A Guess

"Haish Alexa... why are you like a weeping goat?" Alexa cursed herself as soon as she woke up from her daydream.

She should have been in a hurry to go home, but instead was stunned by the man's good looks. Alexa is not a person who cares about the romance of college kids. She doesn't even tend to care about her friends in college. The only friend on campus --and even a boy -- is Angga. For her, college is just a place where she pursues her dream to be free from the confines of Ben ... her stepfather.

"I have to go home quickly, it's time for Mama to take medicine," she muttered and then spread her steps quickly.

She hastily put her phone in her backpack after she previously glanced at the notification that appeared on her cellphone screen: a message and a few missed calls from Angga. Alexa jogged a little when it turned out that raindrops were waiting for her to get out of the hospital. She ran to avoid the raindrops towards the nearest bus stop.

***

Alexa arrived home at exactly one o'clock in the afternoon. At least that's what she glimpsed on her living room wall clock. She walked very carefully, even making her steps as light as possible as if walking on a cloud. Of course, the only reason was to avoid running into the person she was trying to avoid so much.

"Where have you been?!"

Alexa tiptoed slightly to hear a curt voice from behind her ears. With lightning speed, she pulled her body away from the source of the sound. The hairs on her neck suddenly stood on end as she saw the figure standing in front of her - her stepfather --Ben.

"Deaf, huh?! Where have you been?! You can't see, what time is it? Where's my lunch?!"

"I-I ..." Alexa's tongue almost launched an answer sentence, fortunately her intelligent brain immediately blocked her tongue's desire.

"I-I have class this afternoon," said Alexa nervously. She lied on purpose. If she told the truth that she was from the hospital, it was certain that the man's strong hand would float to Alexa's cheek.

Ben really doesn't like it when Alexa comes home late for some other reason. The only excuse he could accept--even though it was heavy-hearted-- was a college excuse.

"Lecture you say?!" The man raised an eyebrow. "Stop your stupid lecture! You'd better work for me at a nightclub!" he continued.

Instantly Alexa's eyes flashed. She hated that sentence. The rumbling in her heart seemed to almost crush the defenses of her chest wall every time the bastard brought it up.

"Instead of you always spending the money left by your father on unimportant studies, you better work with me. You have something that johns really want. They would be happy to pour a lot of money on you. Of course for me as well as the person who looks after you" he said with the typical masher's smile.

Alexa stepped back when Ben's hand was about to reach her cheek. Alexa deliberately didn't brush off or spit in the man's face as usual but she chose to remain silent. It's not the fear that Alexa feels right now. She was trying to keep her emotions from exploding. She knew there was something more important than fighting Ben right now.

"Sorry, I have to see mom. It's time to take medicine," Alexa said as she tried to walk away from the man. Luckily, it turned out that Alexa's body was not blocked at all by his sturdy hands. Unlike the previous days, which were full of struggles when they had to deal with this man.

Alexa rushed into her mother's room, opened the door, and went straight in, then closed the door quickly.

"Haish ... I almost got caught," she muttered, stroking her chest.

"Find out what, Al?"

A soft, weak voice greeted her ears.

"Ah, Mama. It's nothing. Sorry, Al is late coming home. Mama must have waited a long time for Al, huh?" said Alexa as she approached her mother lying weakly on the bed.

The woman smiled gently while shaking her head weakly in response to her only child's question.

Alexa grabbed the delicate hand of the beautiful woman in front of her. The woman's beauty does not fade even though age and disease are eating away at her body; it can be seen from the strokes of the typical Asian woman's facial proportions.

"Mommy, have you eaten?" asked Alexa, confirming her suspicion.

There was a bowl of soup with the gravy still on it and an empty plate. For some reason, the plate didn't leave a single grain of rice left behind.

"Mama has eaten the soup your father gave you..."

"He's not my father!" interrupted Alexa, annoyed.

"Yes dear ... the soup is Ben's gift," said her mother gently.

Alexa always gets angry when her mother calls Ben as her father. Even so, she did not reveal the real reason for her hatred for her mother. Alexa only reasons that she has not been able to accept Ben as a substitute for her biological father.

"In that case, Mom is now taking medicine. Earlier, Al had already redeemed the medicine at the pharmacy this afternoon," said Alexa while taking out a plastic package containing the medicines she got from Doctor Agung.

She hopes that the medicine that Doctor Agung has prescribed can restore her mother's health.

"What's this mom?" Alexa asked as her eyes caught the small object lying beside the soup bowl.

"Oh ... that's mommy's favorite candy," said her mother.

'Since when did you have a favorite chewing gum?' Alexa thought.

Alexa reaches out and observes for a moment. It looks like candy, more precisely, chewing gum. She sniffed the candy scent. Strawberry aroma wafted from the candy. There's nothing out of the ordinary.

"Give me the candy, Al. I want to eat it now," said her mother.

"E-eh, mom... can I have this candy or not? I want to taste this gum too," said Alexa.

Although from the appearance of the candy it was just an ordinary candy, but Alexa's heart couldn't calm down giving her mother to eat it.

"You want it too? Then I'll ask Ben again later. But, for this one, I want to eat it now," she said, trying to grab the gum from Alexa's hand.

Alexa took her hand away from her mother's reach.

"Mom, for this afternoon, Mom, don't eat this candy, okay? Al will save this candy for Mom to eat in the night. Is it okay, Mom? Just once, Al please ... " pleaded Alexa pleadingly.

"But Ben said that candy can make mommy happier. If I don't eat it this afternoon, what will mommy be like, honey?" she asked no less pitifully than Alexa's face.

Alexa racked her brain so that her mother wouldn't eat the gum. If her suspicions were correct, the chewing gum was the cause of her mother, who was always hallucinating and showing symptoms of insanity as the doctor said. She had to take the gum to doctor Agung.

"Okay, if mom asks for it, Al will give it. But, Al has a request."

Her mother's face was instantly confused after the twinkle in her eyes showed joy because Alexa would give back her favorite candy.

"Al, I want to skip college starting tomorrow. Al wants to accompany mom at home. Al doesn't want to go to college anymore."

"Why is that? You can't stop studying. Your late Papa has made a will that you finish your studies and become a successful doctor. Weren't you the one who was determined to become a doctor so that you could treat your mother?"

For a moment Alexa's mind remembered the father figure she loved so much. A father who always supported her childhood dream ... to become a doctor. Until now, Alexa is attending college in her final semester, and even then because of the support from her father both in terms of knowledge and attention and material. Even though he has died, her father's support is still flowing; there is Alexa, the property she inherited for herself in the form of education insurance.