Andrea's Past

Finally, Ludwina found a lighter topic for conversation. It's not good to eat in silence.

"How did you get my email address? That's my personal email. I only give it to close friends and family members," she asked Andrea.

"Oh, that ... You posted your boarding pass on Instagram once. I could get so much information from just the barcode on that boarding pass," Andrea replied. "Social media is not safe. Don't post lots of personal information there. What if I was a stalker who wanted to harm you? If I want, I can know your movements in detail and stalk you."

Ludwina covered her mouth in surprise, "Seriously?? Only from the boarding pass? What do you know about me?"

"I know your personal email address, your date of birth, your flying habits, whatever cities you have visited all your life ... There is still a lot of other information I could obtain, but I stopped. I don't want to abuse my access to snoop on your life."

"Thank you," Ludwina said, looking relieved.

She shook her head wistfully. She did not expect just by posting her boarding pass one time, IT savvy people could get so much data about her private life. She hurriedly opened her Instagram account, searched the said photo, then deleted it.

"Thank you for telling me about this, I will be more careful going forward. Thank you also because you did not snoop into my life ... That is some scary shit." Ludwina sighed. "What else should I delete?"

"Google knows all of your movements. If you open your history on Google, you can see that all your activities and places that you have visited in the world are recorded. They got the data down to the hour. If you still use Google, that means you allow Google to continue tracking your information. Google only stopped tracking you in China because the Chinese government banned them. All your photos and posts on Facebook also belong to the company. They will be used for commercial and advertising purposes. I don't have an account on any social media."

No wonder I can't find out anything about you, thought Ludwina.

"Then what should I do? How can I stop them from taking my data?" she asked, now looking concerned.

"Use social media only as needed, don't put too much information or your photos there. If you have a business, using social media for commercial purposes is still okay. Just like Moccasin Restaurant. They can be famous because of their active presence in social media. If you want to promote your novel, you can use social media. But to keep your privacy safe, you shouldn't post anything personal there... "

"Oh, okay ..."

Ludwina actually couldn't imagine life without social media like Andrea. It must be very hard ...

Ugh ... Who would see her traveling photos if she stopped using Instagram and Facebook? She wouldn't be able to show off her amazing life and travels...

Nobody would comment and ask her about those nice places she was visiting...

As if reading Ludwina's mind, Andrea then shifted the conversation on her trip to Scotland last week.

"How was your trip to Edinburgh? You went there to look for inspiration, right? Did you take any pictures? Can I see them?"

"Ah... Edinburgh is really beautiful. There are lots of castles there. The scenery is also amazing..." Ludwina remembered she still had many photos on her cellphone and moved to sit next to Andrea to show them off. "Well ... here is the cafe I told you at that time."

Andrea admired Ludwina's photos and gave comments and questions about the situation in Edinburgh. The girl answered all his questions with pleasure. She was happy to tell him everything she saw and experienced in Edinburgh.

"You've visited so many places. Which city is the most memorable for you?" Andrea asked her.

"Hmmm ... I love Tuscany in Italy ... It's a wonderful place, with sunflower fields, quaint old towns, narrow cobbled roads, and beautiful green hills."

"Oh, I remember reading your article about Italy, when we first met at the airport," Andrea said, "You asked the airport chief if he had a Kompas newspaper, the weekend edition, because your article about Italy was just published. I read it. I love what you wrote. The story was so lively. You make me want to go to Italy."

Ludwina looked at Andrea with a loving gaze, "Aww ... you read my article."

She opened a folder on her cellphone, "Do you want to see my photos from Italy?"

Andrea nodded with a smile. He examined every photo taken by Ludwina when she was in Tuscany and let out astonished sighs several times.

"These pictures are very beautiful," he said.

"You should go there someday," Ludwina said excitedly, "I'm willing to be your guide. I've known Italy inside and out, like the back of my hand!"

"Would you do that for me?" Andrea asked, staring intently at Ludwina. He loved hearing her excitedly sharing stories about her trips. Traveling with this cheerful girl would definitely be a lot of fun. "I do dream of going to Italy someday. My mother said my biological father lives in Milan. I have never met him."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you've never met your father." Ludwina looked back at Andrea, then nodded. "I would love to go to Italy with you."

Andrea said nothing for several minutes. He seemed to focus on his wine, and after the glass was empty, he signaled the waiter to bring another drink. Only then did he started to talk slowly.

"My mother knew my father in Bali. She was young and naive and fell in love with the jerk Italian who was her manager at the hotel she worked at. When she was pregnant with me, the man did not want to take responsibility and immediately request to be transferred back to Italy. For all 27 years of my life, I have never met him. He only asked my mom to name me Andrea before he left, and she did. It was his father's name. Andrea is a common male name in Italy, but in our country, many people think I am a woman. Can you imagine, when I took the queue for a passport or registration anywhere, when my name was called out, the officer was surprised to see a man showing up... haha.."

He looked at Ludwina, who was listening to his words attentively, "I was born without a father, and only my mom's name is listed on my birth certificate*. I was often ridiculed as a bastard. It felt hurt when I was young, but after a while, I get used to it, and it doesn't hurt me anymore. That experience shaped me as a man. I don't want to hurt any woman, and I surely don't want to bring a human into this world to experience the suffering I experienced."

"I understand you. Hey, you know what? My name is taken from Ludwig van Beethoven. It's also not a common name in our country. You have no idea how many people would call me by humming symphony number 5 ... dadadadaaa .... dadadadaaa ... Crazy!" said Ludwina with a laugh.

She was glad to see Andrea join in with a smile, and his face was no longer as serious as before.

She realized, right now, Andrea was opening up to her. The young man wanted Ludwina to know all his shortcomings so that the girl could decide whether to continue harboring her feelings for Andrea or not.

Apparently, it was important for him to let her know that he was a bastard, in case her family would look down on him because of his status as an illegitimate child.

Ludwina knew that Andrea was smart; he lived only with his mother in Jakarta; and recently got a good job in Singapore. But apart from that, Ludwina knew nothing about his background and his past.

"So what if you don't have a father? You look like a decent guy. Obviously, your mother managed to raise you to be a good and responsible man. I know many other people who come from good families and have both parents, but they grow up to be jerks. You shouldn't be ashamed of your family." Ludwina held Andrea's hand while smiling, "I'm actually proud of you. You've come so far."

Andrea nodded and patted Ludwina's hand, who was holding his hand just now. He felt his heart filled with warmth when he saw Ludwina's supportive attitude.

"I don't have any inheritance either, Ludwina. All I have is myself. All mine, I get by my own efforts," Andrea said as he looked at her deeply.

In Ludwina's heart, she was ashamed because she had never obtained anything by her own efforts. All she had was gifted to her by her rich parents.

"You are great, already established at such a young age," said Ludwina honestly. "I'm still relying on my parents. Even if I can become a real writer, the money won't be much. But I'm not spoiled. I can also live a simple life. I don't eat much, you know..." She pointed at the plate of food that she only managed to eat half, then laughed with blushing cheeks, "Look, I eat a little, so it doesn't cost much to keep me alive."

Andrea smiled and nodded in confirmation.

The atmosphere had now turned warm and pleasant compared to before. Andrea was quite open about his past. He felt so comfortable around Ludwina, and somehow, he started to open up more. After the second wine glass, he also told her about Adeline.

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1] In their country, children who are born outside of wedlock can only have the mother's name listed in their birth certificate. People who see this birth certificate (teachers, immigration officers, etc etc) would immediately know that the child is a bastard