5:45 p.m.
The rain had just stopped around 4 p.m. The roads were muddy, and the car lights reflected off the puddles covering the asphalt.
Inside the car, Kirana was driving alone. The neat white shirt she had worn that morning was still white, but the underarm area was slightly damp with sweat because the AC at her London office had stopped working for an hour earlier that afternoon.
The skirt above her knees that had looked perfectly neat that morning was now slightly wrinkled from sitting at the office all day. Her black work bag, containing her laptop, a folder, and a water bottle, was on the passenger seat. Her black heels were underneath the seat. She had changed into office flip-flops because her feet were sore. On the car dashboard sat a white Alfamart plastic bag. Inside was one chocolate almond Magnum ice cream, Kyla’s favorite since middle school. Kirana had bought it at 5:20 p.m. from an Alfamart near her office before heading home. Now it was 5:45 p.m., and the ice cream had already started to melt. The plastic bag was covered in condensation.
Kirana drove while glancing at the phone mounted on the dashboard. On the screen was the photo Kyla had sent at 12:10 p.m. earlier that day—a photo of the empty bowl of chicken porridge and the sticky note that said, “Eat first.”, stuck to the refrigerator.
The caption from Kyla read:
“Sis, I finished the porridge. It was good. Thank you.”
Kirana had looked at that photo seven times in the office pantry at 12:45 p.m., until one of her coworkers finally asked,
“Kir, why are you crying in here?”
Kirana had answered, “No, I just got some dust in my eye.”
Even though it was actually because of that photo of the empty porridge bowl.
6:02 p.m.
Kirana’s car exited the London highway.
The rain had completely stopped. The roads in London were still muddy, and the smell of wet earth filled the air. The fried-snack vendors along the roadside had already opened their stalls. The smell of freshly fried food drifted all the way into the car.
6:15 p.m.
Kirana’s car entered the house gate.
Vroom vroom. Softly. Because Kirana knew Kyla was still at home and didn’t want to make too much noise.
Was the house dark?
No. The living room lights were on. The TV was still playing from the afternoon, and the sound of the soap opera could be heard even from outside. The show had changed.
Now it was “Gen Z Romance.”
Kirana parked the car, turned off the engine, and took the Alfamart bag containing the half-melted Magnum ice cream. She grabbed her black work bag and laptop, put on her flip-flops, and slowly walked toward the house. The front door wasn’t locked. It was only closed.
Kirana carefully opened it. The TV in the living room was still on at a high volume. The soap opera was showing a ballroom scene—a reunion between Axel and Rose after being separated for five years.
On the brown sofa, Kyla was still asleep. Her position was exactly the same as it had been at 12:30 p.m., when she had fallen asleep after eating porridge and watching the soap opera. She was wearing a white cropped shirt and gray shorts above the knees. Her legs were stretched across the sofa, with one foot hanging onto the floor. Her hair had been neat after her shower earlier, but it was messy again after six hours of sleep. Her mouth was slightly open. She was softly snoring.
Snore… snore…
Her eyes were still swollen, but not nearly as bad as they had been that morning because she had covered them with cushion foundation and had gotten plenty of sleep.
On the table in front of the sofa, there were snacks that had already been finished. On the refrigerator, the yellow sticky note that said “Eat first.” was still there. The ink had faded slightly from the steam of the porridge and Kyla’s tears that morning.
Now it was held in place with a piece of tape so it wouldn’t fall.
Kirana stood silently by the door, staring at Kyla, who had been sleeping on the sofa for six hours. She slowly placed her black work bag on the floor without making a sound.
Her heels? Still in the car.
Kirana held the Alfamart bag containing the Magnum ice cream. Half of it had already melted. The chocolate coating had gone soft.
Kirana slowly walked toward the sofa without her flip-flops, her bare feet cold against the floor. She crouched in front of the brown sofa, looking at Kyla’s sleeping face. Her face had that sleepy, pillow-squished look.
There was a pillow mark on her left cheek. A tiny bit of drool rested at the corner of her lips. She looked funny. But also pitiful.
Kirana wanted to wake her up, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Kyla had finally fallen into a deep sleep after two days of crying and staying awake until 2 a.m.
Kirana took the thin brown blanket lying on the sofa and carefully covered Kyla with it, from her feet all the way up to her chest.
Kyla, still asleep, felt the blanket being placed over her. She moved slightly and sleep-talked softly, “Sis... the porridge was good…”
Kirana heard it. Her eyes immediately became teary again.
In the living room at six in the evening, the only sound was the soap opera playing on the TV.
Kirana sat down on the floor, leaning against the sofa, close to Kyla’s foot that was hanging off the edge. She opened the Alfamart bag and looked at the chocolate almond Magnum. It was already half melted. The chocolate wasn’t hard anymore. The almonds had sunk into the melted ice cream.
Kirana thought, If I give it to Kyla now, it’s already melted. It won’t taste good. If I put it in the freezer first, Kyla can eat it when she wakes up.
Kirana slowly stood up and walked into the kitchen. She opened the freezer and placed the Magnum inside, next to the ice cubes.
Then she looked at the refrigerator. The sticky note that said “Eat first.” was still there, taped to the door.
Kirana gently touched it. The paper had already become soft from the steam.
6:30 p.m.
Kirana returned to the living room and sat on the floor again, leaning against the sofa while watching Kyla sleep. The Gen Z Romance soap opera was still playing on the TV.
Kirana opened her phone. She opened the office group chats. There were tons of work messages.
“Kir, is yesterday’s report finished yet?”
Kirana muted all of her office chats. Then she opened her chat with Kyla. She wanted to type something.
But she didn’t. Instead, Kirana opened her phone camera. She took a picture of Kyla sleeping on the sofa. Her mouth was slightly open. She was softly snoring. She was wrapped in the brown blanket. The soap opera was playing in the background.
Kirana saved the photo to her gallery.
The file name was:
"Kyla sleeping after eating porridge for 6 hours.jpg"
6:45 p.m.
Kyla was still asleep. She hadn’t woken up at all.She was sleeping deeply.
Kirana had been sitting on the floor since 6:15. Her legs had gone numb, so she finally stood up. She wanted to change clothes and take a shower because she smelled like the office and sweat from spending the entire day working.
Kirana walked to her bedroom. She took off her white shirt. Then her skirt. She changed into her favorite pajamas. Kirana went to the bathroom and took a quick twenty-minute shower. She washed her hair and used fragrant soap.
7:02 p.m.
Kirana came out of the bathroom wearing her pajamas.
Her hair was still wet. A towel was wrapped around her head. Her face was clean, with no makeup.
In the living room, Kyla was still sleeping on the sofa. Her position had changed. Now she was lying on her right side. The blanket had slipped down slightly. Her soft snoring continued.
Snore… snore…
The soap opera had ended. The TV was now showing the news.
Kirana walked into the kitchen and made two cups of warm tea. Sweet, warm tea. One for herself. And one for Kyla when she woke up.
She placed the two cups of warm tea on the table in front of the sofa. Then Kirana sat on the other sofa—a small brown sofa facing the TV. She watched Kyla sleep while sipping her warm tea, waiting for her to wake up.
7:15 p.m.
The house was quiet. The only sounds were the news playing on the TV, Kyla’s soft snoring, and Kirana sipping her warm tea.
Slurp.
Outside the gate, at 8:20 p.m., there was the sound of a bicycle.
Creak-creak-creak. Softly. Then it stopped.
Nata.
He had just finished his day shift at the internet café, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. He was still wearing his black shirt with blue screen-print ink stains, shorts, and his broken Swallow sandals. He smelled like cigarette smoke, the internet café, and sweat from the entire day. His face looked pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes because he hadn’t slept well for two days after taking care of the internet café and worrying about Kyla’s 2:17 a.m. story.
Nata parked his gray bicycle in front of the gate. From outside, he could see the living room light was on. The TV was on. There were two people inside.
Kyla was asleep on the sofa.
Kirana was sitting on the small sofa, wearing pajamas with wet hair and a towel wrapped around her head.
Nata was confused. Should he go inside or not?
That morning, he had texted Kyla:
“Later tonight, if you want to talk, I’ll listen.”
But now it was already night. Kirana was home.
Nata was afraid he would disturb them. He stood in front of the gate for two minutes. He didn’t go inside. He simply watched from outside.
Inside the house, Kirana was sitting on the small sofa, watching Kyla sleep. She looked at the two cups of warm tea on the table. Then she noticed a shadow outside the gate.
Kirana turned toward the window. She saw the gray bicycle. And a guy wearing a black shirt with blue screen-print ink stains and broken Swallow sandals.
Kirana was startled.
“Wait... is that Nata?”
Kyla, still asleep on the sofa, continued snoring softly.
Snore… snore…
She didn’t wake up. She had no idea that Nata, who had just finished his shift at the internet café, was standing outside the gate.
He had brought some fried snacks and a sachet of coffee inside a black plastic bag. He wanted to give them to Kyla. But he was afraid to come inside because Kirana was there.
At 8:20 p.m., in the quiet house in London, there were three people in three different positions.
Kyla was sleeping deeply on the sofa after eating chicken porridge and watching a soap opera for six hours.
Kirana was sitting on the small sofa after coming home from her office in London, taking a shower, and making warm tea.
And Nata was standing outside the gate after coming home from the internet café, holding fried snacks and wondering whether he should go inside or not.
And Kyla’s favorite chocolate almond Magnum ice cream was still in the freezer.
Still half melted.
Waiting for Kyla to wake up.
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