"From his appearance, he'll probably last only a month," Sean muttered with a sly grin on his lips. He peered through the gaps in the top section of the stairs, his right hand clutching his favorite hero robot toy, Batman.
The hero who prefers his underwear on the outside—Sean often imitated him, much to everyone's annoyance.
The little boy's eyes scrutinized the newly arrived caregiver below.
Downstairs, the new caregiver and Aunt Ratih were immediately facing Grandma Putri.
This morning, Ajeng looked very simple, wearing a long gray T-shirt and a black knee-length umbrella skirt with no pattern.
Her long hair tied back in a ponytail, she carried a medium-sized clothing bag.
From his hiding spot, Sean counted down from 10, waiting for his name to be called by Grandma...
3
2
1
"Seaan!!" Grandma Putri shouted.
Even though he knew he was being called, Sean didn’t respond. Instead, he quietly retreated and ducked back into his room.
"SEAN!"
"It's alright, Madam, perhaps Master Sean didn't hear," Ajeng said, feeling uncomfortable for blurting that out reflexively.
"Don’t call me Madam, or Sean might start doing the same. Just use the names Sean does: Grandma for me, Grandpa for my husband, Papa for Reza, Mr. if Sean's not around, Uncle for Ryan, and Big Brother for Rilly, alright?"
"I understand, Grandma."
"Rilly should be called Auntie, but she refused, so Big Brother it is, okay?"
"Yes, Grandma."
"There's not much I ask of you, Jeng. Mainly, make Sean a good boy, obedient to his elders, can you do that?"
"Yes, Grandma."
Grandma Putri then called a servant to take Ajeng to her room while she continued talking with Aunt Ratih in the living room.
Not long after, Aunt Ratih excused herself, hugging Ajeng tightly as a farewell gesture. Ajeng needed to be independent and perform all her tasks well here.
Despite being in the same city, it didn’t mean they would meet often. Both had their separate jobs and responsibilities.
"Don't forget to say 'Bismillah' and serve this family with dedication. Remember, your job is to take care of Master Sean," Aunt Ratih advised. She didn't want Ajeng to forget her duties or worse, to fall for the young man of the house and aspire to become a lady of the house too. Aunt Ratih hoped for none of that. She wanted Ajeng to take her message to heart seriously.
To maintain her own dignity and honor.
Ajeng nodded obediently, "Yes, Aunt."
Ajeng stood on the porch until Aunt Ratih had completely disappeared from view.
Then Grandma Putri spoke up...
"Come on, let's go inside, I will introduce you to Sean."
"Yes, Grandma," Ajeng replied obediently.
So obedient, in fact, that she wasn't aware she would habitually respond with 'Yes.' Yes, Grandma, Yes, Aunt, Yes, Yes, Yes, always yes.
Entering the house again, Grandma Putri explained each of the rooms. Finally, they arrived at the second floor, where the children's bedrooms were located. Reza's, Ryan's, and also Rilly's, and now Sean's, they were all on this second floor.
"This is Sean's room, he doesn't like to be called Master, just call him by his name, just Sean, okay?" Grandma Putri clarified once again, eager to avoid any misunderstandings on Ajeng's part.
And again, Ajeng responded with two words... "Yes, Grandma."
They both entered and were immediately greeted by the warm smile of the handsome boy, causing Grandma Putri to furrow her brow at his suspicious expression.
"Sean, this is Miss Ajeng, your new caregiver. I really hope, truly hope, you get along with Miss Ajeng, okay?"
"Ready Grandma," Sean replied enthusiastically.
Ajeng beamed with a wide smile. So Sean wasn’t the naughty child everyone said he was, enthusiastically welcoming her with a friendly smile and handsome face.
"I'll leave you two for now, Jeng, since it's Sunday you can get acquainted."
"Yes, Grandma."
Grandma Putri left, keeping the bedroom door open.
Ajeng squatted down to be at Sean’s
"Hi Sean, nice to meet you, I'm Miss Ajeng." Ajeng reached out her hand, offering a greeting.
"Nice to meet you too, Miss Ajeng, I'm Sean. Oh, and let me introduce you to my friend as well."
Ajeng's eyes widened with curiosity about what Sean meant by friend. After shaking her hand, the boy placed his Batman robot on the bed, ran to his study table, and picked up a bag.
Standing before his new caregiver, he pulled something from his bag.
A frog that instantly hopped onto Ajeng, prompting the girl to scream out loud.
"KYA!!! GRANDMAAA!!!!"
Below, Grandma Putri massaged her throbbing head. Not even five minutes had passed since she left, and she had already heard Ajeng's scream.
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