The next day, a Monday, marked the beginning of the workweek. Aria and Cherry, like many others, found themselves caught up in their work and studies. After their classes, Aria approached Cherry, requesting her to cover for her at work, revealing her plan to visit the bank. Cherry, ever dependable, readily agreed.
Soon enough, Aria arrived at the bank. The lunch break had ended, and the staff were engrossed in their tasks. The sparse customer presence was in Aria's favor. As she approached the helpdesk, the staff greeted her with a friendly smile, prompting, "How may I assist you?"
Taking a seat across the desk, Aria stated, "My father and I have a joint account here. I'd like to withdraw 50,000 from it."
"Could you provide the account details?" inquired the staff.
Aria retrieved her bank passbook from her backpack and handed it over. The staff entered the details into the computer, glancing up to inform her, "It appears you don't have sufficient funds in your account."
"How much is there?" Aria inquired.
"10,000 MD," came the response.
"10,000?" Aria responded, taken aback. She calmly requested, "Could you please update the passbook?"
"Certainly," the staff replied. "On another note, there's something else."
"What?" questioned Aria.
"It seems your father had taken a personal loan from us, and he has defaulted multiple times. Consequently, our bank has frozen your joint account. In simpler terms, you can't withdraw any amount until you settle all the installments and fines," the staff explained.
Aria seethed with anger at the revelation. Her father had never informed her about the loan or what he had done with the money. Suppressing her frustration, she inquired, "What was the loan amount?"
Glancing at the computer screen, the staff revealed, "150,000."
Internally screaming, Aria managed to maintain her composure and said, "Thank you for the information. Could you please update the passbook?"
Once the passbook was updated and returned to her, Aria left the bank and headed straight to Happy Burgers. Arriving at the restaurant, she swiftly changed into her work attire as customers started arriving. Throughout her shift and even during breaks, she refrained from discussing her newfound financial dilemma with Cherry or her colleagues. Though her anger brewed within, she persevered, anticipating the night when she could confront her father about the loan.
Finally, the moment arrived when Aria was back home. She turned the doorknob, stepped inside, and found her father engrossed in the TV. Closing the door, she entered the living room where he was seated on the sofa, eyes fixed on the screen. "How was the day?" he asked, still glued to the television.
"As usual. How about you? Any luck in finding a job?" Aria replied, making her way to the dining table to place her backpack on a chair.
Pouring herself some water from the jug on the table, she listened as her father sighed and responded, "Unfortunately no. But don't worry, I will find one this week itself."
Putting the jug back, Aria approached her father and inquired, "Did you find your phone?"
"No. I bought a second-hand phone for the time being. Also, I have restarted the same phone number," he explained.
Aria picked up the TV remote from the table and turned off the TV. "We need to discuss something," she stated.
Her father turned to her, sitting sideways on the sofa, mirroring her posture. "What?" he asked, offering a smile.
"Why did you take a loan of 150 K?" Aria asked, her voice tinged with a bit of aggression.
Her father was shocked that his daughter had found out, but soon composed himself and managed a smirk, guilt flashing in his eyes. "So you found out. I thought of closing the loan before you could find out about it. But, things haven't been working for the past few months."
"You know you can tell me everything, right? I am an adult now," Aria reminded, her tone firm.
Her father looked at her and chuckled. "Yes, Cupcake. Sorry for not telling you earlier."
Aria held his gaze as he continued, "You know we lost almost all of our assets during your mother's treatment, right?"
"Yes," she affirmed.
"We had moved on from her passing, and your admissions were also coming. And that's when the dad inside me noticed that I cannot make my daughter travel on her friend's scooter forever. That's when I took that loan," he explained.
"WHAT! DID YOU TAKE A LOAN TO BUY ME A SCOOTER? YOU COULD HAVE JUST BOUGHT ME A CYCLE. I WOULD HAVE NEVER COMPLAINED," Aria exclaimed.
"I thought I could pay the installments on time, and then all things would be sorted. But, my boss started cutting my salary, and all the finances just tumbled," he confessed.
Hearing this, Aria took a deep breath, resting her head against the sofa. She remained silent for a while. Eventually, she rose from the sofa, grabbed her backpack from the dining chair, and headed to her room.
The following day at work, Aria found it challenging to concentrate, her mind preoccupied with worries about her precarious financial situation. The burden of possibly failing to deposit her college fees weighed heavily on her. This concern reflected in her demeanor as she diligently worked, avoiding casual conversations and exuding a palpable air of despondency.
When there was no more order in the pipeline, Aria prepared to step outside for a break. However, Cherry, Sasha, and Harry intercepted her. "What's wrong?" inquired Cherry, Sasha and Harry flanking her.
Forced to put on a smile, Aria replied, "I'm just a little worried about the college fees."
"Doesn't seem like that. Something else is bothering you," Cherry observed, arching an eyebrow.
Realizing she couldn't hide her problems, Aria took a deep breath and confessed, "My father's account is frozen because he took a loan from the bank that he can't repay. Moreover, I only have 3000 in my account. I don't know how to pay the fees."
"Hmmm. Sasha, Harry, how much can you lend Aria?" Cherry inquired.
"I can provide 5000 at most," Sasha offered.
"Same here, 5000," added Harry.
"I can arrange 10,000," Cherry stated.
"That makes a total of 20,000. How much more do you need, Aria?" Sasha questioned.
"30,000," answered Aria.
"I think DJ is still around. You can ask him," Harry suggested, looking at Cherry.
"Right," agreed Cherry, heading towards the counter. Spotting DJ engrossed in his phone, she called out, waving her hand.
DJ noticed her and hurried to the counter with a warm smile. Cherry explained the situation to him while the others observed from the kitchen. After their discussion, Cherry returned to the kitchen and informed, "DJ can arrange 10,000."
"That totals 30,000. We need 20,000 more," Sasha calculated.
"We still have Holo, Joe, and the manager to ask. We'll get 20,000 in no time," Cherry reassured.
And just like that, Aria's financial hurdle was overcome. While Cherry, Sasha, and Harry discussed among themselves, tears welled up in Aria's eyes as she expressed, "Thank…you."
Everyone turned their attention to Aria, witnessing her tears trickle down her cheeks. "Why are you crying, sweetheart?" Cherry asked, gently holding Aria's shoulders.
Aria chuckled through her tears and said, "I'm just so grateful to have friends like you."
Cherry offered a warm smile and enveloped Aria in a tight hug.