Chapter 15: Chapter 15

The arrival of her father was something that Rakia welcomed quite enthusiastically. She asked Adeline for permission to pick up the man herself at the airport but, Rakia was a little disappointed when she found out that her father had promised to be picked up by someone else. What she didn’t know was that the other person was Dashtan.

“You didn’t go pick up your dad?” asked Adeline when she saw Rakia in the kitchen helping the maid cook lunch.

“No, dad said he was picked up by someone else who had promised him before coming here,” Rakia replied as she stirred her homemade mushroom chicken soup, she then took a little of the soup and tasted it on the tip of her palm she nodded after feeling the right flavor on her tongue.

“Who?” Adeline wanted to know. Rakia turned to look at Adeline then shrugged. Adeline raised her forehead with her lips slightly forward. She tried to guess who it was that would be dealing with her ex-husband this time, and it certainly wasn’t far from the man’s profession.

“I’m going to the greenhouse, I’ll be home before lunch,” Adeline told Rakia, who nodded. The woman smiled warmly at her daughter before walking away. She returned to her cooking but her mind was distracted by her father who was going to meet someone, somehow she remembered Dashtan’s words.

“Dashtan?!” grumbled Rakia which was overheard by the maid who was with her at the time.

“Are you okay, Miss?” asked the woman who was in her third year. Rakia was surprised and tried to cover up her absurd behavior.

“Yes, I’m fine. Did you get the beans?” Rakia changed the topic by asking about the vegetables that she had ordered the woman to cut into pieces. They were busy with their cooking again until everything was ready by lunchtime. At that time, Adeline had just arrived. Rakia, who knew her mother had come, immediately finished her work arranging the dishes on the dining table. But while he was busy, the heavy voice of a man was caught by his sense of hearing and the voice of Adeline who was talking to the owner of the man’s voice.

“It’s a good thing you called while I was still in the greenhouse. You came at the perfect time,” Adeline said, turning Rakia’s focus to her. Startled, Rakia looked at Dashtan and then her father.

“Dad?!” said Rakia in confusion and disbelief.

“My sweet daughter,” said Mr. Reynaldi as he opened his arms to Rakia, his face lit up with a welcome smile. Rakia tried to digest the situation as she was surprised by Dashtan’s presence in this moment. Then she hurriedly shook off her confusion and surprise by welcoming her father’s enthusiasm.

“Daaaaaad....!” she exclaimed as she rushed to her father and hugged him immediately. She prayed that her current reaction looked natural and not weird. Rakia smiled in her father’s arms as she closed her eyes to enjoy the warmth of his embrace.

“I’m glad dad is here, but how?” asked Rakia as she unraveled her embrace of her father.

“Sit down, first. Come on, Dashtan please sit down.” Adeline invited her guests to take their seats at the dining table. They sat facing each other leaving the chair for the head of the household empty.

“I called your mother while Dashtan and I were on our way to lunch, and she said you were at home cooking and so she invited us,” explained Mr. Reynaldi. Rakia nodded in understanding.

“You cooked all this?” asked Mr. Reynaldi as he gazed in amazement at all the dishes on the dining table today. Rakia nodded with an enthusiastic smile. Dashtan looked at Rakia who looked happy with her father’s presence. She loved seeing that woman’s smile that somehow warmed her heart and made her feel Rakia’s enthusiasm.

“Wow..., such amazing.” Mr. Reynaldi praised earnestly. After his married life ended with Adeline and Rakia chose to live independently, he rarely spent time with his only daughter, so he did not know what Rakia had developed. For example, she was amazed by her daughter’s ability to cook like a chef in a starred restaurant.

“She’s even better at cooking than I am,” Adeline said. Mr. Reynaldi nodded in agreement as he tasted the grilled fish with chili paste. Although he mostly works in countries on the European and American continents, Mr. Reynaldi has a tongue that is familiar with various cuisines from different countries, given that he often moves from one region to another.

Meanwhile, Dashtan was tasting Rakia’s mushroom chicken soup and she loved the rich flavor of the spices. Despite being born with a strong Middle Eastern identity, she is used to Indonesian cuisine. Especially since her mother was an Indonesian woman. It is not uncommon for him to taste dishes with these flavors.

“This is delicious,” Dashtan chirped, making Mr. Reynaldi and Adeline turn to look at her. Rakia only glanced through her eyelashes. She managed a small smile for a split second. She didn’t want to look satisfied with Dashtan’s comment, she had to be elegant and self-controlled. Mr. Reynaldi nodded in agreement with Dashtan. They ate in an atmosphere of warmth and fluid conversation.

“How about your job applications? Have you sent them to a few places?” asked Mr. Reynaldi after lunch as they sat on the sofa in the living room. Rakia, who was sitting right next to her father, nodded.

“I’m waiting for the results,” she said then gave Dahstan a glance and he instinctively returned Rakia’s glance. They were awkward in their own world.

“I hope you get accepted at a qualified television station, it could boost your career a bit. Maybe one day you and dad can be on the same team. You as the reporter covering dad’s activities and dad as the person you cover.” Mr. Reynaldi expressed his wish and hope. Rakia smiled, honestly she wanted that too. He wanted to know firsthand about his father’s actions in the field.

“Don’t you want to ask Dashtan for help? He has quite a few connections at several television stations,” said Mr. Reynaldi. Dashtan and Rakia immediately locked eyes. Since the beginning of the lunch, they pretended that they didn’t know each other and were meeting for the first time, there was a drama of handshake introductions.

“Is that so?” asked Rakia who looked at Dashtan with a glare that meant ‘Why didn’t you tell me that you have a lot of connections’. That made Dashtan smile apologetically.

“I’ll try to help you by recommending you to some television stations here. Or maybe you want a television station outside Singapore? Dubai for example.” Dashtan looked at Rakia who was currently glaring in surprise. Seeing that, Dashtan chuckled in his mind. He knew that she caught his drift on his recommendation of a Dubai television station.

“Dubai is too far away, Mr. Dashtan, and I haven’t made a career out of working in a developed country like Dubai.” Rakia tried to be neutral but inwardly she would ask Dashtan about it later.

“Yes, I think Dubai is too far away for now, unless Rakia marries a man who lives in Dubai it will be possible for her to work there. I don’t want my daughter to go alone to a foreign country without anyone.” Mr. Reynaldi smiled at Dashtan and then Rakia in turn. Rakia who was surprised by her father’s words could only smile awkwardly for a moment. Dashtan chuckled at Mr. Reynaldi’s statement. She became even more eager to get Rakia to agree to marry her.

“The permission of the chief is in sight, all that’s left is to get the chief’s daughter,” Dashtan thought to herself as she chuckled at the ridiculousness of her supposition.