Bab 9: A Place to Call Home...
Finland immediately dialed the number written on the room listing. She had a feeling that it was too good to be true, but she wanted to give it a try.
She was aware of the many scammers in Singapore who target innocent newcomers looking for cheap housing. Therefore, if her call was answered, she would ask to look at the property first before transferring money to anyone.
A middle-aged woman answered Finland's call and gave her an address so she could come and inspect the room for rent. The location was in the city center, close to Fort Canning Park.
Without wasting time, Finland went immediately. She wanted to make sure that the room did exist and would not be taken by someone else. The property was a little bit far from the office, but she could take the bus.
Finland was dropped off by the Grab driver at the front of the gate of a beautiful house. She was stunned and, for several minutes, she was unable to move. The house she was staring at was a real landed house, not an HDB (cheap apartment) or apartment.
Flats and apartments in Singapore were already very expensive to buy. However, in front of her stood a large and beautiful landed house with a big courtyard visible from outside the fence. Ivies grew lush and healthy on the walls surrounding the house and she could see big colorful roses in the garden.
"This house must be haunted..." Finland thought to herself.
In a house like this, even the worst room would cost more than 500 dollars per month to rent, unless there was something VERY VERY WRONG with it.
She took a deep breath and ventured to press the bell. She was not afraid of ghosts. She was more afraid of poverty and being homeless.
A middle-aged woman with a friendly face came out to open the gate.
"Miss Finland? Please come in."
Finland followed the woman inside, gasping in admiration when she saw the house and garden from the inside. The garden was far more beautiful than what she expected.
The house itself was built in colonial style: white walls, high ceilings, and many large pillars to support the building. The large windows and doors gave the impression of magnificence and space.
If Finland were to win the lottery tomorrow, this was exactly the kind of house she would buy to live in.
What a perfect home!
"This house is big and too quiet. The gardener, the cook, and I are the only ones who live here. Our Master travels a lot and, because we are all getting old, the Master finally asked me to find a tenant to accompany us to live in this house." The old woman suddenly patted her chest while smiling shyly. "Ah, yeah... pleased to meet you, my name is Lilian Law. You can call me Ms. Law. Would you like something to drink?"
"Oh, thank you, Ms. Law. Just water, please."
Finland followed Ms. Law as they walked through the magnificent and spacious living room into the beautiful classic kitchen at the back. Ms. Law poured a glass of water and handed it to Finland. An old woman appeared from behind the fridge and smiled at them.
"This is Ms. Katrin, she is our cook here and John, her husband, is our gardener. We have worked here for Master for about 40 years. We are very happy to live in this house. You will definitely like it too."
Ms. Katrin nodded while smiling in agreement with Ms. Law.
"Oh... Does the house owner go abroad often? Does his family live abroad?" Finland began to wonder.
"His relatives are mostly in Europe, Germany to be precise. But Master himself has no family."
"Don't forget Miss Katia," said Ms. Katrin suddenly. "They were engaged, but never married."
Ms. Law nodded. "Oh, that's right... Before we started working here, Master was engaged to Miss Katia, but they didn't get married. Miss Katia left."
Finland immediately felt sorry for the poor owner of this house. She imagined a man who, in his youth, about 40 years ago, fell in love with a woman and almost married her. However, for one reason or another, she left. He was now old and alone, living in a big house only accompanied by three servants.
"Oh..." she replied quietly.
Finland did not know what to say, she felt sorry for the old man. Finally, she decided to tell Ms. Law her reason for coming to the house.
"Uhm... I'm looking for a place to live, and it feels like this house is far beyond my expectations. Is it true that the rent is only 500 dollars per month? Sorry, I'm worried that I misread the advertisement at the time. If it turns out to be 1500 or 5000 dollars per month, I won't be able to afford it."
"Oh, that's right. You read it correctly. The advertisement was not wrong. Please come with me, I will show you the room we would like to rent out. It is located outside the main building." Ms. Law smiled and signaled Finland to follow her.
They walked through the pretty garden behind the house to a beautiful pavilion that looked like a pavilion in Disney's fairy tales. Finland was stunned.
"I... is this the room?"
"Yes. This is the room. It's been empty for a long time, but it's been cleaned from dust and is now ready to be inhabited. According to Master, empty rooms will quickly deteriorate and lose their beauty. That's why we would like to rent it out to someone who would take good care of it and treat it like their own home..."
Finland walked slowly into the beautiful pavilion. There was a terrace with an elegant couch for receiving guests, and inside there was a four-poster bed with bedding and linen more luxurious than that of a five-star hotel. The cabinets, carpets, curtains, and bathroom looked very expensive and classy.
She pinched herself several times, not believing her vision.
"Who... who used to live here, Ms. Law?" she asked quietly.
"This used to Ms. Katia's painting studio. After she left, the pavilion was left untouched. Just last week, Master ordered us to clean this room and design it to be a bedroom. All the items here are new."
"Oh..." Finland almost shed tears in happiness. She felt like she was dreaming. If it was really a dream, she didn't want to wake up. "What is the name of the owner of this house? I want to thank him."
"It is Mr. Van der Ven. There is no need to thank him. As long as you take good care of this pavilion, he will be very happy. When would you like to move in?"
"When will he return to Singapore? I really want to meet and thank him in person for letting me stay here. The house is very beautiful."
Finland could not hold back her excitement. She would move in as soon as possible. Haunted or not, she didn't care. Besides, there were three other people living with her. She need not be afraid.
"Actually, Master is currently in Singapore. But now he prefers to stay in a hotel he just bought because it is closer to the gallery he is building." Ms. Law said. "Don't worry, we'll tell him that the room has been occupied by a nice girl."
"Thank you very much, Ms. Law. I am very happy to meet you and find this house. I promise I will be a good tenant and will help take care of this beautiful pavilion. I am a self-aware and grateful person. You will not regret having me." Finland hugged Ms. Law and Ms. Katrin joyfully.
She went home with a happy heart. Along the way, she could not stop humming because her heart had never felt this immense joy.
Finally, she had a place to live... a very beautiful place to live. She was no longer homeless. She thought about the wise words by XXX "Life is like a ferris wheel. Sometimes you are up, sometimes you are down. In the end, you just have to learn how to enjoy the ride."
Hopefully, now it's her turn to go up.
She felt very grateful.
Hadiah
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