Chapter 4 - Did He Actually Want a Wife or Assistant?

The day after getting Skandar’s call, Charisa felt uncomfortable when she was picked up by her sister-in-law's car after school. The young girl still remembered when Yuta and Anna were very excited in welcoming the mature man’s call. That was why she was a little confused how to convey the call’s content to Amanda, she was driving her car at the time.

"Should I just tell her?" Charisa asked silently.

The girl whom had rabbit teeth saw her sister-in-law's face several times, but several times Charisa cancelled her words line, she tried to compose on her bare head. Charisa was afraid that her sister-in-law would think bad something to him, especially since he was still a stranger for herself.

"Do you want to say something to me?" Asked Amanda, and she was waiting for the red light on the highway.

"Um, nothing." Charisa chose silent.

"Well, if you don't want to tell..." said Amanda to Charisa, the woman smiled beautifully, and drove back to the car again.

Charisa saw that the road where she was passing. The round-eyed girl wondered where her sister-in-law was going, because the road was not their usual road to their house, however it was the main street of Canberra city at the time. There were lots of skyscrapers on either side of the street. Charisa would have asked Amanda directly where they were going, before she pulled their car to the curb.

"He's been waiting for it!" Amanda replied suddenly.                

"Who is waiting for?" Charisa asked quietly.

"Your future husband, Charisa. Why do you not tell me if both of you want to meet up today? You know, I should make you up first." Said Amanda gently.

Charisa looked towards the curb, beside the bus stop. A man was standing firmly in his work suit, the man was staring to their car by his usual sharp gaze, and for the time, there was a polished smile there. Skandar Hemingway was aware of Charisa's arrival. The girl turned to Amanda again where her sister-in-law had removed her steering belt.

"How can you know if he was here?" Charisa asked back.

The girl's hand still gripped her belt, she had still not decided yet if she should meet her future husband, or not? Although in his call, she had promised to meet him yesterday. In fact, practice was more difficult than theory.

"Skandar has called me when I am going to pick you up, Charisa." told Amanda's story. "He has asked for my permission, is it okay to invite you talking for a moment? Didn't you also call him?"

"And do you allow him?" Charisa could not believe it when she saw Amanda nodding in her agreement.

"Of course, why not? He will be your husband, Charisa. Let’s we got out."

Finally, Charisa got out of her car after Amanda persuaded her. The young girl walked by following Amanda whom walked in front of her. She did not look forward until she did not know what was in front of her at the time. It was the man's body. Charisa looked innocently to Skandar Hemingway, the mature man was greeting to Amanda whom was standing beside him.

Her sister-in-law laughed when her future brother-in-law spoke very politely to her. Amanda had said several times that it didn't matter if she became a sudden cupid for the two of them. Charisa who didn't understand the topic of their conversation just stood there frowning. The girl was guessing how many times they had met, because they looked familiar at the time.

"So, can I borrow my future wife for a moment, Amanda?" Asked Skandar in formally. Skandar was so different at the time than when he was facing his very talkative mother.

"Yes, what time will I pick her up, Skandar?" Amanda asked back.

"Sista, you're kidding right?" Charisa whispered who immediately hid in her sister's arm.

"It's okay, Char..." Amanda said calmly.

"I'll just take her home later. Don't worry, I'll take care of her." Said Skandar in his deep voice.

Amanda immediately laughed what the man said. He seemed to read her mind. The girl nodded then said if she had to go back. She left them whom were silent for watching her going.

Skandar Hemingway turned to the young girl whom had slightly wavy blonde hair. The girl unexpectedly looked up at him by her round innocent eyes. Charisa was still standing there in her school uniform, while he was still neat in his work suit, complete with his coat. Skandar let out a stifled breath for a moment, their difference felt very big.

"Have you had lunch?" He asked the young girl in front of him.

"Not yet." Charisa answered honestly.

The girl looked down, she didn't dare to see the man whom in their last meeting, he scared her and made her almost falling into the fish pool in his house. Skandar watched the girl's expression and he had already laughed in his heart, how scary was he in front of the teenager?

"Let's get something to eat." Said Skandar and he pulled the young girl's arm.

Charisa was just dumb when the tall man grabbed her hand and led her into a fast food restaurant, it was not far from the sidewalk where they were standing earlier. The girl had sit in the visitor's seat, while she was waiting for Mr. Hemingway to order and pay for her order.

Charisa Davis looked at the entire fast food restaurant. It was a branch franchise of fast food restaurants where she usually bought with Yuta and Anna if Amanda lately to pick her up, the matter was only the different location. They visited on other branch because Charisa bought near her school. Realizing that she could have lunch with a man whom she did not know since a few days ago, Charisa thought, she was really strange at the time.

"This is your order." Said Skandar after placing his order tray in front of his chair. The man took a chair across from Charisa and sat on it.

Seeing cheese burger with cheese, coke float and not forgetting her favourite Mc Flurry Oreo, the young girl smiled broadly. Charisa couldn't really hide how much she adored her favourite food. In front of her, Skandar could judge the change in the young girl’s expression. The man hissed softly and shook his head as the girl cheerfully said to have a nice lunch.

The girl looked like she was giving a questioning look to the man. He just sat and watched her whom was eating from earlier, his cheeseburger was not even touched by him.

"Are you not eating?" Charisa asked after swallowing her first bite.

"No... I can't eat it." The man replied briefly, and leaned his back on his chair. He was looking at Charisa whom could not eat freely.

"Because... Are you still full?" Charisa asked curiously.

“No, because I can't eat junk food! I'm not used to eat fast food."

"Hah!?" Charisa said, she almost swallowed the chicken.

Skandar handed her an orange drink directly. Charisa accepted without drinking it, the girl had already put her food, and one hundred percent stared back to the man. He had looked at her all the time as if she was a rare object in a city museum.

"If you do not like eating here, why does uncle invite me to eat fast food?" Charisa asked curiously.

"Because you like them." Said Skandar, he looked into her eyes whose he often thought as a teenager was. Charisa's cheeks turned red because of his words.

"Does uncle know my favourite restaurant?"

“Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to stalk you or kidnap you. Amanda told me earlier on the phone." Added Skandar. The man remembered how his mom's ridiculous attitude had kidnapped her the day before yesterday.

"Who accuses uncle to have kidnapped me!?" Fumed Charisa hard enough.

"So you don't mind sitting alone with a mature man alike me, hmm?" Asked Skandar, the man sounded like he was teasing the young girl in front of him, even though in fact the man had said it unconsciously.

"Isn't uncle still young?" Said Charisa remembering what Anna said yesterday. Her friends had not told her yet why they immediately blessed her as the man's bride in front of her.

"If I am young, you look like a toddler, Charisa." Skandar smiled cheerfully. He really didn't expect that he would be able to talk together alike this with a high school girl before, and the high school girl would be his future wife.

"Do you still call me uncle?"

"I'm not used to call kind of strange calling to others, uncle."

Charisa’s answer actually made Skandar thinking so much about the young girl, fortunately he didn't suggest anything to the girl before. Skandar would originally suggest the girl for calling him as a wife had done. Then when he remembered how young his wife was, and not to mention his mom's grin which would rise when she heard her call, Skandar cancelled to be called as honey or Sweetheart. Skandar threw his stupid thoughts out of his head.

"Can we discuss directly why we meet today? I want you to take out the notebook and pen first."

Charisa directly wrinkled her eyebrows, but she obeyed him. She pulled out a blue notebook and pen. After all the equipment had been completed, Charisa looked at Skandar as asking what she should do after that.

“I want you to write down all the things that I like and don't like, after that you can tell whatever you like and don't like. I want us to have the capital getting to know each other." Skandar said, the girl in front of him was still thinking hard. Skandar took a big breath for the first time.

"Okay, I'm starting. I don't like junk food, I must eat home-cooked food. I- "Said Skandar starting his preference.

"So, can you only eat home-cooked meals, uncle?" Charisa cut his conversation.

"Yes, can you cook?" Asked Skandar back.

"Little." Said Charisa very embarrassed.

"Expand how to cook many food menus then. I won't force you to study, but I will force you to cook.”

Skandar sounded sadistic at the time, but he really couldn’t eat fast food, and the girl would be his wife, he did not want to die of hunger later.

"I don't like wasting my time, I hate waiting for, I don't like being argued, or being interrupted, I dislike to explain anything twice or even three times." The man stopped to make sure the girl in front of him writing what he said.

“I like cleanliness, I don't like having a lot of dust in my house, I hate animal hair, I don't want my work suit to get wrinkled, I like sleeping by the lights off, and I’ll be jogging every morning, so breakfast must be served after I have done jogging. My favourite food is European food, I don't really like Japanese food, so don't serve raw food."

Charisa wrote those by a bit of confusion, almost all the points which the man mentioned sounded like telling her to be a maid rather than a wife. She had stopped from writing on her notebook. Charisa raised her head, and their gazes met.

“I want a real marriage, there is nothing to cover up, and you may not have another relationship with any male out there. I want your loyalty as my wife."

Charisa swallowed her saliva, she was even seventeen years old, what kind of loyalty that mature man wanted, and might she not think about her difficult home work when night fell? Did he mean it?

“And lastly, everything I say, my orders, my prohibitions are absolute, Charisa Zwetta Davis!! There are not negotiable!" Closed the men, and he threw intimidated glance on Charisa.

"It's a long list, isn’t it, uncle?" Charisa said with a wry smile. She wanted to insult the man.

The girl wondered if she could do his requests in the future. Moreover, they would live together whole day. After that, Charisa gave her notebook to the man. However, Skandar Hemingway just gave his surprised look to her.

"It is uncle’s turn to write now, and you listen to all the things I like and dislike?”

"I don't need a notebook, I have a good memory. I can remember it!” Skandar Hemingway’s annoying saying were back. Charisa almost hit the man’s head by her notebook.

“Uhmmm, I like pink, purple, and white. I like white roses, I love the bunny dolls. I really like rabb-"

"No, I forbid you to have pets, Risa. Don’t!" Cut Skandar quickly. He knew where the girl’s intent talked to.

"Yes, I got it!" The girl scowled. "I like to eat, I love sweet and delicious food, I like cute and adorable things, I don't like ghosts, I dislike scary things, I don't like reading books, I hate tiring things, I dislike cleaning the house like sweeping, mopping, wash-“

"You must clean anything, we'll live together later. It was not in my house, but in my apartment." Interrupted Skandar to the girl.

"Are two of us in apartment? Why are we not at house?" Shrieked the girl suddenly.

“You don't mean to want to be haunted by my mom, do you? You met her yesterday, I remind you, and my mom is scarier than the ghost you mentioned earlier. "

Skandar tried to explain to his future wife whom was still teenager. To know if there was only Skandar and herself in his apartment later, it caused Charisa turned into pale and panicked.

“Uncle… Uncle… As long as we get married, I don't want us to have physical contact later. I wish we shall have each room to sleep alone." Said Charisa still in panic, she saw young master Hemingway’s face again. The man had his arms in front of his chest when he heard her request.

"Not!" The man said firmly.

"But-" whispered Charisa which her saying was immediately grabbed by Skandar.

“I cannot, I want a real marriage, and it takes physical contact, Charisa Zwetta Davis! I will not live with you for just one day, two days. I will live be with you for decades. I can't guarantee that I won't be attracted to you. I'm a normal man if you don't know."

Charisa, the girl who was still wearing her school uniform was speechless. Her eyes was unable to blink at all now. In her mind that was not often used to think, the young girl was trying to compile another rebuttal for the sharp-mouthed uncle in front of her.

"But I'm still in high school, uncle. I haven't graduated yet. You must know that I am still seventeen years old." Charisa almost had tears in her eyes when she said that.

"You have got menstruation, right? A girl who has had a menstrual cycle is a woman. A woman has been ready to have a baby." Said Skandar calmly. He, Skandar Alexander Hemingway, always took profit in everything, and he did not want to lose surely, especially if it related on his rights.

"I know your graduation will be next semester, I think a pregnancy at fourth or fifth months will have not obvious yet." Skandar gave his future wife a sly smile. He realized that he could say this casually, Skandar felt like he wanted to greet his mom right away. His mother was very useful in influencing him.

Charisa who heard the man spoke bluntly like it before, her ears immediately heated up, the sound of the wind was heard ringing in her ears. The girl already wanted to curse what kind of stupid man was saying such frontal things in public. Charisa immediately looked on either side. They were lucky! They chose a place on the restaurant balcony where their table was only filled, otherwise, Charisa would have hit the man by the food tray.

"Must we have a baby, Uncle?" Charisa asked to make sure. The girl had been whining, so that the man would cancel his intention.

"We must!" His answer was very short, the answer was hated by her teacher when was giving essay questions.

"I don't even know how to make a baby, my biology book doesn't help." Charisa pouted herself in annoyance. The girl had wanted to cry imagining all the scary things later in her married life.

"I'll teach you later!" Said Mr. Annoying Skandar Hemingway casually.

"Uncle, you are crazy!"

"Really? You must know, your mother-in-law is crazier when she finds out about this."