---

The atmosphere of the cafe which provided outdoor dining facilities or tables located in an open room helped Gabriella feel more comfortable. She had been sitting and waiting since five minutes ago, the person who had called her an hour ago had yet to show any sign of being there.


Ordering a slice of brownie cake and a vanilla milkshake only served to fill the void for Gabriella. The young woman wasn't actually hungry at all, but there was no way she could wait for someone in a cafe without buying anything.

Gabriella's thin hands were busy fiddling with the screen of her phone, looking through the videos on her TikTok app. Although some of the content creators entertained her a little, Gabriella still felt uneasy.

Until finally, the appearance of a middle-aged man in front of her made the woman stop playing on her cell phone. Gabriella looked up slowly like a slow motion scene in a movie, before finally her eyes wrapped in brown soft lens found a familiar figure there.


"Dad?"

Rio flashed a small smile on her pale lips. "How are you, son?"


Instead of responding directly to her father's question, Gabriella turned her gaze to the woman in black behind her father. Gabriella clenched her hands under the table when she finally looked back at Rio and asked, "I thought you were here alone. Why bring her?"

Rio looked at his new wife, Tami, then back at Gabriella. The two corners of his lips that were previously raised, now faded as if carried by the wind that occasionally hit the woman's beautiful face. "Daddy wants to introduce you to your mama."

"She's not my mother," said Gabriella unhappily.

"Well, don't get emotional. Daddy is here because we have something to talk about." The man's face, which was beginning to be dotted with wrinkles in several places, turned around, looking at his wife who seemed hesitant. Rio nodded, then pulled out the chair in front of him. "Let's sit down first, Tami. It's okay, Gabriella's a big girl now, she'll understand."

Tami and Gabriella exchanged glances. It was obvious that Gabriella didn't like the woman's presence there, but out of respect for her husband, Tami finally sat down and Gabriella didn't say anything.

"How are you, Gabriella?" Tami ventured as Rio sat down next to her.

"None of your business," Gabriella replied sarcastically.

From the very beginning, Gabriella did not like Tami's presence. No, not her presence at the cafe where they met, but her presence a few years ago in her father's household. How could that woman come and approach her father when her mother was dying in the hospital. Instead of taking care of his wife who is sick with cancer, Rio prefers to please his new wife-to-be and have fun without thinking about his wife's feelings at the time, especially Gabriella.

Deciding to hate her father, forcing her to find a job early. After her mother left the world, Gabriella was hired by a TV company as a journalist and lived her own life. She earned enough money on her own to be able to rent a modest boarding house at first. Over time, the money from her hard work and overtime accumulated so that Gabriella could finally buy a used car and rent a more exclusive boarding house than before.

"You shouldn't talk like that to your mom. Tami is your mother too," Rio said, trying to intervene.

Gabriella snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Sorry, Dad. I don't have a mother anymore after Mama left. If you want me to respect you, you should respect my decisions and wishes."

"Gabriella!"

"It's okay, Rio," Tami interrupted in a gentle tone. The same thing she had always done to Gabriella was still happening today. She looked at Rio, then patted the back of his hand lightly. At least, Tami didn't want a fight here, in a public place. "It's okay."

"If you're only here to introduce me to this woman, I'd better go."

"Not yet, son." Again, Tami intervened. "Look, there's something Papah wants to talk to you about and it's serious, so it's not awkward, I'll wait outside."

"Why are you waiting outside?" Rio didn't accept it. "You just sit here, Gabriella it's okay."

"But, Rio-"

"Can you guys stop it?" cut Gabriella off quickly. "I'm too lazy to see drama. What exactly is Papah trying to say? It's not like when he asks for money, he just texts me, why is he asking me to meet him at all?"

Rio shook his head in disbelief. "You're getting insolent with your parents, Gabriella. Do you think I'm asking you for money because I'm too lazy to work?" Gabriella looked at her phone screen instead of paying attention to her father's chatter. Especially with Tami sitting across from her, Gabriella was just getting fed up. "Papah has very little money, his savings have run out."

"So what?"

"Gabriella, please look at Papah." Rio's voice softened, not sounding as emotional as it had a few minutes earlier. "I asked you to meet me here because I wanted to tell you that Papah is sick."

Gabriella looked up, taking her eyes off the screen, before shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. "Go to the hospital, Pah. Ask your new wife for an escort."

Rio and Tami exchanged glances before Rio leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Daddy has cancer, Gabriella."

Deg!

She almost dropped her phone because of the sudden trembling in her body.

What did he say? Cancer?

Rio pursed his lips as he returned to his position. He nodded his head and began to speak. "A few weeks ago Papah went to the doctor and had a check-up. He was diagnosed with stage three brain cancer, which is quite severe. Although there is hope for life, the chances are small. So far, Tami has only been able to help Papah with herbal remedies because of our limited economic resources." The man in his shabby-looking plaid shirt exhaled heavily, then clasped Tami's hand on the table. "Tami is the only one who has helped Papah all this time. The money you send every month, Papah uses to go to the doctor, there's nothing left over. Tami didn't want to accept the money at all because she said it was your money and rightfully belonged to Papah. But this time, here, Papah wants to bring you together with Tami so that you know that Tami is not as bad as you think, Gabriella."

Gabriella's teary eyes now moved to Tami. Tami just looked down weakly, seemingly not enjoying the praise given by her own husband. It was obvious that the woman also felt guilty towards Gabriella.

"Papah wants to ask you to forgive Papah and Tami. Tomorrow, after Papah is gone, occasionally visit your younger siblings at Tami's house. If you don't want to do that for Tami, please do that for Papah." Rio let go of Tami's hand and moved to Gabriella. The back of his only daughter's hand trembled as her father patted it gently. "I'm sorry for bothering you when you were already dying and almost dead, Gabriella."

---