Before reading this story, as the author, I want to inform you that the setting of the story is in Indonesia. Thank you.
***A man in a neatly pressed long-sleeved shirt with a well-tied tie, slicked-back hair, thin-framed square glasses, perfectly ironed black cotton pants, and shiny dress shoes wrapped his tall and well-built frame. He made sure to showcase his sharp appearance every day; it was a must for every employee in the Senayan branch.
Polite and neat.
For him, a polished appearance was not only polite but also had added value when serving customers, whether they came with complaints or pockets full of cash. Especially for the front liners and customer service, there was an additional requirement they had to adhere to: clear smile. If that was missing, get ready to be scolded by the man who was now looking at his subordinates one by one for almost the entire day.
Monday briefings were something the man never missed. Thomas Adam, the man's name, was as sturdy as a brand-new plywood sheet bought at a hardware store. He continued to implement all the procedures desired by the head office to this day. It was no surprise that Thomas often received awards as the most disciplined Branch Manager throughout Senayan.
His career could be considered smooth; his career progression had been somewhat stalled at the supervisor level for a while. But when a big promotion came along, not to mention a significant one, Thomas's name was at the top of the list to serve as the Branch Manager of the SAVEFUND bank branch in the Central Business District (CBD).
"Mrs. Marta," he called out to the deputy branch manager, a fairly attractive woman. His call made the owner of the name turn her head.
"Yes, sir?"
"Extra points for this morning's briefing from me, please pay more attention to the front liners. Serve customers with sincerity as per our slogan."
"Of course, sir," Marta replied with a faint smile. Her lips, painted in a soft red shade, added to her allure. "Is there anything else?" She also dared to look at the handsome and gallant man standing beside her. The light blue color of the shirt he was wearing that morning added to Thomas's handsome and gallant demeanor.
"That's all."
After Marta concluded this briefing, Thomas promptly returned to his office. Sometimes, Marta wondered, why did she have to lead the briefing when it was Thomas who talked the most about the reports read by all the employees? Why wasn't it her turn? If there was something wrong with her delivery, Thomas would protest, but he wouldn't say a word himself.
Annoying, right?
That was one of the many irritating things about Thomas. It was not uncommon for him to be the center of attention among the employees. Unfortunately, his handsome and charismatic appearance often came to his rescue.
The fossil on his left wrist pointed to eight in the morning. From the CCTV screen directly connected to his office, he could see that there were already several customers queuing around the counters, whether at the teller or heading towards customer service. Everything seemed to be under control. Thomas felt a little relieved. He could now focus on his other tasks, especially the issue of increasing the soft loan target that the CBD branch had to meet for customers applying for loans.
"The target is rising, but approvals are really tough," Thomas muttered quietly. He picked up one of the loan applications to review after it had passed the analyst's desk. For loan applications, Thomas had more responsibilities because he couldn't just approve them casually. He was pressured from two sides: the target and the outstanding customer arrears that were stuck.
He couldn't allow these two factors to shatter the image he had built. That's why he needed to concentrate on analyzing customer data more and consider whether it was worth granting a loan or not. Some he set aside to request additional information, while for some files, he only looked at the names. Typically, customers who received the green light from SAVEFUND had a good and smooth payment history.
His phone rang loudly, breaking his concentration slightly. His mother's name appeared on the screen, prompting him to sigh. He was pretty sure about what she was going to talk about. But if he didn't answer soon, he was afraid he'd be cursed as one of the disobedient children.
"Good afternoon, Mom," he greeted warmly. He loosened his tie a bit to relieve the sudden tightness he felt, and he leaned back in his big chair.
"You haven't even said hello yet," she scolded.
Thomas grinned. "If I don't respond to your greeting, you'll complain later."
"You're something else," his mother, Kalina, said in a tone that brooked no argument. "Where's your future son-in-law?"
"When will you ask about my well-being before asking about your future son-in-law?"
"As long as you answer the phone without groaning like you've been punched; I know you're in good health."
This time, Thomas sighed. "Your future son-in-law hasn't been born yet."
"Can't you answer a question without being so cheeky?"
"Can't you ask without making Thomas feel intimidated?"
There, Kalina successfully chuckled. "Do you consider your mother your boss?"
Nevertheless, Thomas still smiled faintly. He couldn't even count how many times his mother had asked about the prospective son-in-law he had yet to introduce to her. If he could count, it would probably be in the thousands. But Thomas still hadn't brought anyone with urgency. It was better to give a casual answer every time his mother asked than to let his heart ache from a love that had been broken.
"Don't stay single for too long, Thomas. Your mother is tired of being teased by the neighbors every day."
"Neighbors are like online CCTV, Mom. To avoid CCTV, it's better for you to stay at home. Besides, the government is recommending it, right?" Thomas quipped while suppressing a laugh.
"Do you think I've got COVID? Praying for me to be taken away by the Covid officers?" Kalina retorted with irritation.
"Mom, can you please not be so hasty with your words?" Thomas wasn't entirely comfortable with it, but because his mother often complained about this, he went along. "Neighbors won't be satisfied until they have their eyes on everyone else. Besides, it's Thomas who wants to get married, not the neighbors. Even if Thomas's wife isn't good, it will still be a topic of conversation. Does Mom want an unfit daughter-in-law?"
Kalina sighed softly. "Granting my wishes is so difficult."
"I've granted them before, but God and the universe didn't approve."
"Talking to you is hopeless," Kalina grumbled on the other end. "Never mind. When are you coming home? It's been a month since you last visited."
"As long as I'm not asked about a prospective son-in-law."
Thomas's ears weren't deaf to his mother's exasperated tone. She grumbled because her biggest wish couldn't be fulfilled by her son. What else could he do? Thomas was traumatized. The pain still lingered to this day. Until the phone call was disconnected, Thomas remembered events from the past.
Events that had changed his life, making him much more closed off than before. It had also hardened his heart, as if he had been washed up on the shores of the Bogor.
Every morning for Olive was a delight. Opening her eyes with a sparkle of happiness was a duty. So for Olive, it was just like any other morning. This morning too, she had to greet it with joy. She immediately put on a smile with a blush on her slightly chubby face. Her shoulder-length, somewhat reddish-blonde hair was tied up high. She already had her black backpack with a BTS keychain hanging on its right side slung over her shoulder.She was ready to go to work. But before she actually left, bidding farewell to her mother was a must. Although..."Mom," she whispered half-heartedly. She crouched down slightly to level herself with her deeply sleeping mother. "Olive's leaving. Breakfast is ready. Don't have coffee first, Mom. Cut down on cigarettes.""Rude," her mother grumbled with a soft and husky voice. Her eyes still refused to open. She just shifted to change her reclining position. "Be careful on the road, Olive."Olive smiled faintly. "Okay, Mom. Olive's leaving."There was no
The beautiful woman in a black blazer paired with a striking red blouse walked confidently. Her eyes occasionally scanned the surroundings as she strolled down the corridor. She didn't want anything out of place because the boss liked perfection. Or maybe she would find an administrative staff member she had been monitoring, busy with their work, engrossed in their phone. It's not forbidden, but personal phone use had its own time."Good afternoon, Ms. Marta," greeted one of the administrative staff members, named Kiara."Good afternoon, Kiara," Marta smiled tightly.That was it. The rest of them returned to their work, and Marta continued her steps towards the boss's office. In Marta's eyes, the head of the SAVEFUND CBD branch was quite unique. Not much talkative, rarely seen socializing with other staff members, having lunch alone, and when he did speak, it was enough to create tension and a pounding heart. His voice was firm, and he didn't want much small talk; he wanted things to
A week has passed since Olive was asked to transfer to the CBD branch. Ever since she received her transfer letter, Olive hasn't been too calm. Several times, she tried to find information about the situation in Jakarta, but always came across one name.Thomas Dimitry Adam."I heard he's the kind of branch manager who's rigid. Not much talk. Not fun, you know. Unlike Bu Sonia."Olive feels even more nervous."But he's the only one who's annoying. The others are cool. Bu Marta, the Deputy Branch Manager, is nice too. Not annoying like him," Riana informed."Know-it-all, huh, Riana," Darius said as he took a bite of his lunch. His date invitation failed. Olive declined, citing the shock of receiving the sudden transfer letter. Darius tried to invite Olive to spend time together again, but it always ended in rejection. Sometimes Darius was confused about how far he should take the embarrassment of being rejected multiple times by Olive; he never took it to heart."Ugh!" Riana pouted. "I
Olive blinked slowly. She didn't expect this kind of response from someone she had just met."Are you still going to stand there?" the man interrupted Olive's reverie."Oh, no, sir," Olive replied, folding her lips, trying to smile genuinely, though her heart suddenly felt incredibly heavy. How could her first meeting with her boss give her the impression that her new workplace would be uncomfortable? Oh my gosh! She then walked to the spot indicated by Thomas.Handsome but annoying like this, his level of handsomeness has decreased significantly! Olive grumbled inwardly."This is my transfer letter, sir." Before being asked, Olive had already given the letter to Thomas, who was busy with his reports again. Her mind immediately compared Sonia's and Thomas's treatment."Sonia would never be like this. Geez... it's only the first day, and he's already getting on my nerves!" Olive looked at her interlocutor, who was also her boss."I've read the letter," Thomas said briefly without bothe
Olive pouted, scowling for about five seconds. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between Riana and Darius, clearly annoyed. "Useless friends," she muttered. "Hey, Liv, we are useful. Look, we found out the real gossip," Darius said. "What!" Olive put her spoon down a bit forcefully. She had devoured a bowl of meatball soup with instant noodles that she loved. Though she was full, thinking about the behavior of someone like Thomas earlier made Olive want to eat even more. "Don't let it spread everywhere, okay? I don't want trouble at my new workplace." Riana and Darius laughed even more. "You're taking it too seriously," Riana said while patting Olive's shoulder. "It's not just about being too serious, Na." Olive's shoulder slumped. "He's just so annoying, seriously. Totally different from Mrs. Sonia. I really regret agreeing to this transfer." "It's only been a day, Liv," Darius chimed in. "Aside from the new boss, is there anything
Once again, Olive checked the condition of her house. She didn't want to leave anything behind, especially issues with the stove and electricity. She was very afraid of causing problems because of those two things. And since the distance from her house to her office took up quite a bit of time, she intentionally left much earlier than usual."Hey, Olive, are you heading out already?" Bu Kiran, one of her neighbors, asked. The black bags she was carrying suggested she might have just come from a local store."Yeah, Bu," Olive replied with a friendly smile. "I'm leaving first.""Be careful, Liv. Why are you heading out so early?" Kiran was a bit surprised. In Kiran's eyes, Olive was a good and polite girl, despite her mother..."Yeah, I am. I've moved to an office in the CBD."Kiran simply nodded in response to Olive's words. "The CBD is quite far, isn't it? Well, you take care, Liv."Once again, Olive nodded."Has your mother not woken
Olive stomped her foot in frustration. She hit the innocent motorcycle's seat quite hard. If only she could scream in the parking lot to vent her anger, she would have done it. But Olive was using her wits to behave herself. She didn't want to unleash her desire to curse out her boss right now. And what if someone else heard her and made things even messier?Being humiliated in front of Dela and Ayana was already bad enough.She breathed heavily in frustration, scanning her surroundings. "Argh!" She couldn't take it anymore. "So annoying!!!" She wanted to say: "You damn boss, you're so annoying and jobless!" But she held back. "Oh Lord! Give me plenty of patience! Don't let me grow old in my mind because of this crazy boss!"But Olive couldn't get rid of the image of her boss and his words, still echoing in her mind since earlier.It all started during the busy hours when the queue was quite long, and one of the priority customers wanted to be served firs
Olive winced for a moment as her neighbor tended to her. Her mother still hadn't come home, and she didn't know if her daughter's arm needed medical attention, although it was just a minor injury, it still hurt. Luckily, Olive's neighbor was a kind-hearted person, even though she often criticized Olive and her mother for working in what they considered an unsuitable place. At least someone cared about Olive, right?"If possible, don't go to work tomorrow, dear," Miranda said. She was the neighbor who was tending to Olive's injured arm. Getting pinned under the motorcycle and getting a small scratch on her elbow had caused her a lot of pain on her way home earlier. She decided to leave her motorcycle in the parking lot of the building instead of riding it with her injured hand, a suggestion Yohanes had strongly encouraged (more like forced)."What's the rush, anyway? You acted like you'd seen a ghost." Yohanes laughed as he picked up Olive's fallen motorcycle, the resul