Chapter 7 : New Step

Dara walked with a different feeling. She remembers her college days using her bicycle like she does now. She hasn't used her bike in a long time. Dara does standard maintenance and it turns out that the bike is still comfortable to use. Dara did not accelerate the pedaling of her bicycle. Her attempt to slow down her life this time was successful. Dara does not look stiff and seems strange. She was getting used to it.

Dara even began to confidently smile and nodded briefly at her neighbor who was watering the plants, even though she didn't know her. During this time she did not interact much with her neighbors. Dara had to admit, even though her father often talked about them and introduced her from time to time, Dara had a hard time remembering them all.

Dara felt the cool air blowing on her face. The cluster area is not in the center of Bandung, but not too far away either. Dara saw the bright blue sky that she had often missed. Dara has missed a lot of things so far, she doesn't even know that the residents of the next village were hit by a fairly severe flood. Dara didn't feel much difference when it was raining heavily in her city.

Dara is too busy with her own thoughts, her own contemplation, and she is also at home all day. She didn't even notice when many flashes of lightning could be heard reaching her house and the electricity went out repeatedly. She didn't pay much attention to it all.

Dara arrives at Sofi's house. Sofi was already waving at her from a distance. Dara couldn't see her smiling so cheerfully to welcome Dara until she approached her. Dara returned her smile with a beaming face too. At that time, Dara just looked at Sofi more closely. The last time they met, they were blocked by a shop window. It turns out that Sofi is really as tall as Dara. They don't seem much different in age either.

"You've arrived. It's not 8 o'clock yet," said Sofi cheerfully. She is very cheerful indeed. Dara didn't know her much, but it was easy to conclude that Sofi was a pleasant person. In recent years, Dara is not used to being treated well.

"Yeah, I'm rarely late, have the others come?"

"Yeah, just waiting for you," replied Sofi looking still as cheerful as before.

Dara followed Sofi into her house. She briefly saw a middle-aged woman sitting behind the shop window where Dara had first seen Sofi. Dara is grateful that her friends can be ontime like she usually does. She personally found it very difficult to tolerate people arriving late.

When Dara entered Sofi's house, Dara saw only one man sitting there. There was no one else there. Dara did not have time to pay attention to Sofi's house, which was so antique and filled with ancient items that were so interesting. Her attention was focused on the man who seemed surprised to see Dara's presence. Dara slightly questioned whether this man just found out that Dara would attend. But Sofi had said that they were just waiting for her. That means this guy knows that Dara is coming.

"This is Billy who will also help us in our social activities."

"Hello, I'm Billy," said Billy looking stiff.

"I'm Dara."

Billy looks dashing in Dara's eyes. Dara guessed Billy was about 10 cm taller than her. The body is sturdy and also slightly muscular. He wore a brown shirt from top to bottom which reminded Dara of the color of the clothes she often wore. Dara had the slight impression that Billy recognized her. Even so, Dara didn't remember seeing him before.

Meanwhile, Dara is still trying to understand the situation. Several questions popped up in her head. Will only the three of them work? What will they do? Who else will join this team? However, Dara did not ask the questions. She still doesn't know the rules of speaking in a good friendship. She was still wondering which one to ask or not. Dara is still very stiff in socializing.

"Well, let's just go to the hall, even though Leo and Tiara said they could come there at 9 am when the activities started. We can clean up first," said Sofi to the two of them.

"Okay," said Billy and Dara almost at the same time.

"We walk there?" asked Dara.

"It's close, you can keep your bike at my house. Later, when the social activities are over, we will come back here together."

Dara nodded with a smile. She loved being able to spend a lot of time with Sofi. After so many months she often spent time alone in her room contemplating many things.

Dara, Sofi, and Billy walk together. Dara had never done anything like this before in her cluster area. She rarely plays with her peers. Her school is a bit far from the cluster. Her father deliberately chose a good school for Dara since childhood. So Dara doesn't really know the children in her cluster, the majority of whom study at a nearby school.

Since childhood, Dara has enjoyed learning. After school, Dara continued to study at home. Occasionally she was accompanied by Nemma or her mother when she was a child. Dara doesn't remember much if she ever met other children in her cluster.

"How many people are there to help us?" Dara asked starting the conversation.

"There are 5 people. Tiara has to take care of her restaurant first and Leo has to take care of his workshop first," Sofi replied.

Dara did not know the two names. Sofi had mentioned their names before. The two of them continued to talk about the activities they were going to do.

It turns out that this is not the first time they have done something like this. The help itself came from residents of the cluster area, which was once managed by four, now five of them with Dara.

"So the four of you did the whole thing?"

"Yes, we often do activities like this."

Dara was amazed by what these 4 people did. At first, Dara thought that there would be many people who would help with this charity. Dara didn't ask much before about this activity. It turned out that this was all their own initiative.

Meanwhile Dara and Sofi had a long conversation. Billy was silent. Dara did not pay attention to Billy who was fighting his nervousness because Dara was also used to being quiet when she was hanging out with her friends. She is often self-absorbed or she is simply not invited to join the conversation. Dara didn't think Billy's silence was a problem.

"You just shut up Bill, daydreaming huh?" Sofi asked kindly.

"No, I'll just listen," Billy replied hastily. Dara could hear the tone of his voice that looked nervous. But Dara did not pay attention to it further.

Finally they arrived at their destination after 20 minutes of walking. Sofi's close definition is different from Dara's definition. Dara rarely walks, bicycles are her best friend. If you have to walk for 20 minutes, Dara will automatically suggest using her father's old car. But the next second she realized, that she did not have the money to buy gas. Even though Nemma offered to buy it, Dara felt it was too much to ask for it just because she didn't want to walk a bit.

It turned out that Tiara and Leo were already there. Dara watched them both. Tiara has a petite body, about 10 cm smaller than her. She is cute and also beautiful in Dara's eyes. While Leo looks more mature than all of them. His body is also sturdy, he is a little shorter than Billy. But Dara actually can't really see the difference in height between the two of them.

Even so Billy and Leo looked different. Leo's style is very casual, while Billy is wearing a pretty neat outfit with a long-sleeved shirt top. The two have very distinctly different styles. In addition, Dara highly praised the commitment and punctuality of all of them in this first meeting.

"We're waiting for the key," said Tiara teasingly to Sofi. "I still wonder why my mother gave you the key."

"You guys came 20 minutes early, not our fault," said Sofi with a smile. "This is Dara that I told you yesterday."

"I'm Dara," said Dara, nodding at the both of them.

"Hello Dara, my name is Tiara Chang, and this is Leo Yanuar." Leo didn't seem happy that Tiara introduced him. He hadn't heard his full name in a long time.

"Hello," Leo said dignifiedly.

"So you were the one Sofi kidnapped at the shop?" Tiara asked teasing her.

"Yes, it's me," Dara replied with a smile and began to mingle with them. The awkwardness had subsided and she was starting to feel comfortable being around them.

Sofi opened the door to the hall which seemed dark and empty. The hall is not very wide. Dara guessed the size was almost the same as 1 indoor badminton court. When the lights were turned on, Dara could see that the room was really messy. Many boxes piled up in various corners of the room. Wooden boxes, carpentry tools, and other items were scattered there. It seemed that Dara wasn't the only one who noticed that. Everyone there frowned slightly when they found that the condition of the room was not up to their expectations.

"It's really messy, the last time we used it we always left it clean," said Tiara, starting to complain.

"I don't know who has used this room," said Sofi, looking sluggish.

For the first time, Dara saw another facial expression drawn on Sofi's face. Sofi, who always seems cheerful and radiates positive energy, makes Dara easy to be around her.

"Okay, let's clean it up for a while. We start at 9 a.m. One person begins to prepare for receiving goods from residents," said Leo, starting to give instructions.

Dara easily guessed that Leo led their small group. It came as no surprise to her. The leadership that radiates from Leo is very easy to see.

"I'll prepare it," said Sofi excitedly. "I can clean the front desk too."

"Okay, thanks," Leo said sternly. In stark contrast to Sofi's tone like a teenager. "Billy and I are going to clean up the heavy stuff. Dara and Tiara just cleaned the room. There's a broom in the little shed at the back of the hall."

"Okay," replied Dara. Tiara didn't like it, but she followed what he was told. For Dara cleaning the room is not a big problem. Her daily routine for the past few months has been to clean her house every day.

Dara and Tiara then began to carry out their duties. Dara was a little confused starting the conversation. Tiara is quite stiff and looks firm. Dara could not guess what her character was and how she blended in with her. Dara is a little afraid of Tiara who is like Nemma. Dara found it quite difficult to start a conversation with someone like Nemma. Or Dara needs to admit, she is still a beginner in making friends naturally with anyone.

They were silent for a few moments. But Tiara is not like Dara imagined. She's a very interactive person as well as informative. "Sofi and I used to be sisters," said Tiara suddenly. Dara, who was focused on cleaning the room, flinched slightly.

"Sisters? How come?" Dara asked curiously.

"My mother and her father were once married. A few years ago when we were in high school. Now they are divorced. Sofi's parents divorced when she was 10 years old. Her mother was American, so after the divorce her mother returned there. I heard that Sofi's mother wanted to take Sofi to US, but Mr. Dion wouldn't allow it."

"Oh I see?" said Dara looking interested. She hardly ever knows deeply about other people's lives.

"Yeah, that's why I didn't make an appointment at Sofi's house and came straight here."

"Why?" Dara asked innocently. She really didn't understand.

"Unfortunately our parents' separation was not going well. There is no third person, but they had a pretty big fight. So I'm not comfortable asking permission to come to Mr. Dion's house."

Dara did not predict a fairly personal answer from Tiara. She became uncomfortable, but Tiara looks normal and not bothered. In fact, she seemed happy that Dara was interested in the story.

"This hall previously belonged to Mr. Dion," Tiara explained again. "After divorcing my mother, Mr. Dion gave us this Hall."

"So this hall belongs to your family?"

"Yes."

"What is this hall usually used for?" asked Dara looking enthusiastic.

"Miscellaneous. It used to be a badminton court. But it is no longer used." Dara mumbled a little, her guess turned out to be right. "This hall will be rented out to residents and can be used for anything. The rent is very cheap, so this hall is often used. Sometimes, it's like this, not all residents of this cluster are responsible for cleanliness."

"So anyone can use this hall? How can I rent it?"

"Just tell my mother, via chat it's oke. Just like Sofi did. She is still close to my mother. Mr. Dion has no problem with that, unlike my mother who is still sensitive if I am close to Mr. Dion."

"If this hall is yours, why don't you ask your mother for the keys?"

"That's my mother. I was surprised when I asked for the key this morning. Even though my mother knew I was also involved in this activity, but she gave the key to Sofi."

"Your mother doesn't like you meeting Sofi's father, but your mother is still close with Sofi?" Dara asked while trying to digest their condition. She began to forget about the awkwardness of asking something personal.

"That's how it is. My mother loves Sofia very much. I'm allowed to be friends with her. But with Mr. Dion, it seems that my mother still can't forget her past."

Dara began to understand Tiara's explanation. Interesting for her to get to know more about her friends. She felt closer to them now. Dara felt that the cleaning activity was really fun because it was done by the two of them. Tiara also continues to give her a lot of general information about her new friends.

"Billy is Mr. Reynold's adopted son, the only police officer living in this cluster."

"I know Mr. Reynold," Dara said excitedly.

"Everyone knows Mr. Reynold," said Tiara, looking surprised why Dara was so excited. For Dara, it is an achievement because she knows her neighbors. But Tiara doesn't seem to know that. "Mr. Reynold is very famous in this cluster. He is very kind, friendly, and also very generous. Really cares about the people around us."

Dara is not surprised. To her and Nemma, Mr. Reynold was so kind. Even though it was clear that the two of them didn't really know him. Dara only remembers him vaguely when her father introduced him many years ago.

"Mr. Reynold and Mrs. Dian adopted Billy since he was a baby. Billy's parents are good friends of Mr. Reynolds. His mother is from Bandung and his father is from Papua. I heard this story from my mother. They really love Billy. They have no more children. Their biological child died at birth. So now Billy is the only child in their family."

Dara nodded slowly indicating she was starting to understand the condition of her friends.

"All of us here are practically the only children. I am the only child of my mother now, my brother died when he was 8 years old. Sofi and Leo are also the only child."

"I'm also the only child," said Dara added.

"Really? I never heard of you in this cluster. You just moved in?"

"I've been living here since I was born. But I don't really take part in any activities here."

Tiara seemed to nod in understanding. She was wise enough to make space for Dara by not asking more. Tiara is still considering how Dara's character is. She wanted to make Dara feel comfortable and asked when Dara started talking. But because Dara didn't speak anymore, Tiara continued her story.

"Sofi is the youngest among us. She is still in college, she is only 21 years old. Leo and I are the oldest. We are 24 years old and Billy is a year younger than us."

"I'm 22, hmm.. 22 and a half." Dara kinda forgot to calculate her own age. Since being unemployed at home she feels that she often forgets the time.

"Are you still in college or just graduated?"

"Hmm.. I've graduated from college about 2.5 years ago," she answered a little embarrassed. Dara also did not understand why that feeling appeared in her. Even though graduating from college at a young age is also an achievement.

"Wow, you graduated at 20?"

"Yes," answered Dara somewhat awkwardly. But Tiara looks excited and amazed. Dara was quite uncomfortable seeing it. She wasn't used to being admired. Dara felt she needed to divert the conversation. She didn't want Tiara to know that she not only graduated at the age of 20, but was also the best graduate in one of the best campuses in Indonesia. "How about you? Have you graduated from college?"

"Oh yeah, I just graduated a year ago. Now I work taking care of my mother's business. I went to public policy school, but I was asked to take care of various kinds of business. Yes, quite draining."

"What kind of business?"

"You don't know my mother?" Tiara asked slightly investigating Dara's empty knowledge about the residents of their cluster area.

Dara shook her head with a stiff smile. She was a little embarrassed by her absolutely super unsociable state in their cluster area. But Tiara didn't judge her and Dara really felt that Tiara was really careful with her feelings.

"My mother is quite famous in this cluster. My mother has lived here for a very long time." Dara listened carefully to Tiara's story. "My mother's name is Mrs. Ussy. If you say her name, almost everyone know her in this cluster. Except you," Tiara teased Dara at the end of her sentence.

"And also Tity, she also probably doesn't know Mrs. Ussy," Dara said to herself. Of course she couldn't possibly reveal that to Tiara.

"My mother is the provider of many things in this cluster. My mother has a shop, a salon, and also a small restaurant on the side of the highway near the entrance to this cluster."

"The restaurant next to the entrance gate? It's not a small restaurant." There are no more restaurants nearby. It was easy for Dara to guess. The restaurant is known to be delicious. Dara also used to buy food there quite often.

"Yeah, have you ever bought food from there?"

"Of course. The food is so delicious. Is that yours? I can't believe that."

"Yes, my mother also has several houses for rent here and is also a distributor of some goods. So my mother is known as a businesswoman in this cluster," Tiara explained her wealth. However, Dara did not perceive it as flexing as she often heard in her old office. Dara, who doesn't really like talking about wealth, is actually very comfortable hearing Tiara's story.

Dara nodded again. "So now you help your mother take care of all her business?"

"Yes, at first I helped take care of taxation. After a while, I took care of everything."

"Wow, that's really cool," Dara was really amazed. Tiara looks happy Dara slightly complimented her. "Leo and Billy what are they do for a living?"

"Leo majored in business and management. But now he takes care of his family's workshop. The workshop is next to my restaurant. You know, right?"

"I know, I often service my car there."

"It belongs to the Leo family. Hereditary from his grandfather. Leo's parents died when he was little. Since then he has lived with his grandparents. His grandfather just died not too long ago."

"I see," Dara slightly regretted hearing that. "He's working on managing his workshop?"

"Business development you mean? Hahaha... Of course not only that. He can do anything."

"Anything?"

"He had an engineering course so he knows machines. He is the most reliable among us. He understands politics, understands taxes, understands many basic things, I can't mention them one by one. But I never saw his skills in developing a business, even though that was the field he was in when he was in college."

"But he takes care of his workshop, right?"

"Yeah, but just watching. There are people who work for him as far as I know. He prefers to take care of machinery. I don't know why he doesn't go to mechanical engineering school at all."

Dara didn't understand either. But she was not surprised. Many of her friends who don't like programming are also majoring in informatics engineering.

"About Billy, he just graduated this year, he's still a fresh graduate. He majored in informatics engineering. But she loves cooking, photography, driving cars and doing many things. So he tried all kinds of jobs. He has worked at Leo's workshop, has also tried being an online courier, delivering food, whatever he want. He's currently an intern at my mom's restaurant before getting a full-time job. He works Monday to Friday. On Saturday, he said he wanted to go on vacation."

"I also graduated from informatics engineering."

"Really? Maybe you are from the same university as Billy. Billy goes to a top college in our city, his father is so proud of him."

Dara did not respond. For no reason she still doesn't want to reveal who she is. Though Tiara really made her comfortable. Dara shouldn't have to worry about anything. But Dara didn't understand, she just didn't want to say anything about herself. Luckily before Tiara confirmed, Leo called the two of them.

Dara and Tiara approached him still carrying brooms in each of their hands. Leo looked a little annoyed when he started talking to them. "You guys clean up a lot. I thought you wanted to make this place as shiny as Mrs. Ussy's fancy restaurant."

"Sorry," said Tiara, smiling amused. Dara also chuckled a little laughing at herself. She didn't even notice that the room was actually clean. All scattered items have been moved to the storeroom. Sofi and Billy have also started to get busy receiving the goods sent by several residents at the front door of the hall.

"Dara please replace Billy's job at the front. We close the gate in 12 o'clock. After that we take a break. Continue at 1 o'clock, we'll tidy up all of things so we can immediately distribute it to the next village," Leo gave instructions calmly and seemed to have forgotten his annoyance at Dara and Tiara. "Tiara helps record the items to be distributed. Billy and I started sorting things out so that after lunch we could just do the rest."

"Okay," said Dara and Tiara at the same time.

***

Dara begins to help Sofi receive goods from local residents. Dara never knew there was an activity like this in her cluster area. Nemma and Dara seemed to have isolated themselves from the association there. Even for a fundraising event like this, if Dara didn't join in to help, they wouldn't know at all. The kindness of these residents was so warm in Dara's heart. Some brought rice, foodstuffs, basic necessities, decent clothes, and other items that could be used by flood victims in the Durian village. The items collected are quite a lot.

Dara watched Tiara who was busy taking notes of all the things. Meanwhile Billy and Leo started sorting items by category. They seemed to be doing the calculations as well together with Tiara about the distribution of the items.

"Whose idea was this all?" Dara asked Sofi.

"The idea came from the residents. They want to help the Durian village. Then Leo, as usual, made it happen and the three of us helped."

Dara could not hide her admiration. Dara thought, this activity was brilliant, done systematically, and very structured. When she worked in her old office, if there are an event is not as neat as this. Apart from being late, events are often not well organized. Dara thought it takes skill to organize this activity. But these four people are really nimble, agile, and also neat. Almost no time is wasted but the work is also not done in a hurry.

"Leo is really cool. He's good at everything. He may not be flexible sometimes, but he's really nice. Good leader. If he runs for president, I definitely want to vote for him," said Sofi excitedly.

"Yes, I may also choose him," said Dara with some hesitation.

"Plus Tiara's cool skills also make it easier for us to hold events. I'm just helping out. I do whatever I can do."

"Yes, Tiara is really cool, she is also very informative and has broad insight."

It seems that Dara and Sofi have different perspectives regarding Tiara's informative and broad insight meaning.

"Tiara is really good at calculating money and taking care of the administration. Neat and very reliable. Good at taxation with the rules that we sometimes find it difficult to understand. She is relied on to take care of her mother's assets," said Sofi.

This time Dara did not feel her brain was empty. She had already gotten a lot of information from Tiara. Dara thinks that if she wants to catch up, she needs to chat with Tiara more often.

"Anyway, don't be surprised if you find many things belonging to Mrs. Ussy in this cluster. Or even around this cluster, their family have a lot of assets," Sofi continued.

Considering Tiara being so rich, her appearance was very simple. Really look like ordinary people even tend to be very ordinary. Compared to Dara, who is always neatly dressed in a long skirt and a top with a blazer. Tiara only wore an ordinary shirt that already looked shabby. She could be severely criticized by Mrs. Risa if she worked in Dara's old office.

Meanwhile, Sofi is dressed very girly like Dara. She even wore make up on her face. Something Dara could never do. The last time she tried was when she was learning to put on makeup for her graduation. Dara thought she looked terrible. Fortunately, in the end, she didn't wear make-up, because let alone dressing up, Dara's mood at that time was very chaotic.

"Are you still in college?" Sofi asked suddenly.

"I've graduated."

This time, Dara couldn't avoid Sofi's question. She finally told her a little about herself. But Dara did not expect Sofi to be so excited to hear that. She was a little worried that her other friends would approach her and make her even more uncomfortable.

"You graduated from that cool college?" Sofi asked a little stuttering. "Billy already feels the coolest just graduated there. You are younger than him and graduated 2 years ago."

"No need to fuss though I'm not cool at all. Everything is normal," Dara finally said with a somewhat demanding intonation.

"Okay, okay, I won't tell anyone. But why? That's cool."

"I'm not cool. Now I don't even have a job."

Sofi didn't argue anymore. She began to understand Dara's condition. She thinks that it is not easy for Dara to become unemployed with a very high educational background. She finally smiled and calmed Dara. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me."

Sofi's words did sound too much to Dara. She didn't mean to overdo it either. She just didn't want to look any different. She doesn't like being noticed and she doesn't like to talk much about herself either. But Dara was not too surprised by Sofi's innocent attitude.

"I'm not good academically. I should graduate next year. But I'm still failed many courses. I'm majoring in finance and I don't know a lot of things. Tiara teaches me a lot."

"She's good at finance too?"

"Not only counting money, she's really good at everything. Just like Leo. "

"People have their own strengths. You're not very good at math, that doesn't mean you're bad."

"Yeah, you're right. But my skill is unique and my dad says it's useless."

"What's that?"

"I'm really good at shopping."

Dara was silent looking for the right words to comfort Sofi. It was quite difficult at first, but eventually Dara found a way to di it. "Shopping is also a skill. It's not easy to find the best stuff. If you can use it positively, it could be something too."

"Really?" Sofi seemed to sparkle hearing the hope given by Dara about her abilities.

"Of course. Being able to find the right product and having a high economic value is also a skill."

Sofi seemed happy to hear that, even though she didn't fully understand what Dara was saying. But Dara's words sounded pleasant to her ears. Sofi is a very simple, innocent, and kind person. It's not that hard to understand her. Dara is happy to be her friend.

"Have you ever worked in an office?" Sofi asked.

"Yes, but only 2 years."

"I really want to work in an office, I want to enter a big building and work behind a desk. That's great."

Dara remembers the days when she used to work. That's true. Dara felt great happiness and excitement when she first started working. However, after the rush to attack her, Dara finds it difficult to enjoy the fresh air she breathes every day.

"After graduation, what office do you want to work in?" Dara asked her.

"I do not know. But my dad wants me to work in the government."

"In government? Do you mean politics or being a civil servant?"

"My father is the head of our cluster, right? He wants me to have the same career as him. So he said at least I could work in the province."

"If you work in the government, you will also work in the office. So it's okay right?"

"But I want to work in a tall building. Government buildings are not too tall but wide."

Dara tries to remember the government building she knows. She did not know much about government buildings in her country. But she thought what was wrong with an wide building instead of a tall one? Dara doesn't know how to respond to Sofi's unique wishes. In the end she could only provide the support she could.

"Well then, you can just tell your father that you want to work elsewhere."

"Hopefully my dad will listen."

***

"Where are we having lunch?" Dara asked Sofi. She had almost forgotten to tell Nemma the status of her lunch.

"Mrs. Ussy will bring us food from her delicious restaurant," said Sofi with still burning enthusiasm.

Even though they were both tired, Dara was really amazed by Sofi's continued joy. Leo and Billy looked exhausted. Tiara had started to relax alone and chose a spot that was a bit far from all of them. Dara immediately contacted Nemma. It turned out that Nemma had asked Dara many times where she would have lunch. Maybe Nemma was a little annoyed, but right now Dara didn't want to think about it too much.

Lunch came delivered by Mrs. Ussy's staff. They all rushed at him. Billy and Leo ate together near a pile of goods from the residents. Meanwhile Tiara, Dara, and Sofi gathered together at the front desk. They talked to each other lightly about the food. It's been a long time since Dara has felt the warmth of having lunch together. Dara enjoyed the atmosphere. After they finished resting and praying dzuhur, they all immediately proceeded to the next agenda, packaging.

Leo had already made arrangements. Tiara has recorded and shared it well. So it's easy for all of them to work and just do their job without thinking much. Dara is really getting amazed. Due to the good arrangement, their work is done quickly. Before dark, everything was neatly packed and ready to be distributed. Leo brought his pickup truck. He and Billy will carry the goods. Meanwhile Dara, Tiara, and Sofi walked to the next village to help distribute them.

"Walking again?" Dara asked a little doubtful if she still had the energy.

"Not far," said Tiara.

Dara didn't believe it right away. Their 'not far' standards are clearly different from Dara's. But Dara did not dare to protest. Finally they walked together and talked. Although it is true that Dara enjoyed the trip, but that did not make Dara not feel tired. They walked for 30 minutes. The road they passed was quite winding because they took shortcuts commonly used by pedestrians.

When they got there, they were greeted by the head of the village and several youths who would help distribute the goods. Leo had coordinated with them. Meanwhile, Billy was assisted by the residents there starting to unload everythings from Leo's pickup truck. It turned out that they had quite a lot of stuff. Dara is happy to see that.

"Are you tired?" Leo asked Dara still expressionless. "Just wait here."

"Yeah, I guess you'd better just wait here," said Billy finally speaking to Dara. Even though he looks stiff, Billy looks worried.

Dara has not felt cared for in a long time. Although this morning Nemma was being unnatural by paying so much attention to her, this time Dara felt that her friends really cared about her sincerely.

"I will accompany Dara here," said Tiara. "She can't be waiting here alone, right?"

"Don't tell me you're tired too," Billy said a little suspiciously.

"Yeah a bit, hahaha," replied Tiara with a laugh.

"Come on, let's get started. So we can finish before dark," said Leo, not paying attention to Billy and Tiara who were about to start a small argument.

Finally Dara waited at the Village meeting building there with Tiara. Dara had hoped that she could get other interesting information from Tiara about the villagers, about her friends, or anything else. But Tiara looks a little tired too. She wasn't eager to talk. Eventually they fell silent until a luxury car parked near Leo's pickup truck followed by a boxcar.

"Dean," said Tiara. Her face immediately changed and her eyes sharply looked at the car. For a moment Dara just watched her, she didn't understand what was happening.

Dara saw a tall male figure getting out of the car and was greeted by head of the village and several youths there. They didn't seem very friendly to him, but they still accepted him well. The man didn't say much and soon his men unloaded the things he had brought to donate to the flood victims in the village.

Dara saw that Tiara looked annoyed to see the figure of the man who soon returned to his car and left. Dara wanted to ask who she really was, why it made Tiara freeze for a while. She didn't dare ask. But Dara didn't need to worry, Tiara as usual gave information for free without Dara needing much effort.

"He's Dean, you probably don't know him either. He still dared to lend a helping hand here." Tiara started her explanation. Of course her guess was right. "He has a villa in our cluster."

"I see," Dara recognized the house, which was almost always empty. Dara never knew who the owner was. The house looks a little unkempt from a long time ago.

"Dean, the only child of Mr. Roy and Mrs. Inggi. They are quite well known, although not everyone knows about their family. But I know very well. Their families often disturb my family."

"Why?"

"It's long if I explain, what is clear since his father died, everything has become more chaotic, since their family company is taken care of by Dean. Their family is getting more and more annoying."

"What are they doing for example?"

"They need something from us. They want to buy my mother's restaurant. Why should my mother's restaurant land? They could have chosen many other places. But what's annoying is that when their wishes are not fulfilled, they become very annoying. They make it difficult for us. They have access everywhere. Our meat supplier suddenly couldn't send its supply for several months. They also spread the issue that we don't pay taxes. My mother did not keep the records neat, and was late paying. But in the end, she always paid taxes. I finally fixed the problem.

Dean's father is actually more cruel and likes to use dirty methods to slander us. Dean maybe didn't use this method, but he keeps chasing us and making our life difficult. He will keep pestering us until we want to do what he wants."

Dara could only silently listen to her. She had no idea something like that could actually happen. She doesn't understand manipulation and dirty play when it comes to business.

"What does he really want?" asked Dara.

"I don't know, but I guess they don't like seeing people happy." Dara felt that Tiara's bad thoughts were too much. But Dara couldn't blame her, considering that Dean's family was also annoying.

"Some residents of our cluster or residents of this village also have many stories with him. I hear it often."

"What's story?"

"You'll find out later. Many people have stories including Sofi and Mr. Dion. Dean just got out of prison and took over his late father's position."

"He was imprisoned for what?" Dara became interested in the conversation. As far as she recalled, this was the first time she had personally known a person involved in a criminal case.

"He is in prison because of his negligence in hitting Mr. Toni's taxi about 3 years ago. Mr. Toni is a very good taxi driver. He is grandpa Gunawan's son lives in block B in our cluster, near Leo's house."

Dara is stunned. She didn't really listen to what Tiara explained next. "He said Mr. Toni's car was also wrong, I don't know, I also don't understand. But still, he drove after he got drunk. 3 years ago this incident became a very hot topic of discussion in our cluster."

Dara just found out that her family's accident was so discussed. But she didn't think much of that fact. Dara's body went limp, she recalled the accident 2.5 years ago when her family left her.

She remembered how Mr. Reynold had helped her a lot during the trial process which Dara and Nemma couldn't attend, who were still traumatized. Dara also began to vaguely remember the face of the man who was considered responsible for the accident. Dara doesn't even want to remember his name. People who do negligence until their family gets into an accident. Dara began to remember even though she had only seen him once.

The figure of Dean she saw now was far different from the one she had seen before at the police station. But Dara could remember the pale face of Dean who sat bowed in the police station. Now Dean is much different. He was able to stand up straight. Dara had trouble suppressing her anger.

"Are you all right?" asked Tiara looking worried seeing Dara looking pale and also shaking a little.

"I'm fine, I just need to go home."

"Okay, let me call Leo first. Let him take you home."

Leo came with Billy and Sofi who looked worried. "Are you all right?" Sofi asked looking worried.

"I'm fine," Dara lied. Obviously she was in shock and feeling erratic too.

"Where is your house?" Leo asked.

"In Block B," answered Dara.

"I also live there, but I have to clean up the rest of the work here. Sofi, you can drive, right?"

"Yes, I'll take Dara to her house. I'll be back here later."

Dara didn't talk much the whole way home. Sofi also wisely didn't start the conversation. When they arrived at the house that Dara pointed out, Sofi was surprised. "You're Mr. Toni's daughter?"

Dara nodded. Sofi didn't ask again about it. "Let me know when you're feeling better," said Sofi softly. Dara nodded. "I can deliver your bike later if you need it or you can pick it up sometime."

When she entered her house, Dara did not want to meet Nemma. She didn't want Nemma to see her like this. What's more, she didn't want Nemma to know what caused it. Luckily Nemma was in her room talking on the phone with Bella as usual.

Dara entered her room. Dropped herself on the bed. She stared blankly at the ceiling of her room. Her tears dripped a little. She felt the pain again. She recalled the Accident 2.5 years ago that happened to her family.

***

After a long silence just looking at the ceiling, Dara started to open her laptop. She started looking for Dean through the internet. The thing for 2.5 years she didn't want to do. She never wanted to know what happened to her family's accident. There is not much news about their family's accident. Dara only saw a few pictures that reminded her of the accident 2.5 years ago. Dara couldn't take it anymore. Then her search turned to the figure of Dean himself. She finally wants to know who is the person who is considered responsible for the deaths of 4 members of her family.

Dara saw several social media profiles from Dean. Perfect figure, son of a conglomerate, graduated from a campus with a good reputation abroad. Dara dug further. There wasn't much personal information that she could get. There are only a few photos posted more than 5 years ago. Anger filled Dara's heart when she saw the photo of Dean smiling broadly on social media. She immediately closed her laptop. She didn't want the person who ruined her 2.5 years, do the same thing again now.

Dara braced herself. She comes out of her room. Her body was very weak. Dara felt her muscles feel stiff and uncomfortable. Nemma was already in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"I didn't see you coming home," she said coldly. Dara could conclude that Nemma had returned to normal as usual.

"Yeah, I'm really tired. So I went straight to my room."

"I don't see your bike in front either. Who did you come home with?"

"Sofi. My bike is still at her house. I'll take it tomorrow."

Nemma didn't respond anymore. Dara was happy to be ignored this time. She didn't really want to talk. The warmth she had today seemed to be crushed by Dean's unexpected presence. Dara does not want to dissolve. She likes to make new friends who care about her.

Dara wants to focus on people who love her. She tried to forget the pain that had resurfaced in her heart. Tomorrow, she wants to start her life happily again. She wants to start improving her life.

"What did you have for lunch?" asked Nemma flatly.

"We are treated by Mrs. Ussy," Dara answered. Her mood changed slightly at that.

"Who is Mrs. Ussy?" asked Nemma casually.

Dara smiled, lucky Nemma didn't see her. As she expected, she wasn't the only one who didn't know Mrs. Ussy in the cluster area where they lived.

***