[Why isn't she responding again?!]
Inside the little apartment, Arash was walking in circles with worry etched deep into his brow. He had just finished cooing the little ones to sleep, and it was d*mn trying. A little bit more, he would have lost his temper and spanked their butts to kingdom come. However, he had managed to massage his chest and think of God before he collected himself yet again. He couldn't fathom how Hana made the kids slept at nine every day without fail. His beloved was a super mom!
Dark circles adorned his tired eyes, as unkempt stubble formed on his jaw. Arash was like a zombie; lack of sleep, worry for Hana, mind-numbing suppression from his immediate boss, his parents' grumbles for not visiting, rearing two super active children, dealing with his in-laws, and the ad-hoc midnight study to make tutorials for his wife had taken a massive toll on him. He had juggled all these for a month without Hana by his side.
The only moment of solace was when the kids were asleep and he could engage in romantic messaging with his wife, just like the olden days in university years.
They had fought a little few nights ago. As usual, this d*mn mouth couldn't just speak sweet words to the pitiful little wife, but to condemn her with a barrage of (well-intentioned) unkind words. Arash couldn't stop himself from trying his hardest to stop Hana's newest project!
She told him she was going to subjugate a nest full of monster termites! Seriously?! She was even crying when a cockroach flew to her face!
Whether the termites were real or not, or the size was exaggerated or not, he could not tolerate his beloved purposely endangering herself, just for the grand idea of making a map! He'd rather hope that she waited for him and Bro Hadi settled everything!
Although Hana had not brought up the matter again, he had a bad feeling that she was purposely keeping him in the dark. This had led his mind to suffer agonizingly when she had suddenly stopped communication for three consecutive days!
A barrage of questions from Hana's family's side added to his heartache. [You ask me, but who can I ask?] It's not like Hana was being selective and only messaged him when she left the others hanging. He knew, even how busy she became, she would always inform him due to her habits. He also knew that she had a soft spot for her mom, Ma'am Shaza, so she won't skimp on her too. This sudden MIA had seriously pushed Arash to the brink as he thought about Hana's ridiculous near-death experience from a small bite of prawn skewer! Arash was akin to ants on a hot pan, agitated, worry, and erratic.
He nearly flung his smartphone down when the incoming message was endless harassment from his immediate boss, and not from his beloved wife. This (colorful expletives)!!! He even harassed him in the middle of the night with work!
Arash took three deep breaths and went to the washroom to take ablution. As every drip of water washed his body parts, he found that his agitated heart calmed a lot.
He needed to pray to God to ask for help to safeguard his wife from harm's way. That was the only thing that he could do besides wait.
...
Madam Lisa welcomed the man into the office with the brightest smile she could muster. The forlorn look plastered upon this intelligent-looking man had caught her gaze for some time now. She knew he was a prized golden goose from how loosely he threw his money around for the sake of his 2 year-old daughter. However, she also knew that he hadn't accepted the death of his wife yet.
That woman, dying a premature death, was actually a boon for her. She knew she needed to take slow, steady steps to win over this suave-looking man. As long as she patiently stayed by his side, one day his gaze will finally fall on her. She hadn't found a person she was compatible with for the longest time and had been very business-oriented ever since. This man had a tenderness she could not describe when he spoke of his departed wife, and his caring demeanor for his child was real. He was also very mature and grounded. All the qualities of a man she admired were squarely on this man! She longed to fill the empty shoes of the woman. However, the kid needs to go once she managed to conquer him. At the moment, she still needed to be prudent and took extra care of the little monster!
That little devil was really something! She was so cranky all the time, and vicious! Madam Lisa had been bitten more times than she could think of.
[Just you wait, you little runt... Once I get your Papa, you'll know what will happen to you!]
For now, she couldn't take any action. She knew the man had installed a camera-recorder on the personal effects of the little monster. It was the latest spy camera one could buy from Lazada; a simple google had revealed its function. That was why she purposely placed it openly and treat the kid with extra care to show her dedication.
Oblivious to Madam Lisa's scheming internal thoughts, Arash spoke to the daycare administrator without a slight ripple in his cold eyes. What he wanted were results that equated to excellent care for his little one. It should be proportionate with the amount of money he spent. Checking on the recordings daily had made Arash satisfied inwardly. This Madam Lisa truly cared for his little daughter, although she had been in tough positions all the time.
"Mr. Arash, is there anything that I can help you with?" Madam Lisa's motherly smile soothed Arash within.
"I would like to ask for a favor. I need to do something for the whole day tomorrow, so I need someone to take good care of my daughters. Is it alright? I will pay by the hour."
[Another daughter?! That woman is so productive! Hmph!] "Ah, sure! We pride ourselves on the well-being of the children here. The little one is a treasure! I'm sure the sister will get along well with me. Please don't worry and be at ease. I will treat both of them as if my own. Believe in me. I will never disappoint you." Madam Lisa laced her words with multiple meanings, hoping that it could thaw the icy heart of the man in front of her.
Gratitude filled Arash's eyes as he saw the administrator in a new light. "Thank you! I owe you one."
Arash couldn't wait to go survey the surroundings of the town he lived in properly. He remembered Bro Hadi had told him about the peculiarity of the hand-drawn scrawl. In truth, although Arash and Hana had been residing in the town for four years, they had not explored the area entirely due to their hectic schedule. He had heard that their new town was actually a palm oil tree plantation bordered by a rainforest on one side and a dried-up tin ore mine, which had been converted into lakes on the other side. There were even real aborigines living not far from their town, though he might need to perform a little trekking at the fringe of the forest.
Bringing the girls along will only complicate things. Bro Hadi's home was the nearest to them, but it still needed 2 hours to reach on a one-way journey, and he couldn't impose on his brother-in-law like that. Additionally, he was a little bit dissatisfied with his brother-in-law. He knew Hana must have been affected by Hadi's harshness. As harsh as he was, Bro Hadi would top the charts. He knew Hana had directly contacted Bro Hadi before. Since then, she had been somewhat different; she couldn't hide it well. Arash knew this was an indication she was deeply hurt.
Since Bro Hadi was only content with being a keyboard warrior, he will do the legwork instead. He needed to at least investigate the more remote areas properly. Although Hana had talked about mysterious sentient animals incessantly and nearly convinced him that she might have been spirited away to another world or something, he still needed to make sure. Who knows if he could find any clues.
With a copy of the hand-drawn map, a real printed map, a compass, and other newly bought camping necessities, he hardened his heart to set out as early as possible the next day. He won't lie that he was, in fact, extremely nervous. It was his first time since university years to do jungle trekking.
...
Loud rumble startled the forest inhabitants as they scurried away hurriedly. Monkey shrills, exotic birds and fowls' shrieks and distant roars could be heard interlacing with the sounds of insects. A gray jeep broke through a dense foliage covering an obscure trail, splashing teh-tarik colored mud everywhere. It stopped abruptly as it came across a large broken branch, partially covered with greenish-black moss, barring its movement forward.
Three men exited from the jeep, approached the large tree branch and worked together to move it to the side of the trail. Two of them worked almost mechanically as if the deed was as natural as breathing to them, while the last one was trying his best to follow the lead of the others. His movements were awkward, but his efforts were sincere. The two men glanced at each other knowingly but didn't comment.
"This is already the fifth time." Arash sighed while wiping the accumulating sweat away from his forehead with his left hand. He had unintentionally smeared mud on his face without knowing. The two men watching were trying their hardest not to break into a grin. Obviously, this city-dweller was a noob in off-road adventuring. Since they had been hired at a generous price, they tried their best to assist this man into the know-how of the trade.
"This is quite normal, Mr. Arash. Since the trail is not well-trodden, it is not regularly cleared." The man wearing a black cap took out a map and a compass and lay it on top of the bonnet. Another man used a GPS tracker to double-checked their route.
"We're currently here. At the end of this trail, we need to switch to this trail for two more hours. After that, we need to do a bit of trekking for three hours to the aborigine village you wanted."
Arash silently observed the vegetation warily. The trees adorning the trail were ancients; the trunks were so large and thick, at least two to three men needed to hold hands together to be able to successfully surround the trees. Looking at these trees reminded him of his beloved, struggling in a similar condition, but bereft of the convenience he currently enjoy; guides in the form of a trekking expert and a professional pathfinder, packaged together with transportation. He was not foolish to trudge into the wilderness without ample preparation.
"Let's proceed. I hope we could reach the area by early evening. I really need to reach home by tonight." He was already worrying about the girls at the daycare center. Although its service was top-notch, he only promised Madam Lisa that he would place the girls under her care for the whole day. It seemed that he had overestimated the time and effort needed for this excursion. He had sent a message to the kindhearted administrator but wasn't sure whether it reached her or not.
Rob was sighing inwardly at his client's request. He was a little too optimistic. Although the whole route would take around 6 hours, that was excluding other factors. A lot of things will affect the difficulty of the course, which in turn will add more time. He had once used double the time to reach the same location before. It was nearly impossible to complete the whole route, stay for one to two hours at the aborigine village and double back to civilization within a short span of eighteen hours! He even heard that the head of the aborigine village was a difficult person.
"Mr. Arash, I'm not trying to be negative here. But you must be prepared not to be assisted by the aborigines. They kept to themselves all the time and refuse to mingle if it is has nothing to do with trade. Another thing is, if it is too late, we might need to stay overnight at the village before we could return. The virgin forest is quite dangerous at night. The price will be quite hefty." He was trying to remind Arash of the might-be added charges. Obviously, if they had to stay for the night, the cost of accommodation should be borne by their client.
"Alright, don't worry about it. I'll cover all the other additional expenses as per our agreement. Just make haste. I would like to reach the aborigine village as soon as possible." Arash could read in between the lines and could only agree since they were professionals. They knew what they were doing, and he was just a tag-along. Without them, he would be the same as his beloved, helpless to the elements of nature.
He really needed to meet up with the locals who knew the land well, especially the forested area, to consult them of any hidden caves in the vicinity. Who knows, he might find some leads.
With hopeful eyes, he trudged forward with renewed vigor. Even the ever-painful knee had felt a little light.
...