until the company lost tens of billions. And I was immediately kicked out without a penny by my adoptive father,"

Arnold paused for a moment because he enjoyed the moment of brotherhood that he was so proud of from a Jaya.

"Then, won't Uncle Jaya forgive you either, Daddy?" asked Mona who had been lost in her Daddy's life story.

Arnold shook his head and smiled.

"Bro Jaya didn't defend me when I was expelled. However, he was the one who brought me from the side of the road to this house. This house was his first property that was handed over to me for me to live in. This house is full of memories, Mona. So I came back here after decades,' said Arnold with bloodshot eyes looking at the room where they had been.

"Aren't we all in Canada I was born there too? Mommy is also from there and not from this country. Why didn't you ever tell me? Does Mommy know this story too?" asked Mona again.

"I was sent to Canada by Uncle Jaya because his father found out that I was just a parasite living on his son. I was saved again,"

"But after I was there. Uncle Jaya lost control of his property to support me there. His father blocked his life and property so that he would no longer send money to me again," replied Arnold with a sad smile.

Arnold continued his story about meeting his wife when he was on the road and was down.