Chapter 5

“How come you just run away?” Lizzy protested when they arrived home from the morning’s bike ride. They parked their bicycles in the garage next to the parked car.

“If you don’t run away, the guy invites pleasantries,” said Rakia honestly.

“Yes, it’s okay if you don’t like it, just for me, okay?” Lizzy looked at Rakia while raising her eyebrows with a big smile. Rakia stared at the woman with narrowed eyes.

“Whatever, I want to take a shower.” Rakia was the first to enter the house.

“Hey, where are you going? The keys in me!” shouted Lizzy, who immediately stopped Rakia in front of the main door and waited for the house’s owner. Lizzy came and immediately opened the door.

“What are we having for breakfast? Any suggestions?” asked Lizzy as they walked into the house.

“How about chicken porridge?” Rakia enthusiastically, and Lizzy chuckled.

“Just wasting calories. How come you’re not fat? The others, granola plus dragon fruit juice.”

“What? That’s prison food; you don’t have to; I want to order it on the app,” spat out Rakia, who openly disagreed. During this time, he has never limited his food, let alone do a diet program. Rakia walked into her room and picked up her cell phone. Lizzy rolled her eyes as she took a deep breath.

“Just because you have a magical body, you don’t eat fast,” Lizzy grumbled and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Rakia sat at one of the dining table chairs while waiting for her order. Lizzy was still busy struggling with her unfinished breakfast.

“So you’ve been on a diet all this time? What for? Your body is already good,” said Rakia curiously. She propped her chin with one hand, looking at Lizzy, who was busy cutting dragon fruit and putting it in the blender. Then, the woman opened one of the cupboard doors above her head and grabbed instant coconut milk packaged in paper. Lizzy poured the coconut milk into the blender.

“Euuh..., why use coconut milk? Is it delicious?” Rakia stared at her with a contorted facial expression.

“Omega three is good for the skin. I’m not on a diet but more concerned about food; you should be like that too. You take care of the food so it doesn’t get old quickly,” said Lizzy; she closed the top of the blender and then turned on the tool so that it pureed the contents. Rakia thought about Lizzy’s words, which she felt were true.

“Do you want to try? It’s delicious,” Lizzy offered teasingly. She also poured the contents of the blender that had become juice into a glass.

“Yeah,” Rakia answered, half forced. On the other hand, she was also curious about the taste of the juice. The sound of the doorbell caught her attention.

“Well, my porridge has arrived.” Rakia immediately went to open the door and came back with chicken porridge wrapped in a styrofoam box. It was the same porridge as the porridge they had eaten yesterday.

“You ordered porridge again? The same porridge?” Lizzy asked when Rakia opened the box and poured clear plastic-wrapped soup.

“Yup, the porridge is delicious.” Rakia stirred her food and smiled.

“Are you all right?” asked Lizzy while sitting on the chair opposite Rakia.

“Maybe,” Rakia replied casually and then ate her porridge.

“Last night, my mom called; she asked me to stay with her in Singapore; what do you think?” Rakia chose to discuss her mother’s suggestion last night.

“Yes, good, you need a new atmosphere.”

Rakia stared at eating her porridge while thinking for a moment.

“Are you okay alone?” Rakia gave Lizzy a worried look.

“Just say you want a ride and become a parasite.”

“Fuck you, Liz!”

Lizzy instantly laughed; she couldn’t remember her last time with her best friend. Their unconnected jobs keep the two apart, and they rarely spend time together, unlike when I was in college. Rakia is busy with her duties as a journalist. At the same time, Lizzy is busy building her small company, which is engaged in web design.

“But I’m still awkward with my mom’s new husband, Liz. It’s been a long time since I last met them,” said Rakia.

“This is your chance to get along well with your stepfather; who knows, you might get a job there and then get a replacement for Ben right once you pass the five islands row.” Lizzy took a bite of her granola.

“I’m still not ready for matters related to the heart,” said Rakia honestly.

“You must have found someone better. Eeemm, do you know the guy’s name at the monas this morning?” Lizzy changed the subject.

“How should I know,” Rakia replied with a shrug.

“Well, how the heck, why not ask the name?” Lizzy was a little miffed. Rakia devoured her last bite; she swallowed her food first and then said, “How could I? Anyway, why did I ask his name? It doesn’t matter.”

“It’s important, Kia, it’s enough to be the envy of girls out there, but I don’t think he’s an ordinary person.” Lizzy started with her observational mode of men. Rakia snorted, went to the trash can to throw away her porridge, returned to her chair, and tried Lizzy’s dragon fruit juice. She chuckled a few times while nodding.

“How? Delicious right? So don’t negative thinking first.”

“Why are we discussing stranger guy? It doesn’t matter.” Rakia reprimanded.

“Instead of discussing Ben, you don’t want to, right?!” Lizzy’s reply was right on target.

“So what if he’s stealthy?” Rakia finally tried to respond to Lizzy’s chat.

“Who are you calling a demon?” Lizzy was astonished.

“Yeah, that stranger guy, you said he wasn’t ordinary.” Rakia drank her juice until her glass was empty.

“Delicious. Is there anything else?” asked Rakia with a big smile.

“Well, just finish it all in the blender.”

Rakia headed towards the blender and poured the remaining juice into her glass.

“Are you crazy? He’s just a man, Kia. I mean, he’s an important person, maybe has a company, maybe an artist, maybe a regional head, or what is clear, he’s an important person like that,” Lizzy babbled without pause like a train.

“Maybe he’s an artist,” Rakia guessed as she returned to her chair and sat down.

“You want to find out, don’t you?” offered Lizzy.

“Ish! We’ll be mistaken for stalkers and then reported to the police.” Rakia. We were trying to scare Lizzy into stopping her from doing such ridiculous things.

“Yeah, don’t get caught,” said Lizzy, not wanting to be outdone. Rakia finished her juice and then waved one of her hands.

“I’m not following; I just want to order tickets.” Rakia went to the sink to wash her glass.

“So, to Singapore? How dare you leave me.” Lizzie sneered. Rakia exhaled through her mouth with her lower lip slightly pushed forward.

“You said you didn’t want to live with the parasites??!” Rakia said sarcastically.

“Don’t leave this week, just next week,” Lizzy pleaded.

“Okay, okay, next week, I want to shower and sleep.”

“You’re koala, Kia,” Lizzy teased as Rakia walked by.

“The Beautiful koalas,” Rakia said with the sweetest smile possible. Lizzy responded by showing a dramatic retching expression.