A Bottle of Beer and a Glass of Milk

The day was getting late as the reports that had been mounting since this morning gradually became few. Time flew quickly. Lisa thought that she and her co-workers would not be able to finish their work in one day, but the reality said differently. Soon, all of their work would be finished! Lisa couldn't wait to rush out of the office building and invite Andien to unwind at the Sky Lounge.

Andien approached her friend who was still struggling with the silly papers. She saw Lisa's face, which looked tense, "Lisa, are you okay?"

"Hm, why Andien?"

"How come your face is really tense, what are you thinking about, Lis?"

"Oh, it's okay. I just suddenly remembered about my savings that Aditya took away with me." Lisa said while typing.

"The problem is that I have to pay for the house tax, which is increasing over time, not to mention paying for my mother's medical treatment which is not cheap either!" Lisa confided, "Plus Bella's semester fee. Ah, I'm stressed, Ndien!"

"Ouch, that's really bad, Lis."

"To make matters worse, I have a new problem which makes things even more complicated!"

"Do you want to tell me, Lis?"

"By the way, have you finished your work, Ndien?"

"Please, just send an email to Mr. Bisma anyway!"

"Come on, pull it out! I really can't stand wanting to vent, but I can't in this office, Ndien." Lisa got up from her chair, took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, "The rest of my work, I should just throw it in Damar, right? There aren't many, only a few pages left."

"Yes, it's up to you, Lis. But if I were you, I would throw it at Damar too. I'm already bored and want a party!" Andien said.

"Yes, let's go to the Sky Lounge!"

As usual, the Sky Lounge was never empty of visitors, especially on weekends. The place had become the second home for residents of the capital, mainly office workers. Not only that, conglomerates often made Sky Lounge a place to stop to just laugh with their colleagues while sipping alcoholic drinks and enjoying electronic music. Both local and foreign visitors, they had one goal in common—party!

Lisa and Andien came still wearing their office clothes. Before sitting down and ordering a drink at the bar, the two of them stopped briefly to the toilet to tidy up their clothes and fix their already messy makeup due to sitting in the office for hours and struggling with financial reports.

Lisa was standing by the sink, staring at her dull face in the mirror. She sprinkled the brand powder on her oily, slippery face, and her face suddenly became rougher and looked cleaner. Her pale lips were polished with bright red lipstick to make it look fresher.

Andien on the other hand preferred to tinker with her hair, which was always messy after work. She took out a flat iron and ironed her hair, which was starting to smoothly fall apart.

"Look at you, taking a vise everywhere!" Lisa chuckled looking at her flirtatious friend.

"You don't have a problem with your hair! Having fluffy and slightly curly hair is really troublesome! Especially after working, my hair looks like the king of the forest, Lis!"

"Well, whatever." Lisa commented, "Eh, did Karina make new gossip at the office?"

"So far, not yet. Oh yeah, you said you wanted to tell me, right?"

"Yes, I'll give you a secret. The point is, the foreigner who I met at the Sky Lounge was the same foreigner you saw at the office!"

"What?! Is it true Lis? So who is the foreigner in the office??"

Lisa pulled out the vise cable that Andien was holding and said, "Let's continue at the bar with Dimas!"

The two women left the toilet elegantly. Lisa's face and lips, which were pale before, were now red and fresh. The same also applied to Andien, who looked messy when she entered the bar but now had become neat again like she had taken a bath. They both walk towards the Bar. There, Dimas was standing at the bar ready to serve visitors with his alcoholic drink concoctions.

"Hey Lisa! Andien! Have you recovered, Lis?" Shouted the bartender from the bar table, his hands waving at the two women.

"We want a party! Woohoo!" Andien said happily. She had not been having fun at the club before tonight.

"So ladies, what do you want to drink tonight?" Dimas threw down the syrup bottle swiftly.

"I'm like the usual Dim!" Said Lisa. Andien also nodded wanting the same thing. They both sat right in front of Dimas who was busy preparing drinks. Occasionally, Andien looked behind him to observe the clear view of the male visitor. Lisa and Dimas exchanged glances while making small talk.

Shortly after the small talk, Lisa started a serious conversation.

"I got something to tell you guys." Said Lisa while taking a deep breath, "The foreigner who brought me here yesterday when I passed out is the new president director of the Petersson Communication company office!"

Dimas and Andien were silent for a moment digesting the story that Lisa had just told. They both gaped in shock and showed a look of disbelief.

"How come I don't know, Lis? There's no announcement at the office yet?" Andien's surprise turned into confusion, "Then what is the relationship with Karina and the gossip?"

"I will tell you about that Karina bitch!" Lisa shrieked, pounding the bar in annoyance.

"Chill Lisa, chill. Your money will run out just to replace the cost of damage to this bar table. Tomorrow Monday just beat her!" Dimas said as he handed a can of beer to Lisa.

"Beer? You seriously give me a drink for a little boy?!"

"Do you remember last Wednesday?" Dimas wagged his index finger.

"Hey yeah, just beer so you don't get drunk badly!"

"So what about Karina? What else does she do?" Andien asked, increasingly curious.

"She caught me and the foreigner in the president director's office and kept threatening to spread bad gossip about me and him!"

"By the way, what's the name of Caucasian man? I mean, Mr. President Director." Andien asked while sipping her beer.

"His name is Oscar Petersson. You know, he's the only child of our former president!"

"Shit! Our president is really handsome, isn't he?" Andien said.

Lisa sighed, "Oscar is weird! He is terrible and cold but exorbitantly handsome! I'm confused about what to do! My life has gotten even more unclear since the hangover incident last Wednesday!"

"Hmmm, Aditya's new replacement… Am I right, Dimas?" Andien exchanged glances with Dimas and smiled.

"Hush! What are you talking about?" Lisa exclaimed irritably, "It's worse! Because when I got drunk, I made out with Oscar in the Sky Lounge toilet. Do you think Oscar came to the office just to say that he is the new president? I'll just die."

"What?! You made love to the new president director, Lis?" Andien spat out the beer she sipped, "You're crazy!"

"Well, I only worry about one thing. At that time, did you use a condom or not?" Dimas asked, wiping the glasses that had just been washed.

"Eh, don't say anything weird… don't say anything weird Dim!"

"This is serious, Lis! People don't often use condoms when they are really desperate!"

"What?!" Lisa was silent for a moment before finally continuing, "Dim, what will happen to me?"

"Ah, don't panic! With that problem, I have an acquaintance, an abortion doctor with affordable price. Just in case if you are really knocked up."

"You're just crazy, an abortion costs more money than my mother's medical expenses!"

"Yes, I hope it won't happen to you then. Your life burden is too heavy and your financial problems are already complicated." Andien said.

A person in a black coat and white shirt decorated with a fiery red tie came from the entrance. He looked around the room, and dropped his eyes on the bar where Lisa and her friends were. They were not aware of the man's presence.

"Bartender!" The man exclaimed, brandishing a finger. The man sat right next to Lisa who was oblivious to his presence, "One bottle of cold beer and a glass of milk for this beautiful lady next to me!"