The Traces of Destiny
Where Are We Going?

Gajakarta towards the weekend brings the humid air of the rainy season which is really fresh. That morning, light dew covered every grassy area, people could see their breath as they climbed into their cars to go to work.

Teak trees in the distance appear to molt during the dry season to reduce evaporation. Meanwhile rows of yellow and pink Tatebuya are blooming along the side of the road competing with the colorful Bougenville beauty. Beauty in September

Slowly the sky turned orange, with the day coming to an end. Saras saw sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shadows along the pavement visible from his room.

Garin was coming soon, and he had been thinking about it all day, intermittently. Saras had prepared almost everything he needed, including a welcome.

Whether it should be spontaneous speech or following a script. He practiced saying 'hello and hai' in varying intonations until he realized it was preparation that could kill him.

With a lot of voicemails on her green account, she knew her mother had thought too much about it too, Saras said.

Saras' mother spoke at length, nothing seems to be missed. "About tonight, don't forget to bring a jacket. You do not want to experience flatulence and colds. With this windy air, it's possible, you understand what you mean, right?"

It started with one of the top messages her mother sent, and from there it continued to give her a variety of interesting suggestions, from not using too much makeup or fancy jewelry "so she didn't misunderstand," to make sure the stocking Saras wear nothing torn, if he wants to use it.

On the second message, going back to the first message and sounding more frantic, it was as if her mother knew she was running out of time to give the worldly wisdom she had accumulated over the years: "When I said jacket, I said jacket, I mean you should be able to choose the elegant ones. The lightweight. I know you might be cold, but you want to look beautiful. And for God's sake, whatever you do, don't wear a big, black one like those Batman wings you love so much. May be warm, but ugly as sin... ."

When she heard her mother's voice in the third message, this time it was completely frantic as she explained the importance of reading the newspaper, watching the latest news and opening an online channel about light political news and world news "so that you have something to talk about," Saras just pressed the delete button without listening to the rest.

He has a date to prepare for.

An hour later from his window, Saras sees Garin coming from the corner of his apartment parking lot, wearing a striped blue shirt with his arms rolled down his elbow. Garin was seen pausing for a moment, as if he made sure he was in the right place, then opened the door down and disappeared inside.

When she heard her footsteps climbing the stairs, she flattened with her hands the black cocktail dress she had already painstakingly chosen while deciding what she was going to wear, then opened the door.

"Hi .. am I late?"

Saras smiles. "Absolutely not, you're on time. I saw you coming."

Garin took a deep breath. "You look beautiful" she said.

"Thank you." He signaled to the box. "Is that for me?"

Garin nodded as he gave the box to Saras. Inside were six pink roses.

"There's one for every day you work with Raka."

"That's sweet," Saras said sincerely. "My mom will be impressed."

"Your mother?"

Garin walks in and gives a quick glance and assessment on the apartment Saras occupied. It was quite pleasant, smaller than he thought, but surprisingly comfortable, and most of the furniture fit the place.

There is a simple bench sofa that resembles a long bench with padded pads and a low table with a touch of paint color that is almost fashionable.

In a corner of the room a gray synthetic rattan swing chair hangs next to a lamp that looks a hundred years older, also the patchwork quilt thrown over the chair looked like something from a century ago.

In the kitchen, Saras opened the cupboard above the sink, pushed a few bowls aside, and took out a small crystal vase, and then he filled it with water.

"It's a good place that you have" Garin said.

Saras looked up. "thank you. Thank you for the compliment."

"Do you decorate it yourself?"

"Yes, I did most of it. I brought some stuff from Cijengkol, but after visiting some furniture and antique shops here, I decided to replace most of what I had. There's some good places around here."

Garin ran his hands along the console table by the window, then pushed the curtains aside to look out. "Do you like living in a more crowded city center?"

From the drawer, Sarah took out a pair of scissors and began cutting the bottom of the flower stalks. "Yes, but I'd say, the crowd around here is nothing. In Cijengkol everything can become more crowded, the crowd can occur in the morning and evening or the type of party crowd until the early hours of the morning in certain months."

"It's very calm, huh?"

Saras arranged the flowers in vases, one by one. "This is the first place I've ever lived where everyone seemed to sleep before ten p.m. Like a modern ghost town, once the sun sets, but I'm sure it makes your job pretty easy, right?"

"To be honest, it doesn't really affect me. Except for eviction notices, jurisdiction in ends at city limits. I usually work in the subdistrict."

"Facing the bottom layer of society?" ask her to play.

Garin shook his head. "Well, it wasn't me either. It was the sexy task of the subdistrict and its down."

"So, as a camat you don't really do much, then...."

"That's right," Garin agreed. “In addition to teaching, I can't think of any job that's more challenging to do.”

Saras laughed as he shifted the vase towards the center of the counter. "That's great. Thank you." Thank you." He stepped out from behind the counter and grabbed his wallet. "So, where are we going?"

"We're going to a nice place in the corner of town. Gajakarta Cafe. Oh, and it's a bit windy outside, so you better put on a jacket" she said, observing the woman's sleeveless dress.