...
Petra didn't notice a woman in her early forties standing behind her. With dark brown hair hanging down his shoulders, a little disheveled from sitting too long, almost three hours on the bus, and stuck in traffic to get to the destination city. He also looked far ahead, breaking through the high concrete buildings lined up to fill the city of Metropol. They stood in silence for a long time. It's quiet. Sculpting staring glass windows from the second floor of a house, located in the corner of the heart of Metropol, the metropolitan city of Mestonia that never sleeps.
"Are you sure you live here alone?" asked the woman. sighed in resignation as if he didn't want Petra to do what his only nephew had been determined to do.
"Yes bi," said Petra firmly. There was not the slightest hesitation in Petra's words. Petra's voice was so calm, it was clear that there was no feeling to make her aunt even more upset. That was precisely what made Aunt Mia even more and more groundless.
"But ..." there were still doubts that the aunt could not hide against her only nephew. However, Mia's aunt did not have sufficient reason to just say a sentence to prevent Petra's decision, or perhaps to make Petra reconsider her determination.
"Only three months, right? Three months for aunt and uncle to move here completely ... right?" Petra smiled, once again trying to ward off the anxious thoughts of her aunt, who Petra believed was filling the head of the woman Petra had seen as her biological mother as well as a role model all along.
"Right. But Petra, this city ... we have never lived here before. And also life here is very harsh, aunt heard it from aunt's friend who lived here last year." Cut Mia's aunt trying to persuade Petra to abandon her mind. I don't know how many times. Or just to reconsider, to continue the ridiculous scholarship. So ridiculous that Petra couldn't refuse the offer.
Still remembering clearly in my memory, not less than two months ago the principal offered a full scholarship to Petra to continue his studies at Metropol High School. Initially, their family was very happy to hear it and without thinking they immediately accepted the offer. There is no second chance for Petra to be able to continue studying in the best place in Mestonia. Especially with a full scholarship. More like a miracle, Petra thought at the time.
However, that's where the problem comes in. The full scholarship said by the principal was only for the cost of education and education support at the school as long as Petra studied there. Metropol High School does not have dormitories for students from other distant districts such as Finelan, where Petra is from. And that meant they had to at least rent a house for Petra to live in while she was at Metropol High School. And that means the costs they spend on renting a simple house like the one Petra and her aunt now have are not cheap. Uncle Petra almost had a sudden heart attack when he saw the par.
A miracle that ended in disaster.
Like rice that has become porridge. Petra must continue to study for whatever reason. Which means renting a house is a necessity. The main consideration for Petra's uncle and aunt in choosing the second-floor house was that apart from the relatively cheap price offered by other parties, the location of the house was quite close to Petra's school.
It was one of those serious conversations between Petra and her aunt before actually living in Metropol a week ago. That day still vividly lingered in Petra's memory. About the anxiety, Mia's aunt left her alone for three months, and her uncle in Finelan worked hard to make ends meet for Petra while living in Metropol. This means that during Petra's early days at school he was only accompanied by his aunt for one week. The remainder of the three months as agreed by Petra was spent living alone.
Petra didn't even bother with that. It's just that, it was the anxiety and worry that was clearly shown by aunt and uncle that made Petra afraid to spend her days in the rental house alone. Alone in a strange city of Metropol.
It wasn't the distrust of the neighborhood security guard in the neighborhood that Petra was thinking about, but how she could comfort the atmosphere of a home that Petra found was too spacious but lonely, at least for herself. Petra had never, in the history of her life, lived in the spacious two-story house it is today.
For Petra, the house was too big. In the past, while in Finelan he and his family lived in government-owned housing in the Finelan district which was devoted to farmers and their families. The house is small and simple but very warm for Petra. At home that's Petra can feel the warmth of a family, like a child with parents. Precious days for Petra who was orphaned since childhood.
"Are you sick, Petra?" Debbi asked, breaking Petra's daydream in the special dressing room for Kohiti Cafe employees.
"Ah, no Debbi. It's just that something comes to mind. Something about school lessons." Petra lied. Petra could not possibly tell such ridiculous things to Debbi, her new friend, even though Debbi was the type of girl who was easy to discuss and share stories with.
"Is it true?" Debbi repeated, her right hand already stretched out and touching Petra's forehead. Trying to check if Petra has a fever due to the change of seasons. "Your temperature is fine. Then what?" said Debbi who failed to detect Petra from symptoms of fever or something, then just switched the conversation casually.
"Nothing, brother Debbi," said Petra earnestly. Sometimes Petra gets confused by herself, Debbi is more like a kind stepmother than a nice co-worker.
"Okay, okay, okay." Debbi sighed resignedly and then left Petra alone.
The drizzle outside the cafe is visible from where Petra is standing behind the cashier counter. Gray clouds drifted along, adding to the gloom of Petra's current day. Also, Petra's mood was a mix between a messy house, quite a lot of schoolwork, and a tough intra-school meeting, no matter what, Petra was not serious enough to listen to the meeting. However, there was one thing that Petra could not just forget, there was a boy who annoyed almost all the participants in the meeting. Describing absurd ideas in the name of improving the intra-school organization which for him is outdated. Not to mention his arrogance about the budget for this matter he will fully bear. The meeting only added to Petra's confusion because of that person.
There is one unique thing about Kohiti Cafe where the entrance to the cafe is a copper bell the size of a golf ball and will ring when a visitor comes to open the entrance. As if informing the employees that there are guests who must be welcomed and served.
And the bell sounded soft as someone slowly entered the cafe. Petra hurried over to greet his guest, led him to an empty table, and handed him a menu book. However, the staff's ground rules suddenly disappear when they discover that the guest is the one who makes intra-school meetings a nightmare for Petra for the rest of her day at school.
"Lyon." Petra hissed very softly as he tried to give the troublemaker the best smile he could.