Chapter 12: Chapter 12
She wasn’t normally this nervous for a job interview. Rakia stared at the lobby door of the television station she had come to today. Several people were going in and out through the door alternately. Currently she was standing on one of the steps, gathering her confidence before entering the building. A week later, after she sent several job application files to several television stations in this city via email, only two of the total five locations that she sent application files scheduled for interviews. To be honest, it was far from Rakia’s expectations but she tried to be strong, however after she was laid off, she had to start everything again from scratch.
After completing the interview in the first building which was quite time-consuming with questions that had nothing to do with her future work, such as her relationship status, whether she was married or not and some random questions that she was reluctant to answer. However, she still gave her best answer, she thought that sometimes the random questions had added value that could increase the company’s assessment of her. She sighed as she was back outside the building. From the results of her interview earlier, the television station will contact her in the near future if she is accepted. The deadline for waiting is one week, after which it is considered a failure.
Gray clouds seemed to dominate the Singapore sky when Rakia looked up at the sky. She was quite bothered by the air that was starting to feel cold, luckily she was wearing a long cardigan made of thick knit, so her body got enough warmth. She thought of a cup of warm moccacino and some cookies. She also looked for the location of the nearest cafe from here on her cell phone GPS application. She just wanted to walk after spending quite a lot of money on online taxi fares. She regretted why she had refused her mother’s offer to lend her a car, she had forgotten where he was at the moment. She is still carried away by the atmosphere of Jakarta.
She walked out of the front yard of the building and immediately took the sidewalk and joined the other pedestrians. The location of the cafe she wanted to visit was only about 200 meters from her current location. The cafe was quite packed with customers, but she wasn’t in the mood to walk far, so she decided to go in and enjoy a cup of moccacino and some varieties of bread. Rakia chose a table that was on the second row of the cafe’s glass wall.
“Alone?” That question thwarted a brown bun from getting into Rakia’s mouth. She lifted her gaze from the bun and found Dashtan standing across from her table.
“Why are you here?” Rakia asked a little fierce mixed with wonder and curiosity. Dashtan smiled stiffly and sat down on the empty chair in front of Rakia without being invited.
“Why? Do you mind, then I’ll just go,” Dashtan said and got ready to leave but Rakia stopped him.
“Sit down.”
“This cafe is mine,” said Dashtan again which surprised Rakia with an exaggerated expression. Dashtan chuckled.
“Just kidding, this cafe belongs to my friend,” he said and Rakia immediately responded by snorting while rolling her eyes. The bread that she had delayed eating before now she managed to taste in her mouth.
“Where are you from?” Dashtan looked at Rakia who was currently sipping a moccacino.
“Interview,” Rakia answered briefly.
“On NTV?” asked the man again but Rakia gave him a confused look and even Dashtan understood what that look meant.
“Newgen TV, I mean.”
Rakia nodded.
“If you want I can make you a part of Daily Singapore,” offered Dashtan. Rakia looked at the man suspiciously.
“How to?” asked Rakia testingly.
“I just have to ask the owner to accept you to work there,” answered Dashtan sounding easy.
“Easy as that?” Raki couldn’t believe it. Because DS is the main television station in this city.
“You want?” Dashtan replied by throwing a bid. Rakia was in a dilemma, she exhaled roughly.
“But, if that’s the case I’ll look like a sycophant.” In this case Rakia is an idealist.
“Just send me your job application file, I’ll convey it there later. I’d say you’re my recommendation, they’ll check your CV anyway.” Dashtan looked at Rakia waiting. He also stole the opportunity to stare at Rakia longer, for some reason that woman often came to his mind. This further strengthened his desire to make Rakia his wife in a contract marriage that he immediately wanted to carry out. Rakia took another sip of her moccacino, she thought about the man’s offer.
“Okay,” she decided, “I’ll email it.” Rakia smiled. Dashtan smiled and said, “But this help is not free.” Immediately Rakia gave Dashtan a wary look and snorted.
“I knew it,” she guessed. Dashtan smiled so sweetly that Rakia was affected by the handsomeness of the man who had been bothering her lately. The man took something out of the pocket of his leather jacket and placed it on the table. A small dark blue velvet box. Rakia looked at the thing and Dashtan alternately with curious and confused expressions on their faces.
“Marry me, Rakia.”
The man’s words were like a bomb Dashtan threw at her and exploded right in her face. Rakia was trying to control the shock sensation that seemed to slap her. Exhaling to calm herself, she also said, “You must have a reason why you did this to me, is it because you feel sorry for me?” The question offends itself.
“This is not about you, but me,” said Dashtan. Rakia snorted as she folded her arms across her chest, her back resting against the back of her chair for a moment.
“Then I can’t accept it. Marriage is not for selfish people,” said Rakia.
“That’s not what I mean.”
Rakia immediately stood up after finishing her moccacino but Dashtan held her back as she was about to pass by the man.
“Just sit down and listen to my explanation,” Dashtan coaxed. Rakia turned to look at the man.
“I told you at that time you just look for another woman.”
“But I want you,” Dashtan said quickly. Rakia withdrew her hand from the man’s grip then walked away without responding to his words. Dashtan brushed his hair in frustration then snorted with an irritated face. Then, he tried to calm his soul which was shaken by Rakia’s rejection, which for some reason really bothered him.
Meanwhile, Rakia was sitting at a bus stop with several other people. She sighed as she closed her eyes tightly.
“That guy must be crazy,” Rakia grumbled. She couldn’t understand why the man was after her and wanted to marry with her. To Rakia, Dashtan was just a stranger, she would never be as innocent as when she first accepted Benjamin as her lover. Her trust in a relationship is shattered right now, and she’s not in the mood to fix anything. The bus she was waiting for with the others arrived, she chose to sit by the window, her favorite place. Her mind had many things to think about. However, unfortunately, she did not realize that the bus took him to the last stop. The distance to home is very far.
Rakia sat down with a desperate face. Her intention was to come here so she could find peace from the man who had broken her heart into pieces, but reality was not so kind to her. In this city she even encountered new problems from new men. This time the man tried to offer something that she had avoided for some time.
She circulated the field around her, the people at this station were quite busy, she walked towards the information to ask about the departure of the bus in the direction she had come from earlier. It was seven o’clock in the evening, and the bus she would be on would leave in an hour. She had been waiting here long enough alone. But she has no other choice, if she uses an online taxi it will cost quite a lot considering the long distance. Her cell phone rang, interrupting her reverie for a moment. Her brow furrowed at the unfamiliar number, but she accepted the call anyway.
“Hello, who’s there?” she asked.
“Three o’clock,” said his current interlocutor. Rakia automatically followed the directions and found Dashtan standing about a few meters from where she was currently sitting.