Green scenery stretched along both sides of the road, soothing to the eyes—especially after the morning rain had stopped. Dini couldn't stop marveling at the beauty of this village.
Naeswari was different. She preferred to stay quiet as she watched the rice fields stretching into the distance. Even though she knew there was a figure watching her from the middle of the fields. The scarecrow seemed to be inviting her to get out of the car.
“This village is where Dad was born. He lived here until he was ten,” Yasodana said nostalgically.
“Then why did Dad move?” Sagara asked from the back seat.
“Because your grandfather divorced your grandmother, right? So Dad went with Grandma to the city and only visited Grandpa from time to time,” Yas said, continuing to drive.
“More precisely, Grandpa kicked Grandma out. It wasn’t a voluntary divorce.”
Naeswari’s words shattered the silence and left the four people in the car looking confused by the statement from the usually quiet teenage girl.
“Don’t jump to your own conclusions, Naes. You weren’t even born when Grandpa was gone,” Nalesha shot back, having sensed something strange about his little sister, who had been staring out the window the entire time.
“Your brother’s right, Naes. Maybe that’s only in your head,” Dini, their mother, argued, unconvinced.
“Don’t act like a seer who just makes random guesses,” Sagara added.
Naeswari could only look at her two brothers for a moment before turning her gaze back toward the window. There was no point in being honest, because in the end they would just think she was “sick.”
“Enough. Stop arguing. We’re almost there,” Yas interrupted, pointing toward the village gate.
Yas wanted to believe what his daughter had said, because he knew very well that his father had loved his mother deeply. But his father had suddenly changed after going to the city. Even now, one mystery remained in his life. Who was the woman in his father’s room that night?
“Mas, I thought where you lived was really rural. But it actually looks like a big city,” Dini’s words brought his thoughts back to the present.
“It used to be a small village, Dek. Then the former governor turned it into a regency,” Yas said.
Dini and her two sons were clearly impressed. Yas had never brought them here before, and only now did they realize there were places more beautiful and comfortable than the city.
“Wow, I thought there wouldn’t be a mall. It’s like a self-contained city,” Sagara praised.
“Are we still far from Grandpa’s house, Dad?” Nalesha asked impatiently.
“You can see Grandpa’s house from here. Look!”
Yas pointed straight ahead, then raised his finger until their gazes were directed toward the house, clearly visible from the road.
“It’s huge, Mas. You’re not kidding, are you?” Dini said in disbelief.
“Just ask anyone here who doesn’t know the late Grandpa Mangunwarya. That house on the hill was his, and it’s where we live now.”
“So our house is on a hill? Wow, that’s awesome. I’m going to brag about it,” Nalesha said, already impatient to see the inside of his new home.
Yas drove a little faster because someone was waiting for him there, and he had been eager to meet that person for a long time.