Under The Rain's
Chapter 7—Fruit of Heart

Reva has a unique habit where when he wants to write a book, he will do new things that look ridiculous if he is noticed. He wants to have as much insight as possible, and understand as deeply as possible. He traveled alone from Bandung to Lombok. Completely alone. Don't think he'll waste money buying plane tickets and staying at a luxury resort. A la Reva is a bus ride from the terminal to the terminal and crammed into economy class trains, and he just rented a simple room. It's nothing, Reva wants to understand what it's like solo backpacking budget, so he can write the sensation well.

Reva also knows several groups of people, from conservative academics, corporate slaves with capitalist minds, to alcohol-drinking street artists such as Krishna, her lover. He also has some friends who come from broken-home families who often share stories with him.

The world is wide. There are so many things outside the daily norm that Reva has not understood. Reva wants to learn and she does continue to learn, wherever and whenever, because she wants to understand life from different sides better.

Like that time, at 03:00 in the morning Reva was eating porridge at the mother market! She is writing a novel in which the main protagonist is a widow who raised her five children by selling vegetables in the market. The intricacies of life in the market and the struggles of traders in it try to tell Reva clearly, clearly and truly. Therefore, Reva has to really understand first how the traditional market operates.

At 11:00 p.m., Reva finally returned to her apartment, with four large crackles that weighed a total of thirteen kilograms! The reason, Reva does not feel good if you have to wonder to the swordsmen about the experience, without actually buying their merchandise. As a result, many kilometers of vegetables and side dishes and kitchen spices are in the hands of Reva who is ready to process into a variety of dishes.

As Reva turned to the corridor where her room was, she again saw Kaia was pensively pensive while sitting in front of her room, waiting for someone to come to open the door for her. Still wearing a school uniform complete with a bag on his back, he must have just returned home from school.

Reva walked past him and leaned the thick black crackles on his doorstep. He turned his head towards Kaia, who was also looking at him with a smile.

“Your name is Kaia, ‘kan?” reva asked while looking for the key to his room in his sling bag.

“Yes, Aunt—”

“My name is Reva, don't call aunt.”

The boy just stared in wonder. Maybe he thought Reva looked so mature, so it was strange to call him by name only to a child like himself.

The door to Reva's room was already open, then she started hauling a pile of her groceries inside. Just as he was about to close the door again, he saw Kaia still watching him with a plain face. The corridor was completely deserted, Reva again felt worried to leave the child alone.

“You want to come in?” invite Reva who is still standing in the doorway and make sure that the mother of the child has not shown any signs of coming.

Kaia still did not want to get out of her seat. It's still very small. Maybe he felt embarrassed and scared, so it forced Reva to approach him and put on a more friendly face.

“You want to come in?” reva asked once more, that time extending his hand and smiling kindly. “I'm not a bad guy, you know. Not a kidnapper either, relax aja.”

Finally, though hesitantly, Kaia welcomed Reva's helping hand and they clasped. Then Reva helped him up and led him into his house.

The rest of the room was still spacious, and Reva used it to display her favorite books as well as her collection of toys and action figures! Yes, Reva who has almost entered the age of three heads still likes to play play-dough, slime and fidget toys. He also collects various kinds of clay and colorful oil painting to fill his free time, in stark contrast to the contents of his tiny clothes closet which is all dark. Of course for Kaia it was heaven! Therefore, his eyes until sparkling to see the collection of stationary Reva which is very colorful and glittering because it is studded with glitter.

Reva realized Kaia was flabbergasted to see her giant display rack that towered to the ceiling. To Reva, the reaction was very funny and innocent. Unknowingly, a faint smile fell on his lips. I don't know why he was happy to see Kaia beaming like that. Really, Reva should have every reason to hate that kid, but she can't. Being the baby of Rafael and Nadia, Kaia was completely innocent.

Reva grabbed a set of painting tools located at the top of the shelf that had since attracted Kaia's attention. Canvas, brushes and various kinds of paint painted in the tube and then placed it on a work table. “If you want, we can paint together,” invite him to Kaia, which of course he received excitedly.

Kaia immediately took off her shoulder bag and drinking bottle and put it on Reva's mattress. He took off his shoes and sat on a minimalist wooden chair that Reva had provided. They sat next to each other and started talking. Reva taught the boy some of the painting techniques he learned from Krishna, and let him be creative to live up to his imagination. Sometimes they laugh together.

It was already noon and the sun was already rising right in the middle of the sky. Reva began making simple dishes for her and Kaia's lunch, while the boy was still engrossed in polishing the white canvas with colorful paint. Before long, two men and one woman were heard from outside her room, which made Reva feel curious so she started sticking her earlobes to the door to eavesdrop.

Holy hooch!

The three people in front of her room were noisily looking for Kaia who was considered to be missing!

Reva immediately cleaned her fingers after cutting the onion, and immediately opened the door in a panic. “Pak, sorry, Kaia is here with me,” he said to one of the security officers called by Nadia to find Kaia.

Foolish Reva, he should have told her that Kaia was with him so that he would not make such a riot. However, at that time there was absolutely no one around, and let alone have Nadia's contact number, just cross paths with the woman Reva did not want to.

Nadia immediately glared at Reva and broke into her house. Reva who was not struggling just perched at the door and let her in just like that, because after all, she also felt guilty. Then, Nadia pulled Kaia's arm forcefully, so that the brush she was holding onto fell onto the floor and left a paint stain. “Let's go home, Kaia, paint at home. You have it too!” he rushes while transporting Kaia's belongings, bags, shoes and drinking bottles.

Kaia instantly complied and hurried to leave the place. When he was about to pass the door, he looked at Reva with a smile as if saying ‘thank you’. Reva only gave a small nod before Nadia also passed him. “Other times do not need to bother managing Kaia like that, Va. He just has to wait a minute. Because I had a need,” protest Nadia before leaving.

Reva did not defend herself and was too lazy to speak. He simply gave the woman a cold and sharp look before finally closing the door. Wait, said? Kaia was in her room for over an hour! And it wasn't the first time the little boy had to wait alone to get into his own house.

Very upset Reva saw Nadia's behavior like that, really irresponsible! Does her husband know that Nadia is negligent in looking after her child? Is Rafael aware that something bad could have happened to Kaia?

That day Reva became bad mood thinking about her indifferent next door neighbor. Fortunately, Reva had a lot of work to tidy up a pile of food that he had just bought. Reva is indeed very strange because it considers cleaning activities fun. However, it could indeed distract him from the bad feelings in his heart.

Finished tidying up the kitchen, Reva headed for her desk. It was only then that she realized that the flower painting made by Kaia looked quite good for a child her age. Kaia seems to be talented. Without a doubt, he displayed the half-finished work. Maybe Kaia will go back there to continue her work, maybe not. Reva doesn't care. He liked that painting.