That night, the volunteers gathered in the tent reserved for TNI personnel. They were going to discuss the virus attacking the people of Papua.
"Here's the situation, Commander. Earlier this afternoon, we investigated the virus attacking the children and adults here," Rafael said.
"We've found out that the virus is called Ebola," Rafael continued.
"The Ebola virus?" Vito said.
"Yes, that's right, Commander," Rafael replied.
"Then what do we do now? Is the virus dangerous?" Vito asked.
"Is the nearest hospital far from here?" Rafael asked.
"There's a nearby hospital, but it doesn't have adequate equipment," Vito replied.
"Should we take all the residents to the hospital?" one of the TNI members asked.
"Sorry, Nindy's interrupting, but I don't think we should take them to the city hospital. Considering how dangerous and contagious this virus is, I'm afraid the people there might become infected too. Is there a large enough place here to accommodate all the residents? If there is, we should take them there instead. As for the equipment, we can ask the hospital in Jakarta to send it. Didn't they say yesterday, before we left, that they would help if we needed anything, Doc? We can also ask them to send their best doctors," Nindy explained at length.
They all fell silent, digesting Nindy's words. What she said made sense. Taking the patients to a major hospital would obviously put other people who weren't infected at risk. Shouldn't people suffering from this virus be isolated, too?
"You're right, Nin. I'm sorry—I didn't think that far ahead. I'll contact our hospital and have them prepare everything," Rafael said.
"I'll look for a place to isolate the residents, too. Ari, please record how many adults and children have been affected by the Ebola virus," Vito instructed one of his men.
"Yes, Commander. I'll take care of it," Ari said firmly.
"Uncle, I'll help you," Nindy told Ari.
Everyone who heard Nindy call Ari "Uncle" held back their laughter. Ari himself was already scowling.
"Miss, I'm only twenty-five," Ari said, informing her.
"Oh! Sorry. I thought you were already in your thirties. Your face looks so old, Uncle," Nindy shot back innocently.
The TNI members and Nindy's friends burst out laughing. They couldn't hold it in anymore. Nindy's words had them rolling.
Ari, the butt of their laughter, merely snorted in annoyance. He wanted to retort, but he was afraid Nindy would say something even more cutting.
"All right, Miss. I don't mind you calling me Uncle if it makes you happy. In that case, I'll be going now," Ari said before taking his leave.
"Uncle, wait for me! I'm heading out first, okay? Bye-bye," Nindy called, running after Ari.
"Good grief. She's not my friend," Vero said helplessly.
They all chuckled at Vero's remark. Ah, Nindy was like a rainbow to them. Her antics always made everyone around her feel at ease.
"All right, are we done? I'm going to survey the area first," Vito said, taking his leave.
"Yes, we're done, Commander. In that case, I'll get going too and call the hospital to arrange for the aid to be sent," Rafael said.
Then they all went their separate ways. They had to act quickly so that no more people would be infected by the virus.
JAKARTA
"Mom, you haven't eaten yet. Come on, eat something," Nugraha urged.
"I don't feel like eating, Dad. You go ahead," Diana replied.
"You haven't eaten since this afternoon. Just have a little," he urged again.
"I'm not hungry," Diana said briefly.
Nugraha gave up trying to persuade his wife to eat. She hadn't touched a single grain of rice since that afternoon. She had kept herself shut in her room.
"What are you thinking about, Mom? Why are you acting like this?" Nugraha asked.
"Have we been too cruel to Nindy all this time, Dad? Was the way we treated her right? Do we even deserve to be called her parents, Dad?" Diana asked, her voice trembling.
Nugraha fell silent at his wife's words. He, too, began thinking about the way he had treated his daughter, Nindy, all this time.
"That was the risk she took. She embarrassed our family," Nugraha replied.
"But why do I feel heartbroken after she left? Why did guilt and unease fill my heart after she was gone?" Diana said, tears streaming down her face.
"Wasn't Nindy always a smart child, someone who made us proud? She even followed our wishes and gave up on becoming a doctor! She abandoned her dream just to do what we wanted. Why do I feel like we've been unfair to her all this time?" Diana said through sobs.
Nugraha fell silent again at his wife's words. Had he really been too cruel all this time?
Heni, who had just come home, heard her mother's words. Displeasure stirred in her heart when her mother began feeling guilty about Nindy.
"Mom and Dad did nothing wrong! She deserved to be treated that way! Did you forget what she did back then? It seriously disgraced our family's good name. I once wanted to deny all those reports, too, but after seeing that CCTV footage myself, I couldn't say anything anymore," Heni suddenly said.
Their family was one of the most prominent families in Jakarta. Nugraha ran a famous company and was renowned for his business acumen. As a result, their family was always in the spotlight.
They were also known as a harmonious family. Having two beautiful daughters meant Nugraha's business associates were always looking for opportunities to arrange matches between their sons and Nugraha's daughters.
Heni's resentment toward her younger sister began when a guest came to their home intending to propose to Nindy. Randi Wijaya, a successful young businessman, had fallen for Nindy. That was why the Wijaya family intended to propose to her. But everything failed because of Heni. She clearly couldn't stand the thought of her younger sister getting a man like Randi.
"What Heni said is true, Mom! Nindy embarrassed our family. And as for her dream, isn't that right? What's the point of becoming a doctor when all you do is serve a hospital? She should be more like Heni—a famous model admired by everyone," Nugraha chimed in.
Diana merely fell silent at the words of her daughter and husband. She, too, began thinking about what Nindy had done back then. Something Nindy hadn't actually done.
"Enough, Mom. Don't think about her anymore! You need to focus on your health! She may not even remember us. I called her yesterday, too. Do you know what she said when I called?" Heni said.
"What, sweetheart?" Nugraha asked.
Heni let out a long sigh, then stared bleakly at both her parents.
"She said not to bother her anymore! She'd even cut ties with us. She also refused when I offered to send her money. She said someone else was supporting her now," Heni said.
Thud!
Diana and Nugraha were stunned by Heni's words. Had their daughter really cut ties with them? Then who was supporting her now? Dark thoughts began to fill both their minds. Seeing this, Heni smiled inwardly.
"Little by little, I'll make Mom and Dad hate you, Nindy! This is what you get for always trying to outshine me!" Heni thought.
"Is it true that you've cut ties with us, sweetheart? Why does my heart hurt so much?" Diana thought.
"What? Have you become another man's mistress, Nindy? How disgraceful!" Nugraha thought.