The Heart of Vania
The Capital

Welcome to the Argo Express train that will take us to the final destination of KX Station. This trip takes about 9 hours and 46 minutes. If you need help or other information, you can contact our crew members who are on duty on this trip. For the sake of comfort and safety we urge you to remain vigilant to keep your luggage, not smoking either in the train, in the toilet, or in the brothels. Enjoy your journey. Thank ye.

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This bedsheet took me and Litha to the Capital. We've been feeling awkward with each other ever since we stepped foot out of the Principal's room this afternoon. Taking the last train schedule today, I will spend my suspension time with my sister because we don't want Mom to know what's going on, don't want to worry her. We just told Uncle Tino and Aunt Rima to make a reasonable excuse if Mom asked me why I didn't come home in the second week of the month as usual.

"Relse ... Sorry to bother you," I said in the end after half an hour of sitting quietly in the executive class seat.

Litha just smiled at me, and clasped my hand tightly and said, "Is your cheek still hurting? Forgive your brother for forcing you into that hell. Brother only thinks of what I think is good without knowing how you feel." I shook my head, then he let out a long sigh with a quiver, "Nia, Big Brother trusts you. You will not act without cause. They are indeed very outrageous, but what are our strengths? We don't have anything to hold our heads up."

"But what is to kneel?"

"For your sake, Nia, I'll do anything."

"Ck. I didn't ask for it."

"But why are you also willing to get hit?"

"I can't let them step on Litha's pride any longer."

Silent.

I turned my gaze towards the rice fields on the fast-moving train window. My heart felt crumpled to a crumple.

"Did every train ride Kak Litha chose the executive class?" I asked not to take my eyes off the window. I don't want him to find my eyes glazed over.

"Umm .. never. Just this time I was in executive class, it was more comfortable and fun than economy class."

"Why don't we go up the economy class. Isn't that saving?"

True said Kak Litha, the executive class on this train is so comfortable with having a chair that can not only be rotated, but can be stretched up to 50 degrees also equipped with pillows, blankets, electrical outlets, and so on, television and AC per car.

"You've had a hard day. I can't do much to help you. At least the trip this time can be a little entertaining and forget the bad thing last afternoon," he said.

My tears are telling me to hear it, though, but I can't describe what I'm feeling right now - between wanting to hug her and saying that I'm okay and also being very upset with her - because of her unilateral decision to put me in that school become like this. Yes, everything he did was solely for the good of my future, but seeing him kneel down pleading for me not to be expelled, it was very painful. Why didn't he accept my sanction of being expelled from school? Now it's even more complicated because if I make 'problem' again, I'll get a stamp on my forehead as a troubled student and there will be no other school that will accept me.

"I'm sorry, Nia. I took the wrong step from the start, I should have been more concerned with your feelings, not just pursuing a prestigious school. I understand that you hate me."

My tears fell to my cheeks, but somehow my usually loud crying sound was now muffled in the wheels of the railroad tracks on the pads.

"How can I hate you, brother?" I shouted in my heart.

I felt my hand being grabbed and kissed by her and said, "It's okay you hate me, Dek. But stay strong, don't give up on the situation. Focus on your future."

My hands feel wet. Even though I didn't see, I knew my brother was crying too. We both wept for the fate that was not on our side but still forced to stand on our own feet. Oh, how hard life is.

...***...

The next morning we arrived at the capital. Hustle and bustle of people with all the busyness plus extraordinary congestion and low oxygen air makes me frown wonder because the capital was not as beautiful as seen on national TV broadcasts.

"This is what you call Vania? Well, your sister is prettier than her sister," welcome Kak Litha's roommate to me kindly, hug and kiss my cheek.

"Nia, meet my roommate, her name is Ninda" said Litha, introducing her friend.

"This room has only two beds, one is mine and one belongs to Ninda. I told Mother Kost that you've been hitching a month here,"

Litha gave a little explanation while showing a brown cot with a size of 120x200 centimeters near the window of the room, "You will sleep here. I'm going to buy a folding mattress, for me to sleep on the floor" he continued.

I still observe the room that is not too big but neat and feels comfortable because it is arranged quite well.

I nodded, not long before he took a towel and a change of clothes and went into the bathroom.

"Hi Sister Ninda ... May my presence for the next month not interfere with your comfort in this room," I said starting a conversation with a friend of Litha's sister .

Kak Litha's height is shorter than mine, but this friend is shorter than Kak Litha. Her hair was shoulder-length and bangs, the person who didn't know her must have thought she was my friend, not my sister's friend.

"Don't hesitate. I and Litha are very much bestie, so I'll take you as my own sister."

"Thank you, Brother."

"But maybe you'll get a little bored. During the day we had to be alone in the room because we had just returned to college at three."

"Ah, it's okay, brother. I will spend my time studying. Do you know what this suitcase is?" point me at one of the medium-sized suitcases that hasn't been unpacked, Sister Ninda just shook her head.

"It's 75 percent of my textbooks. Litha herself put it in. He said, that doesn't mean I'm on suspension I can relax and he'll be my private tutor. Aishhh ..." I lamented patting the suitcase.

"Wow! He still has time to teach you it turns out, I guess his time is up with part time work and translating articles."

I was confused to digest the words of Brother Ninda regarding Brother Litha.

"Your brother is amazing. The energy never runs out. After college from morning until noon, he had a shift as a waiter at a fried chicken restaurant, but on the sidelines of his busy life he still had time to receive articles from several online news media to be translated. Amazingly, all the grades of his college eyes are brilliant, even he represented the campus in several competitions and won the championship."

WHA!

I was shocked to hear the daily life of Brother Litha in the Capital. All this time we were in City A only knowing that my brother was in college while working part-time at a fried chicken restaurant. It turned out that he was adding to his activities as a translator and his madness at the race was still continuing, his competitive spirit was indeed very strong.

"You should be proud of her, Nia. My friend was very proud and helped in academic matters. He's also a very good friend. To the extent that both of my parents wanted him to match up with one of my brothers, hihihi ...."

"Well! Is Brother Litha dating? Because we–"

Ah, I can't continue my sentence stating that we are forbidden to date and be close friends with men by Father. Kak Tisha's tragic events are already proof because she broke a promise to Dad before leaving for college to the Capital at that time.

"No– is not what you think. It's just my parents' desire that they like your brother so much. Many students liked and wanted her as a boyfriend, even my cousin was crazy about her, but Litha was never tempted in the least by her male name. He is too focused on studying and working. Did he ever hurt men to the greatest extent possible to avoid them?" Brother Ninda talked about Brother Litha with such enthusiasm and curiosity.

"Shy! Stop gossiping! Come to campus, soon your first hour of college" exclaimed Litha suddenly appearing in front of the bathroom door.

"All I come to the minimarket" he continued, "Nia, don't take Ninda's words seriously. Now clean yourself up and relax, today you're free. I'll deliver food but I can't keep you company after that because I have to go straight to college at the second hour."

"Are you not tired? We just arrived from City A."

"I was comfortable enough and could fall asleep in the executive class seat. Now it's time to study and work again," he said, grabbing the bag after combing his hair, "Come on, Nin."

"OK," said Ninda while taking the key of a motorcycle on her desk.

"Lock the door! Although there is a special boarding house for the princess but sometimes there are male guests who come and do not open the door before peeping it from the window first. Wear polite clothes, don't wear shorts above the knees and sleeveless clothes, although it's okay but it's better to keep because we don't know what other people think in his brain."

"..."

"Tha, have you always been this chatty to your sister?" brother Ninda asked in confusion, I chuckled at her.

"Originally Brother Litha is very ugly and noisy, hehehe ...."

"I'm chatty because he's my responsibility and I have to take care of him. Yuk, uh ... You can be late." Brother Litha pulled Ninda's wrist out of the room.

"It!" shouted again.

"Yes, yeah. It's noisy!" my reply was not to lose out hard.

Brother Litha shouted at me as a code to immediately do as she said before. Lock the door, shower and dress modestly, after which relax while waiting for the food to come. To be honest I wasn't too hungry because as soon as I got off the train Kak Litha took me to breakfast chicken porridge at the station.

- Connect -