1

“You are so pathetic.” Aamber turned to the guy next to her, who happened to be her brother.

“None of your business.”

Amber snorted then took a sip from her can and placed it on the dashboard of the car. “Until when do you want to be like this? Until she becomes a granny and remains unaware of you?”

“Sshh!” Aaron did not even turn to face his younger sister sitting next to him, his gaze straight ahead, at the exit of a campus gate. Soon the figure he was looking for came out, with a sweet smile that he had already memorized, was joking with her friends.

“She smiled,” muttered Aaron in relief.

“Of course she smiled, she managed to graduate cum laude,” said Aamber angrily. “And guess what, it's because of who?”

“I don't want to discuss it.”

“Because of you! All because of your struggle.” Aamber ignored her brother's warnings and continued on. “And now you can't even congratulate her, instead peeking from afar like this. How pathetic!”

Aaron continued to stare at the figure until it was farther away, disappearing in the public transport she was riding in.

“She even still takes public transportation, I have to arrange a vehicle for her. So that she doesn't have to be tired of being hot on public transportation anymore.”

Those words made Aamber even more angry because her brother didn't pay attention to her words. “I will repeat once again, you are pathetic, brother. Until when do you punish yourself like this?”

Quiet. It seemed that Aaron did not think Aamber's question needed an answer. The two brother and sister were silent in the luxury car which was parked some distance from the campus, so as not to be conspicuous. Aaron was busy with his own thoughts, his thoughts drifting back to ten years ago, when he was only eighteen years old. Rich, handsome, powerful and ignorant of responsibility.

________________

10 years ago...

“This is my birthday gift car, only two in the country,” muttered Aaron proudly to his friends at that time.

All of his friends admired the red sports car that Aaron parked in the square. “Crazy, this car is so good for speeding!” exclaimed one of his friends.

“Of course, this is a sports car.”

“Come on, let's try driving!” said one of his other friends.

Aaron laughed proudly at the arrogance of his youth at that time. That night they got drunk and partied hard. That same night Aaron learns that momentary pleasure can sometimes claim the lives of innocent people. In a drunken state, the car he was driving crashed into a taxi traveling slowly in the opposite lane. The taxi driver, an old man who didn't know anything, died instantly.

Of course all problems can be resolved quickly. Aaron's father was a very influential businessman because of his wealth and abundant power. There is no question why Aaron is driving his vehicle in a drunken state, bail has been prepared. Aaron himself was more worried at the time than thinking about the dead old taxi driver. After all, the taxi driver had better luck dying immediately, not feeling the pain he did.

The spleen was hit hard, it was swollen, so it needed special care and medication and the pain was beyond measure. Even Aaron had time to blame the taxi driver who he thought was insolent. How could he be on the road opposite himself to get him hit? All problems were quickly resolved by his father. Aaron was immediately sent to Singapore for treatment.

Until six months after the accident, he returned to Indonesia. Her mother, a Spanish woman who has lived in the country since marrying Aaron's father, reminded him, “You never wanted to know about them?” asked his mother at that time.

Aaron, who at that time felt bored because he still had to rest at home and couldn't leave the house, looked at his mother angrily. “What for, Mom? Didn't Dad give them a decent allowance? Maybe a lot more than the taxi driver could have produced while he was alive.” Pride made his voice loud.

His mother shook her head. “The taxi driver has a grieving wife and a child who still needs school fees. Aren't you sorry for that little kid's loss, Aaron?”

Aaron was annoyed at what his mother said. “What do you really want from Aaron?”

“I just want to feel a little relieved, I want you to go over there and apologize in person. Even so far only your father's employees have come there and take care of everything.”

Aaron sneered. “They are a poor family, if Aaron came there and showed remorse, maybe they would ask for more bail.”

“Then just give it. You took a father's life, Aaron. Whatever treasure you give, it will not be replaced.”

So Aaron came the next day, escorted by a driver in a luxury car. Of course he did not forget to carry a flower bouquet in his hand. It turned out that cars could not enter the complex, Aaron still had to walk through narrow alleys and neglected houses with a smell that disturbed his sense of smell. With disgust he looked at the mud on his expensive shoes, he was going to throw them away, he decided irritably.

It was a simple house, just down an alley, but it looked the cleanest of all the houses jostling up there. It appeared that someone was trying to put down tiny pots of roses to cover the ugly, sad fence in front of the house. When Aaron excused himself at the door, a teenage girl, perhaps several years below him appeared in the living room and gave him a suspicious look.

The girl was beautiful, was what Aaron thought the first time he saw her. Beautiful, with intelligent eyes, and even though she was only dressed modestly, still he couldn't help but be dazzled.

“Who are you?” asked the girl carefully.

Aaron put on his most dazzling smile, so far many women have been chasing him. He never doubted his charm. “I… I came here to apologize for the accident, sorry I just got here. I just returned from Singapore after undergoing medical treatment for injuries after the accident.”

Only that sentence he could get out. Because after that sentence, Aaron couldn't even clearly remember what happened. All he could remember was the girl's angry hysterical screams, the neighbors who had come to separate them because she suddenly attacked him with a continuous slap. Flowers were scattered, crushed, and threats filled with hatred came out of the little girl.

“Don't you ever dare show your rotten face in our faces! You despicable human being hiding behind your father's power, cowardly, irresponsible human! You think human lives can be replaced that easily with money? We are poor, but we have pride! So before you can show that you have pride, don't you dare show your face in front of us!”

That day, Aaron was told by a neighbor, that the girl's mother, who had fallen ill because she could not bear the pain, died overnight in a very ill condition, following her husband. That day, Aaron realized, that his actions had ruined the life of a family.

“They absolutely do not want to accept allowance money from this family, that's what feels stuck in my heart,” his mother gave Aaron a sad look.

“That girl hates me, Mom, this is the first time I have received such hateful looks.” Aaron is still in shock by the new incident he has experienced.

His mother just looked at him sadly. “The girl tragically lost her father and her mother too, what else could she do but to pour out hatred on you, the cause of all this?”

“She's alone and she doesn't want any help from us, so what should Aaron do, Mom?”

His mother stared at Aaron with the wisdom she had gained from her years of life. “Maybe you should start with yourself first, Aaron.”