LANA'S POV
The sun was shining brightly on the hustle and bustle of Surabaya, the capital city of East Java, which was filled with the bustling atmosphere of hawkers around the terminal. I had just set foot in this city, "Thank goodness I arrived safely," I said. I took a deep breath, then exhaled it as I was relieved to have arrived at my destination. Slowly, I walked down the street around the terminal, I saw a beautiful park in the center of the city. I immediately went there, washing my eyes with the green scenery after being tired of the atmosphere in the bus for so long. I sat alone, on a park bench with the cartoon series Doraemon as its base. I said to myself, "Well, I'll call my uncle soon. I'm sure he'll pick me up soon."
I looked around, and I saw a girl wearing a black hoodie across the park, bending down to feed an orange cat. I was still watching her. Unconsciously, she turned her head towards me. Maybe she felt someone was watching her. Suddenly, his gaze startled me, made me misbehave, then waved my hand as a gesture of "Hi," with a hesitant smile. She just stared. A blank stare. There was no smile on his face. Her towering hair poking through her hoodie, swept away by the wind, her eyes remained blank at me. "Still, she's beautiful," I said to myself.
30 seconds passed, and she didn't budge an inch. The atmosphere was broken when a male voice called out my name. "Lana! Is that you?" he called from a distance. I turned to the source of the voice, Ah, it was my uncle. His name was Uncle Taufik. I immediately approached him.
"Uncle!" I exclaimed.
"Hey, how are you? How's your mom? Healthy? I almost didn't recognize you because you're so big and handsome, hahaha." He chuckled as he patted my shoulder.
"Mom's doing well, uncle. Oh yes, this is a souvenir of Kediri tempeh from mom," I said as I reached into my bag, trying to take out the parcel inside.
"Reasons, later. Uncle will take you to the place where you'll be staying during your apprenticeship here. It's not far, we can walk. Follow me." He said.
I followed her from behind, making small talk with her. Unintentionally, my eyes fell on the girl, and I guess she was still watching me.
**
We arrived at a flat that could be said to be rather shabby. Uncle Taufik continued walking down the stairs until we were on the fourth floor. I followed him with bated breath. I noticed that there were only three residents on this floor. They were in room 23, the room opposite where I was standing now, and the room at the end of the stairs, room 30.
"Well, here we are." said Uncle Taufik, "You can stay here, and I have a motorcycle for you downstairs. You can have a look around the room first. No need to worry, I'll pay for the electricity and water. There is already complete furniture inside." He explained at length. I was still exhausted, my breath coming in short gasps because I wasn't used to climbing stairs.
"Hey, are you still tired? Hahahaha, boys have to be strong. 'Wong yo cook' is just that tired, lose to Uncle." Again, Uncle made a joke with a mocking look.
"Here, the key. Take good care of it. I'm going downstairs first. If there's anything, call me." He said. He walked away from me. I, who received the key, immediately opened the door to the room, and said greetings as I entered the building that was new to me, then closed it again.
I saw the simple atmosphere of the living room, a mat spread out, a table with a TV on it, a power cord and a pile of books beside it. I explored the room by room. This flat has four rooms. The living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. For drying clothes, it is usually done on the 5th floor, more or less that's what my uncle told me.
"Well, it's still livable. At least I'm still grateful that Uncle gave me a place to live, without having to pay any fees. Just imagine if I were to rent a boarding house per month, my living expenses would definitely increase, especially since this city is the capital of East Java, with a crowded city situation. " I laid myself down on the mat. Staring blankly at the ceiling of the room. I began to think about many things. Before long, I fell asleep.
I woke up at nine in the evening. There was a loud noise from the front room.
"WHO'S CHEATING ON YOU? I'M JUST WORKING TO SUPPORT THIS FAMILY!" the middle-aged woman's hoarse voice was clearly heard by me.
Followed by the sound of shattering glass, as well as a man's voice yelling, "I KNOW YOU'RE ONLY REASONING! I SAW YOU BEING DRIVEN HOME BY ANOTHER MAN THIS AFTERNOON!"
"IT'S JUST RIO, MY OFFICE MATE. I'M WORKING TO SUPPORT OUR FAMILY WHO ARE POOR BECAUSE OF YOU! DON'T YOU FORBID ME TO WORK!" the woman's voice grew louder. The sound of yelling became louder and louder from the room.
I, who had only been eavesdropping, now tried to peek through the front window. I saw a lamp burning brightly from inside the room, the silhouettes of two people arguing. I kept peeking through the curtained window. Soon, a girl wearing a black hoodie came in, clutching a cigarette between her fingers. She exhaled the smoke from her mouth, stared at the room for a moment, then sat down on the chair in front of the room. I thought I recognized her. I thought for a while, but finally I managed to find an answer. Wait, isn't that the girl I saw earlier this afternoon in the park?
***
CHIA'S POV
"Be careful, child! Watch out for falling into the pond!" a mother in a pink hijab called out to a little girl who was looking at fish in the pond in the center of the park.
The child became more and more curious, wanting to touch the fish in the pond, and eventually plunged into it. Byurr! His body was drenched. The mother approached her son, exclaiming, "There, right. I told you so. Obey me next time." Even though she grumbled, she still helped her child to get up from the pond, The child smiled, even laughed happily. "I like fish, after this I will become a mermaid, huh mom?" he said to his mother. "Not a mermaid, but you will be a dugong soon, because you don't obey mom." The mother teased.
"Ihh... I don't want to be a dugong! I want to be princess Ariel!" the child can be seen sulking.
"Hahahha... yes, yes. My daughter is already beautiful like a princess, now a good princess must obey her mother, so as not to become a disobedient child ... later cursed like Malin Kundang," she said.
The mother-daughter conversation sounded sweet. A sight, a conversation that I enjoy every day in this park. Many families are on vacation, as a cheap yet sufficient means of recreation to unwind on the weekends. Honestly, I love seeing warm family conversations like that. It sounds simple, but to me, it's something very meaningful. "I wish it was me..."
However, this park itself is a special place for me, because I love feeding the cats around the park area. Seeing them eat with gusto, as well as petting their soft fur, can lift my bad mood.
It was an uncomfortable day. I could no longer bear the gaze of someone who kept coming at me. As soon as I turned my head towards the culprit, I saw that he was immediately misbehaving. "Then I was right, he has been staring at me for a long time." I said to myself. Not long after, he waved his hand, as if saying "Hi" to me. I kept looking back at her. She also looked at me.
The strange situation lasted for 30 seconds. Before a man finally called out a name, making her turn around and approach the man. I heard them talking. I accidentally caught their conversation. The man who noticed me earlier, named Lana, he seemed to have just arrived from out of town. Meanwhile, the man who called her was her uncle. They walked away. I kept staring from a distance, imagining what it would be like to have a caring uncle, a warm family, welcoming me with affection... "Ah, God. I really want to know what it's like to have a fir family like those people..." I pleaded silently. However, I thought it was an impossible thing for me to do. People like me don't deserve good things like that. Because I was already dirty, far from holy, and full of sin.[]