"It's impossible for Aruna to be here and be back to take care of Magic Letter. That is totally out of the question for a wife of a conglomerate unless she…em…". His voice trailed off on his last words. He was trying to wipe out his negative thought while throwing away the thing Laras used to punch him. Suddenly he felt awkward.
Aruna froze
"Yieeee… we are home…". Lily called out. She was closely followed by Andin. Both were carrying their shopping bags.
"Hihihi…Ar…Aruna?". She felt embarrassed for being caught like that, leaving her duty for shopping. She hugged her out of embarrassment.
"Bring those shopping bags to me. Let see what you have got". Aruna smiled.
"hey, I bought many kinds of food. Let's celebrate your coming, shall we?". Lily tried to distract her.
"Sis Andin, please help me take these bags to the next room".
"Oh, Aruna…. Been a while we didn't see each other. You're supposed to change a bit". Lily complained.
"Changed? How do you want me to change?".
"yeah…a bit more relax perhaps? Heheheh". Lily grinned.
Aruna frowned.
"You want me to relax while the second floor is a total mess like this? First floor looks like it hasn't been cleaned for months! You still keep the cleaning schedules, don't you? Moreover, the door alarm is out of function and no one cares. And the TV… how can the screen got cracked? What have you guys done? Huff!". Aruna was trying to take a breath after the blubbers.
"Sooo….. put all your shopping stuffs there and give me a hand!". The 'step mother' was in action. It was the impression they got for Aruna anytime she started nagging.
"alright…..boossssss". Lily was defeated.
"Make sure this second floor clean, friends. I'm going to check the bathroom".
"Nooooooo….". there was a choir.
"What happened?". Aruna starlet.
"Let me… clean the bathroom". Lily got enthusiastic all of sudden
"Hmm….I am getting curious". She kept walking downstairs and ignoring the panic screaming of her friends.
"No…No…Aruna . stop". Lily ran to block Aruna heading to the bathroom.
"What is the problem if Aruna see our bathroom". Andien did not seem to absorb the situation.
"Wait and see. You will know soon". Laras mocked her.
"Let's drink and save our energy". Tito added.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!". Aruna voice was heard to the second floor a minute after she could pushed Lily from blocking her. The bathroom walls were full of rusted and yellowish crusts. It seemed they had not been cleaned for a month or so.
"Fine. Okay everyone, come here right now! We need to share the responsibilities". Aruna called out her friends. She seemed upset to them for not being responsible to the outlet she had really missed since she left it..
"See… I told you what?". Tito looked at his Andien and Laras.
"We'd better drink first before jumping to the forced labor". Laras' idea was quickly approved by Tito and Andien.
The next they were all like group of people who had to receive a punishment; sweeping the floor, mopping it, cleaning the window glasses, scrubbing the bathroom's floor, and dusting everything on their outlet.
Aruna pulled her hair pony tail, rolling up her sleeves and her pants.
"Okay, no food for anyone before he finishes with his job". She looked enthusiastic which was totally the opposite to her friends, looking thirsty and hungry.
.
"Haa??? What is this?". Dea exclaimed as she came along with Timi. They both were tongue-tied by the door. Since Aruna left them, only she herself did the cleaning. It was not the best, but at least she gave efforts to it. Sometimes Timi gave her a hand, too.
Now both of them were stunned. Dea almost dropped the files Aruna requested from her hands. Timi scratched her not itchy hair.
"Oh, Dea has come…". Aruna went downstairs after she was told about their coming.
"Aruna?" she dropped her files and flew to her best friend out of happiness.
"Oh.. gosh! How happy I am to see you here. No wonder everybody suddenly become so diligent. Only you can make them work". She reported.
"Lily? Is that you? My vision didn't fool me, did it? And you are scrubbing the bathroom? HAHAHAH". Suddenly she burst into laughter.
"Damn, stop laughing and help me now!" Lily grumbled.
And on the other side, Timi picked up the files Dea dropped and Aruna vigorously took the paper before Timi hand in the paper to Dea.the papers were hers, anyway.
"Thank you Timi. We haven't worked together even though you have joined here for quite some time. I'm Aruna, the founder of Magic Letter". Aruna offered her warm smile.
"Miss are you really going to go back here for good?"
"Sorry?". Aruna was stunned with the question of the new member of Magic Letter. She looked more mature than the rest.
"Oh, I mean is Aruna. going back…". Before she could straighten her ambiguity someone ran out of the bathroom to hug her while her hands were dirty. It was Lily. That slanted eyed girl ran to her because Dea started documenting her very rare activity.
"Timi, she wants to humiliate me by videoing me" Lily complained.
"Huh! Looking for opportunity in hardship!". Dea frowned to Lily behaving childishly to Timi.
"Common girls, stop playing around, please. Let's back to work". Aruna saw her friends lost focus.
"Aruna, your came back did not bring us good news. But you make us…." Lily tied her tongue.
"What are you saying? Isn't this is all for your own goodness?". Aruna chased Lily who protested her. The mopping rugs in her hands splashed water everywhere. They were all laughing happily.
"Aruna, hold her!". Dea exclaimed.
"Come over here! Hahaha…".they caught Lily. They were trying to get the best angles to take some pictures of their friend for their social media.
"If you dare to upload me and add me…. I will curse you to stay single forever". Her voice was sinking with her friends' laughter.
"You are single!". Dea mocked her.
"You are, too". Lily snapped.
"Nope! Look at this ri…". That word was slipped of her tongue.
"Ri…what? Ring?? Come, let me see it!". Now Dea was hunted by her two friends.
When they caught her and found a ring clinging around her ring finger, instead of congratulate her and asking her who the lucky guy was, they showed pitiful expression.
"De, don't sacrifice yourself to get married young. Look at her. She will be a divorcee of a tycoon at a very young age, 2 years old! Isn't it awful?". Lily deliberately spoke out her mind.
"Don't be too vulgar please?!". Aruna cringed to the idea of a divorcee title.
"I will not be like that". Dea tried to convince her best friend.
"Think it over though". Lily was still unsure
"I can't say anything. By the way, let's finish our cleaning ". She wanted to distract the topic.
"Give me a break good girl. You keep talking about cleaning". Lily moaned.
"Hahahaha…enjoy it. When Aruna is back, be ready to be good persons". Dea teased.
"I don't mean to be bad, but look at the display! It's a real mess. How about rearranging the display on this first floor?". The girl who previously locked in that gold cage of Wenceslas now found her true nature to express her passions and creativity with her friends. She found her battery was fully charged and she was ready to do all in front of her.