Lima Belas Abad berlalu

[Alip]

Maaf bahasa Inggris... saya tulis untuk sebuah komunitas lain, tapi kelihatannya masih relevan untuk ditaruh di utasan lama ini...

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The two girls are only 24 or something... I am a poor judge of age (always think myself younger), but I am sure they are still in the first half of their twenties... Agile, crisp, and energetic, they are everything a man would think of a girl to light up a dark room... but looking at them at work, one can see charm radiating from their smiley faces. Eyes so strong and focus that even a black cat wouldn't dare a staring contest.

The two are best friends just returned from study in states. Certified chefs from different genre of cooking, they joined forces finding their own restaurant in elite space in Sudirman.

If I were about their age, I'd be honing my teeth and get ready for mating ritual. Yes, they are the kind of girl that qualify as mate according to my genetic code. But older and hopefully wiser, as they addressed me as Pak (sigh), I look at them as perfect model of how I should rise my own daughter.

Born from rich family that I wouldn't name here as most of you would immediately recognize, the two girls show no signs of stereotype 'rich dad's little girl'. They have money, yes, but apparently they are well learned on how to make more of it, not merely spending it on unnecessary things. They know their business very well, they can tell ingredients of any cooking just by tasting it, they know how to set the gas pressure gauge on the kitchen, they know how to put structure to people working inside and outside kitchen... and they damn know how to issue order while still showing smile on their face. They have leadership.

Giving me tour around their would be restaurant, the two girls revealed a bit about their childhood and teenage time. Their parents were (and still) busy, and of course there were little disappointment here and there that sometime those old people weren't there for them. But no, they are not broken home family. They can feel the love given by their parents, and it helped shaping their characters.

Parting with the girls with kisses to the cheeks, I re-realize that being parents to the 21st century children will take different approach from the way I was rised. This is the era where industry demands more of working parents that they cannot spend as much time with their children as they wish, while modern culture hide elusive threats to those growing young minds. Such challenge that we started to think that working and parenting are mutually exclusive. I decided to go for both, against the wisdom I often hear from my elders. Daunting, but looking at the two beauties, I know that it worth the risk and effort.