WHILE Zoey went back to her room to pack, I quickly settled my own ransom payment for the lovebird from the south freedom. Despite losing one of her best assets, Mother Arynn did not look worried. She seemed normal with this."Where are you taking Zoey?" asked Mother Arynn."I already have a place for her," I said."Make sure her identity remains a secret," Mother Arynn ordered."I will," I replied.After saying goodbye to Mother Arynn, I hastily stepped back into Zoey's room. When I was in front of the open door of his room, I saw that there were two large suitcases that were neatly packed. Behind it, Zoey was sitting at the dressing table.I walked towards her without making a sound. From behind her back, I saw Zoey brushing over an old, faded polaroid. I still remember the photo Zoey was holding. It was the same photo I saw when I first met her at Arynn House.Zoey said the two girls in the photo were sisters from Jacobsburg. The b

I returned home to Certajva, leaving Zoey at the apartment. Since I became the bassist of The Boumerank, I have never gathered with the elders of my neighboring village. An afternoon like this, they should all be at Laymisch's.I immediately drove my car to Certajava. Along the way, I recalled the background of the Certajava people's village.Rumors say Wigan – Certajava is a place for outcasts in the past. Most of them are con artists, robbers, rapists, and assassins, and serial killers.At first, I wasn't interested in finding out what the story really was. As far as I know, people find it hard to find work, especially in government agencies. Only Santos works at the Gubeng District Office. Even then, Santos only works as a temporary employee.Wigan – Certajava was once a wilderness filled with shrubs, trees, and wild animals. No one is willing to work on it. Then came a man and his followers. The man bought land cheaply from a Dutchman. The

It was great to be able to talk again with the Certajava elders this afternoon. Now, it was night, and I was alone in the room. After exchanging messages with Kacey, I called Donnie Erpid 19th. I casually asked him if the audition as a singer for his new song was still open.Just to remind you, Donnie is currently in a dispute with Indonesia Muslim Defender (IMD). Previously, a group of people in a turban - about hundreds - was shown filling the front gate of the Aegle Marmelos Hotel. They were shouting, 'Allahu Akbar!' so many times. Some of them carried banners and cardboard with the words 'Supporting Prostitution = Infidels', 'Apostates', 'Your place is in Hell', 'Infidelity', and so on.Yes, everyone in Surabaya knew what that scene was about. A month or two before, Erpid 19th frontman, Donnie, could not leave the Aegle Marmelos Hotel Surabaya, where he was staying. He was blocked by the IMD crowd from leaving the hotel. Donnie actually intended to take part in the

The next day, as usual, I warmed up my motorbike in the yard. While at the store, my mother was busy serving customers. While I was cleaning the motorbike, Jenny – my little sister – passed by. He greeted me then asked me."My friends have been talking about you a lot lately," Jenny said."Really?" I asked, "Isn't that a good thing?""Some, yes," Jenny replied, "some not.""Well, I guess that's how it should be. A celebrity that people talk about,” I boasted."Yes, gossip is natural," said Jenny, "but when it's bad gossip, and it's about my older brother, I'm bothered.""And what kind of oblique gossip about me on campus?" I asked."You and Kacey are dating," Jenny said.“Isn't that obvious? I introduced her to mom, and the few times I was with her in college? Then, what makes it such bad news?” I asked.“I don't mind, you dating Kacey,” Jenny said, “I just get annoyed when

I immediately got into trouble with three different girls in one day. First, there was Julia who wanted us to be friends as usual after knowing my party photos, videos, and gossip circulating on campus. But I did not want to be just friends. I want more.Julia turned it down because she was already engaged to a cop. That was my thought.Then, there was Amelia who began to dare to present herself with Billy – her boyfriend – in public. In fact, she told me that I was all he wanted. Even so, I was still heartbroken. I judged what she was doing to offend me. And of course, what she did was because of my party photos and videos and rumors circulating.After that, there was Aisha passed me, but she did not even greet me. When I called out to her, she turned away disapprovingly. Aisha even called me disgusting. She said in front of me, preferring Ahmed over me. It offended me so much that I responded with a bad word about Ahmed.Just as I was thinki