Kapitel 11: Seven Years Ago

OCTOBER 2012

Andrea had never been abroad before. This was the second time he had set foot in the airport. Today, he had to fly to Singapore for a job interview at an international IT company. The airport had changed quite a lot now compared to when he first came here.

He still remembered the event three years ago. He was not sure about Adeline's flight schedule. He only knew that she would fly to London that evening. Andrea had checked all reasonable flight schedules and decided to arrive early.

He waited in front of the entrance, looking intently at everyone who came, hoping to meet Adeline and convince her to give him a second chance.

Adeline was his first girlfriend, the only girl he had ever loved. They met at school at the time of the freshmen admission ceremony and immediately fell in love at first sight. It sounded crazy, but that was what happened.

Andrea remembered the morning sun sweeping over the girl's childish face transformed into a halo that fascinated him for a moment. The two of them were still wearing junior high school uniforms and were lined up in the school courtyard to receive guidance from their seniors about the extracurricular and club activities.

Adeline smiled shyly when she was appointed as the representative of female freshmen to symbolically received the high school uniforms. Meanwhile, Andrea was asked to represent the male freshmen. People were excited and immediately cheered when they climbed to the podium because the freshmen representatives were both so good looking.

They soon became famous in school. When the class was decided, it turned out Adeline and Andrea entered the same class. Because they were already acquainted at the admission ceremony, the two quickly became buddies and sat together for the next three years.

Adeline was very smart, but she didn't like science, the opposite of Andrea, who hated social studies but was always the smartest one in science. Both complemented and helped each other in their studies. For three consecutive years, they always became the top students in school.

So many people shipped them, but Andrea and Adeline were never officially dating in high school because they were both raised by their parents to prioritize school. They were not allowed to date while they were still in high school.

"Then, after you graduate from high school, can you date?" Hanny asked Adeline during recess.

Adeline glanced at Andrea and chuckled, "I can date once I graduate from high school. But I don't know about him."

Andrea's face flushed red as he nodded slowly. His life revolved around Adeline, and he wanted to quickly graduate from high school so he could formalize their relationship.

When high school graduation came, he felt very happy. He brought his mother to meet Adeline and her family. They were both valedictorians in their school and were already accepted at the best university in their country. Adeline was accepted in the Psychology department and Andrea in Computer Science.

He still remembered how Adeline's parents welcomed him warmly at the school graduation ceremony. They were amazed at his intelligence. But her parents' expression seemed to change immediately when Adeline clasped Andrea's hand lovingly and invited him to take a group photo together.

That's when they realized, that the relationship between their daughter and the young man was not simple. These two were not merely best friends.

Andrea could not forget the look of disappointment in Adeline's parents' eyes at the time. They were from a highly respected family that controlled the palm oil industry in the country, and Adeline was their only child. They considered Andrea, who came from a humble background and never knew his father, unworthy of their daughter.

Finally, Andrea and Adeline dated secretly after they started studying at university. There was still a huge gap between the rich and the poor in their country. Andrea came to campus by bus, and Adeline was driven by her family chauffeur in a Mercedes.

"After we graduate, we must move from this country. In Europe, everyone, whether they are rich or poor, travels by bus or subway everywhere, because cars only create traffic jams." Adeline told him one day.

She deliberately said that because she had just heard rumors on campus that Andrea was dating her because she was rich and had her own car. People could be mean to people they don't know by spreading rumors.

Andrea had had enough gossip in his life. Ever since he was young, he had faced various unpleasant rumors and remarks from people around him. He was born without a father who left his mother as soon as the jerk found out about the pregnancy.

His birth certificate only listed his mother's name, clearly stating his status as an illegitimate child. People who didn't like him often brought up the fact that Andrea was a bastard because that's the only weakness they could get from the otherwise perfect guy.

As an intelligent student who was loved by teachers, Andrea was often hated by other students who liked to insult him. It became worse when he managed to get Adeline's love in high school. Male students who had a crush on Adeline hated him even more, and they always looked for ways to bring him down.

Andrea had almost no friends. Only Adeline was always by his side, no matter how hard her parents opposed to their relationship.

"Andre ... let's elope ..." Adeline said suddenly as she was chopping scallions and onions in Andrea's kitchen. Andrea's mother was working out of town, and that afternoon, Adeline came to help Andrea cook dinner. She often came to the man's house and had considered it as her own home. Usually, they would cook together and watch movies on DVD while chatting about anything. "If we are married, my parents cannot arrange for me to marry someone else."

At that time, they were already in the third year of university. Only one year before graduation. Adeline's parents had started to give her hints that they would arrange her marriage to the son of their business partner. Adeline was told to meet with the man several times so they could get to know each other. Adeline started to worry.

"We can't marry in this country because we have different faiths," Andrea answered quietly. It's true. In Indonesia, people could only marry someone who shares their faith/religion. The only way for interfaith couples to get married is if one of them converts or they get married abroad.

"Well, we can get married in Singapore ... I've checked the requirements. We only need to register for our marriage and stay in Singapore for two weeks. I can find our witnesses from my friends who live in Singapore."

Andrea looked at Adeline intently. His whole life revolved around this girl since they were sixteen years old, and he could not imagine life without her. If Adeline married someone else, he wouldn't know whether he could continue living.

Andrea was a filial son and he did not dare to oppose Adeline's parents, but right now, asking for their blessings was impossible.

"You have thought of everything, haven't you? In that case, I must get a passport first," Andrea responded. He smiled a little, "Are you sure?"

"I've never been this sure," replied Adeline in an enthusiastic voice.

"Then I'll get a passport and save money. The cost of staying two weeks in Singapore is very high," said Andrea.

"Okay."

Adeline did not want to hurt Andrea's ego by offering to pay for everything despite her massive savings. She knew that Andrea would appreciate it if she didn't mention money at all and let Andrea try.

Andrea worked part-time at a coffee shop and they made plans to go to Singapore during the holidays after he had enough savings.

"But you have it to do it properly," Adeline said suddenly and pretended to sulk. "You have to propose."

Adeline cut the scallion in two ring slices and handed them to Andrea. The young man immediately understood what she meant and smiled broadly. He took one ring slice of scallion and got down on one knee before Adeline.

"Adeline Luanne Surya, would you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?"

Adeline smiled broadly, with two drops of tears falling down her cheeks, and nodded, "I do."

Andrea placed the scallion ring to Adeline's pinky finger due to its small size. Adeline then placed the other scallion ring to Andrea's pinky finger, and both laughed in tears. Then, they hugged tightly.

Andrea lifted Adeline's chin and kissed her lips gently. Throughout the seven years of loving each other, he never crossed the line. But tonight, his feelings were filled with overwhelming happiness, and he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this girl.

Adeline kissed him back lovingly, and all the worries that in their hearts about the future slowly vanished. Andrea and Adeline were only thinking about their secret wedding plans in Singapore in three months. It felt like the universe was pleased with their courage to decide on their fate.

"We must celebrate our engagement!" Adeline took a bottle of red wine from her bag and placed it on the dining table. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

That night was the happiest in Andrea's life. They celebrated their love that had grown since they were 16 years old, and in three months they will be married secretly. They no longer cared about what other people say.

Andrea already had a part-time job, and in one year, he would graduate from university and start to build his career. He would be able to raise a family with Adeline.

"Since we are getting married anyway, I'm going to stay overnight," Adeline said after they had dinner and finished the bottle of red wine she brought.

She deliberately brought a bottle of wine that night to give her courage. Adeline knew that just planning to get married secretly was not enough. She had to sleep with Andrea and made sure that they would never be separated again. Then her parents would back down.

She sat on Andrea's lap and caressed his face lovingly.

"Adel ..." Andrea didn't expect Adeline could take the initiative to kiss him.

"Andrea ... your face looks so red ... haha ... but you're still handsome as always," Adeline put her hand around Andrea's neck and kissed his lips passionately. "I love you."

Andrea gently kissed Adeline and then carried her to his bedroom. He understood Adeline's plan and he could not imagine life without her by his side.

***

Everything should have gone well according to the plan. Andrea had saved enough money for them to go to Singapore, and he had already got himself a passport.

But ... a week before their departure, Adeline suddenly changed her mind. She avoided Andrea and didn't return his calls and texts. She also stopped coming to campus, until Andrea was forced to go to the Surya family mansion in Menteng, the most expensive residential area in Jakarta, to meet Adeline.

Adeline came out with swollen eyes, and after half an hour of silence, she finally recounted what happened ...

"My mother has cancer ..." Adeline sobbed while trying to wipe her tears. "I can't hurt Mom's heart at a time like this ... I'm sorry, Andrea."

Andrea's world that revolved around Adeline immediately collapsed. He could hardly hear the girl's next words. He only remembered a little, that for the sake of her mother, Adeline was forced to cut ties with him. She was canceling their plans to get married secretly in Singapore, and she would soon go to England to accompany her mother for treatment.

Adeline would continue her studies in England, and they will not meet again.

The day Adeline left for London, was the first time Andrea set foot at the airport. He waited for the girl to enter the airport and tried to see her one last time, or even tried to change her mind ...

Adeline arrived at the airport entrance accompanied by her mother. Since this was the last day, Mrs. Surya relented and let Adeline talk to Andrea before leaving, she entered alone and waited inside.

"Adel ... please, wait for me ... I will become successful and follow you to England," said Andrea between his tears. At first, he wanted to persuade Adeline not to go, but at the last moment, he knew his place.

As a good man, he must not hold back a woman if she spread her wings ready to fly. Instead, he must improve himself so that he could fly like Adeline and become worthy of being her husband.

Adeline nodded without saying anything. Her tears flowed hard when she finally let go of Andrea's embrace and entered the airport.

That was the last time Andrea met Adeline, his first love. Three years ago.

The first year was the hardest time and Andrea, who was always the top in his class, had difficulty finishing his studies and finally graduated. What for? His purpose in life was taken from him.

Email replies from Adeline became increasingly rare and finally, they stopped altogether after she admitted that she fell in love with another man named Ronan and had lived happily with him. She asked Andrea to move on and forget about her.

After graduation, Andrea devoted his life to his work. He made several security programs that impressed so many digital security experts in the Asia Pacific. One day, an IT company in Singapore invited him for a job interview at their place. That was why today he went to the airport.

Finally, he would go to Singapore, not to get married, but for a job interview.

His mind was filled with memories of the past when he saw the announcement board containing the flight schedule, to look for his gate. He did not pay attention when he turned around.

Meanwhile, a girl was walking towards him with her face down, looking for her passport. When he turned around, she stepped right behind him, and the collision was inevitable.