2

Conversations with Gina the other day always managed to make Tera's heart flutter. Very cloudy and uncompromising. Her face, which was originally wrinkled, became even more disorganized when she returned to the gorge at the place where Tera had first visited when she arrived in Makassar.

Gina is a friend who has no morals. While Tera is busy starting a career for a bright future, Gina continues to talk about the heart and its contents. What Gina talked about did not make Tera think about what Tera would do to her heart in the future. She was even more convinced of what she was doing now.

She was more and more sure to stay where she was and not destroy what she had built at this time. 

Tera then sat in the audience seat. The volleyball players are very good at holding and parrying the opponent's ball. Especially Yasin Gionanjar Tùmer. A man with a height of 195 with a Turkey-Indonesian crossbreed face who is being talked about a lot by everyone, because of his talent for playing volleyball which is beyond normal limits. The only Indonesian volleyball player recruited by the Turkey volleyball team to be able to play in the Turkey league. Gio is the only Indonesian player recruited by the world team. And Tera, as the chief executive of the volleyball sport held in her office, succeeded in bringing Gio into her team. It is an honor for her to invite world players to take part in her team. In fact, given Gio's busy schedule, the man could have refused his invitation to join.

"Ter, let's eat together."

Tera raised his eyebrows when he saw Mr. Anto, the coach of the PLN Bima Jakarta team, waving his hand to tell Tera to get off the audience seat. Tera's gaze was fixed on a group of people who were looking at her, waiting for Tera's answer. They can't eat if the boss is still watching them. How could the lackeys eat happily while the boss was still watching the subordinates? It's unethical.

Tera smiled and hurried down. Her stomach was also rumbling because it had not been filled with adequate nutritional intake for 2 days.

"It's okay to eat modestly, Boss?" Mr. Agus, one of the other trainers, asked Tera as soon as she had managed to get down from the audience.

Tera frowned in surprise. "Don't worry, sir." Then Tera immediately took the bowl that had been provided by the dryer. Coto Makassar has always been a mainstay of the menu when visiting here. "It's all right, sir. It's just..."

Everyone who heard Tera's words held their breath. It can be bad luck if the boss doesn't like the dish. And it will take a long time to order the dinner menu again. Already in at 11 pm? Which restaurants are still open?

"What's wrong? You don't like it?"

Tera shook her head. She immediately grimaced uncomfortably. She gave the bowl hesitantly to Mr. Agus. "Can I not have to wear an offal?"

"Oh?" Mr. Agus answered confusedly. The bowl Tera gave him was still hanging in the air. Coto Makassar without offal?

"I just want the meat, is it okay?" Tera answered awkwardly. "I don't really like offal." She said grinning.

Everyone then breathed a sigh of relief. Tera is indeed a boss who is not fussy about where to stop or the food provided. Tera is quite understanding and also friendly for the size of the Boss. Maybe because of her relatively young age, she has more respect for her co-workers, whose average age is above Tera.

"For the players ..." Mr. Anto exclaimed quite loudly. In front of him was already prepared food for the players which Tera believed must be healthy food. "I'm gonna absent for dinner now."

Then Pak Anto started to attend to the players one by one while giving each rice box full of nutrients to the players.

**

Tera walked into the fast-food restaurant she had promised today with Ghina.

She had returned from Makassar days ago. Her days in Makassar were so time-consuming that she couldn't tell anyone because the training and recruitment of core players had already started. The players are a little fussy because some have asked for this and that request, while the committee can only hold a re-meeting to agree on what the fussy player has asked for. Not a few ask for things that are not fair to the committee. One thing Tera remembers that her request was unnatural, namely, a new player who may be 17 or 20 years old, Tera doesn't remember, she asked for a top-level apartment and its contents as well as the car she used every day when the player was in Jakarta, nor personal bodyguards which must be two to three people. Of course, Tera flatly refused. After all, who the player is, it's pretentious. Like the game is just fine. Tera had no doubts about the way the Athlete played, it was just that his request was too complicated and excessive. As if the athlete has gone international. Even players who have traveled the world don't have such excessive demand.

Tera quite understands how to play volleyball. Luckily, she was born into a family where the average athlete is an athlete. The mother is a badminton athlete at the provincial level, she could not enter the national level because of financial problems that were not qualified at that time. Tera at least quite understands how to play other sports. Because her mother is not too pushy for Tera to know these sports. Her mother would immediately nod if Tera wanted to try something new. Tera used to always follow sports that she felt were enough to make her curious. From softball to baseball from football to volleyball Tera tried it all. Therefore Tera quite understands how the game is full of emotions and full of tactics.

Tera raised her eyebrows when she saw Ghina who was already sitting at one of the tables provided by the restaurant with a man who Tera knew very well inside and out.

Ghina immediately waved when she saw Tera walking doubtfully towards her. Her heart immediately felt bad for not telling her who she was bringing with him today.

"Tera." Adi greeted when Tera was sitting in front of him. "How are you?"

Tera looked at Adi with a confused look. The man looks fuller and ... different? Different in a good sense of course. It seemed that Tera had not seen the man in front of her in a very long time. "Good, how are you?"

"Ter," Gina cut in quickly. "He's the one who came along."

Tera nodded no problem. After all, the person was already in front of her. She didn't want to worry about unimportant things. It just feels like a waste of time.

"Why haven't you ordered food yet?" Tera called the waiter to order food.

It had been a long time since she had spent a day off without a job. Now is the time to relax. She must eat delicious food. After mentioning what menu and what drink she will order, she turns to Ghina and Adi who are still busy staring at her.

"When do you come back from Makassar?" Gina started when there was a long silence. "Did you bring my stuff?"

Tera nodded. "Yeah. It's in the car. You have a lot of souvenirs, and I don't want to bring them here. You'll also go with me later, so take it when you get home."

"How is Makassar?" Ghina asked after sipping her unsalted iced tea. "Did you get a boy?"

Tera groaned when she heard Gina's joking question. "Don't start."

"You're almost 30, Ter. The others are already married."

Tera chose to eat the food that was just delivered. The pasta in front of her was more tantalizing than the conversation that Gina had built.

"What's the matter, Gin?" Adi, who had been silent all this time, joined in. "Tera doesn't have a boyfriend yet?"

"I have no time," said Tera casually. She glanced at her cell phone which was showing a pop-up email from one of her offices. "I'm working, okay? You guys can talk first."

Without Ghina and Adi's approval, Tera opened the tablet that she always carried with her everywhere. The revision was waiting for Tera to justify it.

Gina growled in annoyance. "You don't eat?" Ghina turns her gaze to Adi.

"Not hungry yet." Adi looks at Gina. "We're just here to watch Tera work?"

"No," Gina shook her head. "Anne will be here too."

"Others want to follow too?" Adi asks hurriedly.

"Just Anne. She wants to take her child to Tera."

Unconsciously Adi breathed a sigh of relief. His brows dipped immediately upon hearing Gina's answer. "To Tera?"

Gina nodded amusedly. "Aren't you surprised?"

"Since when did Tera like children?" Adi asks in disbelief. His lips smiled in amusement.

"She was also surprised when her friends took their child to her. Even though she had a lot of work, Tera didn't like small children either."

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I have a heart as good as an angel anyways."

"Duh!" Gina laughed loudly. "They left their children with you because you're the only one who's not married. You're only busy with work. Don't take care of your children."

Tera didn't respond. Choose back to work and eat the pasta.

"Why isn't Ter married yet?" Adi asks, confused. Years ago, Tera was one of those women who always had a man to spend her weekends with. She was one of the people who became that man.

"There's no time," Tera replied, irritated. "Can't you see I'm still working now?"

Ghina took another sip of her plain iced tea. "That's true. Tera is too extra for herself. Weekends until weekends again, she's still working"

"What are you looking for, Ter, to work like a horse?"

"Being rich." Tera closed her tablet, put it back in the bag near her chair, and then went back to eating her pasta.

"Ouch, sorry it took so long." Anne came in a hurry with a large duffel bag filled with her child's equipment. She sits beside Adi and takes the first drink she sees.

"Relax, Ann," said Gina. "Anyway, the attached grandmother was busy at work."

Tera glared at Gina. The feeling of her best friend was bothering her today. "Where's the Ica?"

Before Anne could answer, her eyes already saw Adi who was sitting beside her, looking alternately between Ghina, Tera, and herself. Her eyes then looked at Tera. Ask for an explanation.

Tera shrugged her shoulders. She answered with a chin she pointed at Gina. "He came with Ghina."

"Gin?" Anne demanded an explanation.

"Umm ... he's the one who insisted. He said he wanted to meet Tera." Gina answered slowly. Who could lie to Anne? Barely any. Even her friends would immediately admit defeat if Anne started an argument.

Tera who heard Ghina's answer suddenly looked at Adi who laughed confidently. One of his behaviors that makes Tera always annoyed.

"Why do you want to meet Tera again?" Anne asked sharply.

"I just want to stay in touch with an old friend. She's the only friend of mine who hasn't seen the bridge of her nose since I graduated." Adi replies confidently. "Even when I chat her, I never get a reply. Or even a reply, but just a short text."

"Bullshit."

"That's right, Ann." Adi tries to convince Anne. "Every reunion, she never comes. Every time your gang gets together, she's never on your IG. Even her own IG is very quiet, quieter than a cemetery. Where have you been, Ter?" Adi turned to Tera who looked awkward in front of him.