He's The Unaffordable
Chapter 33 - The Meeting of Returns

I would hit the man and drop the empty glass he was carrying, because there was nothing around me that I could hold. Two strong hands suddenly hugged me so I could stand up straight. Collisions were avoided.

Feeling a breath of relief at the side of my head, I turned my head. It was Mr. Foster who hugged me and helped me not to fall. He let go of his embrace, then checked my body. Other than my heart pounding so hard and my hunting breath having just experienced a shocking incident, the rest of my body was fine.

“You all right?” ask Mr. Foster. I nodded slowly. “Im sorry for my daughter's mistake.”

“Why is Papa apologizing to him!? Papa's daughter is me, not her! And for what Papa hugged her like that? Would Papa prefer her to be Papa's daughter? So?” pekik Reese with a dead red face. “Again for what Papa apologized to him!? I don't want to demean myself like that. He's a thief, Pa!”

“We're gone, yes. You take good care of yourself.” Mr. Foster smiled with an apologetic face, then approached his hysterical daughter who was being held captive by Ms. Foster.

If the woman had not held her hand, Reese would have hit me no matter the dozens of pairs of eyes directed at her. I really don't understand. What made her such a rude girl?

She's a sweet and very nice girl. Otherwise, Father and Mother Foster would not have raised me to be their son. Because Reese persuaded them to take me home. He wants us to be friends and play together for the next.

How many times I tried to remember, I did nothing that would make him angry and disappointed with me. His parents never treated me more special than him. What I got, he has it too. But what he has, is not necessarily given to me. I get it, so I never get jealous or feel taken care of.

To prevent an accidental meeting with them, I decided to watch in the cinema. Coming home to my rent room will only keep me busy with my own thoughts. I'd better be in the crowd and take my mind off by busying myself.

I entered the elevator with someone else who was waiting. Seeing that someone had turned on the light towards the floor where the cinema was located, I stood quietly. One by one the men went out each time the twin doors opened. Me and a few others came out together on the top floor.

The long queue in front of the ticket buying counter did not upset me. Patiently, I waited until my turn came. Looking at the young couple before me, I remembered Hadi and our bet. I don't know what prompted me to say that. Love and romance have never been in the dictionary of my life.

The movie I chose was an action movie that was about to air and there were still empty seats. The position is right in the middle, not too in front or behind. I bought a bottle of water before lining up to enter the studio.

No wonder I got one empty seat located in a strategic place. It turns out that the one sitting on my right and left is a married couple so that the row of seats amounted to an odd number of benefits for me.

After about two hours of watching, I was satisfied with the entertainment presented by the film. I prefer this type of film because it manages to spur adrenaline in every chase scene, even the shootings. What I like most is that the surprise that is expressed is always beyond reason. Friends, relatives, even co-workers who become enemies in the blanket.

That's why I keep myself as good as possible so as not to bond emotionally with anyone who is near me. Because family, friends, even people we trust can be the ones who hurt and betray us the most.

“Hannah?” someone said coming from in front of me. I stopped my steps and raised my head. A tall man, obviously a foreign man with pale skin, brown hair, and bright eye color. From our distance, I couldn't guess the true color of her eyes. “You, Hannah? B-how can you be here?”

I frowned seeing the man staring at me. Hannah's? That's not my name. I looked to my right and left. No one stopped walking towards the exit of the cinema. After all the man was looking towards me, so the other spectators were just walking past us.

“Sorry, you are wrong,” I said politely. “My name is not Hannah. Excuse me.” I smiled, then continued my steps by shifting towards my right.

He moved, blocking my steps. “Then, are you Mila?” ask again. I looked towards him. “What is your name Mila?”

“What is your relationship with someone named Mila?” manya suspect. The man's eyes then glazed over. From this close distance, I could finally see the color of her eyes. Greener.

“What do you mean?” I heard his last words. He again persuaded me to talk while eating, so I obeyed him.

We headed to a nearby restaurant. I refused to go too far with him. He's still a stranger to me, so I don't trust him. After all, the Foster family could still be in this mall. I didn't want to go around, and Reese caught us and started the play again.

The man ordered food and drinks, I just ordered a glass of tea. I watched her face as she ordered food and talked to the waiter. His face looks familiar. The same feeling I felt when I was near Om Edu and Aunt Lindsey.

“Hannah is my wife's last name.” The man placed a photo he had stored in his wallet onto the table. The size of the photo was small, but I could see the face of the young lady on the sparkling sheet of paper clearly. A little bit, he looks like me. Her hair was the same color as the man in front of me and her eyes were gray. She smiled happily at the photo.

“She died about fifteen years ago due to complications while giving birth to our second child. After years of mourning the loss of our first daughter, when we found out she was pregnant again, we were very happy. But they were both taken from me on the operating table.” The man started his story.

“We lost our daughter, Mila Meredith Jones, while we were on holiday in North Sumatra. He is two years old. We decided to take a vacation to one of the famous regions in Southeast Asia as your first trip abroad. You were so happy when you first flew.” He smiled in memory of the event he was calling.

“We were on the boat to cross over to the next island when we realized our daughter was nowhere near us. Everyone helped us find you on the deck of the ship, but you we couldn't find. Our next guess, you missed out on the harbor.

“So, we are waiting for the next ship that crosses back to where we came. We didn't stop looking for you for three days and three nights. Report you to the authorities, but we can't find you. As if you were swallowed by the earth, lost without a trace.” He lowered his head. “We couldn't stay longer because I had to get back to work. But we keep asking the progress of your search to the police there.”

He took something out of the inner pocket of his suit and placed it on the table. I frowned looking at the little book. A passport issued by the United States. A passport that has long been seen from the color of its cover that fades. He signaled for me to open the passport.

The first thing I saw was a picture of a little girl. I soon found out that it was my little version. I don't have a childhood photo, but I won't forget the face I often see in the mirror or window. Then I saw my full identity on the right side of the photo. Family name, first name, date of birth, and other information.

Mila Meredith Jones's. That's my name? Why did I not feel anything when I called it? Unlike the familiar-sounding name Clarissa. It was as if my head knew that the name was once familiar to my ears. But I can't remember it clearly. Whether it's my name or the name of someone who is often near me.

“Mr daughter.” I reflexively pulled my hand when I felt someone touch it. “Oh, forgive me. I didn't mean to surprise you.” I looked at him for a moment, then shook slowly. “You used to love being called princess. Can you remember me? Or your mother?”

*******

Meanwhile not far from there~

Bianca swept a glance around her with a look of dismay. Feeling the pressure on her hands, she turned her head towards her husband who was walking by her side. Carl smiled sympathetically at him, understanding what his wife was thinking.

Reese kept talking about her video scolding the viral cashier on social media. She was so upset that the dinner together that was supposed to taste nice turned bitter. He was unaware of the changes to the faces of his parents. Even after eating and walking to the cinema, he continued to complain.

When she turned her head towards her parents, she was surprised to see they were no longer walking by her side. They stopped a few steps behind him and stared at the window of a restaurant. Reese immediately approached with a dead red face. He prepared to scold Bianca and Carl, but he immediately shut down his intentions once he recognized the girl who caught their attention.

“Do you believe me now? Mila wasn't as good as you thought. Just look, she's dating a man much older than her. How disgusting.” Reese smiled cynically.