章 44: Chat

Mai looked up at the sky. The sky in Bandung looks clearer than in Jakarta, maybe because in Jakarta the sky is already contaminated with pollution.

Mai could see the moon and stars around her. She remembered that when she was a child she loved to look at the stars, sometimes she even slept on the grass while looking at the stars in the sky. She imagined what it would be like to be in outer space. A feeling of dread, mysterious but also pleasant.

Her friends are preparing a barbecue party this is just a fish and chicken cooking event for dinner. They gathered in the side yard, by the pool.

Mai, accompanied by Ivani and Nica, went to Aunt Puspa's house this afternoon. Aunt Puspa wanted her to stay for dinner but Mai refused. Mai just took a few items from her mother and of course chatted for a while.

Mai didn't say about her desire to dig into her past even though she was sure Aunt Puspa would know about it, but just like her parents, Aunt Puspa didn't tell the truth either.

Mai feels they are all hiding something from her. The strange thing is that when Mai said where she was staying, Aunt Puspa's face immediately turned pale but quickly she became normal again.

Why is it? What's wrong with this villa? - thought Mai.

Aunt Puspa was also silent when Ivani said that this villa belonged to their friend. And there is one more oddity, on the way back to the villa, Mai saw Aaron alone pensive in the playground. Ivani called him and they went home together, but on the way home Aaron didn't say a word. Too strange for someone who is usually friendly and always cheerful.

Does Aaron have memories from that park too? - thought Mai.

Aaron has a villa here, of course, he used to often vacation here but Mai never met him even though the distance between the villa and her aunt's house was not that far. Rich people usually don't get along, Aaron and his family probably never go out and mingle with the neighbors. Mai also remembers her cousin, Karina, who once said that the owner of the villa they now live in is fierce. Mai only met Aaron's father briefly but Mai had met Rara. Considering that she felt goosebumps when she met her face to face, maybe Karina was right. Rara was impressed fiercely.

Riven said this villa was rented out before and one of the tenants was the child.

Can Riven find out who the child is, - Mai wonders.

It seemed like it wasn't easy but somehow she got one clue of the boy's whereabouts. She can track it down from here. Hopefully, she can find the boy, the key to it all. It was her plan other than getting her memories back.

"Mai... it's cooked. Aren't you hungry? Do you want to fish or chicken?" Nica said half-screaming at her, breaking Mai's daydream.

"Yeah...." Mai said, she immediately approached Nica and joined her friends.

-----

After eating, they have their agenda. Some play PS games, play cards or just sit back and relax playing their gadgets. Mai saw Aaron sitting by the pool, the man wearing a dark blue sweater and knee-length black shorts was playing with the pool water with his feet, his brow furrowed as if he was thinking.

For the first time, Mai was more interested in Aaron than Thomas. Mai glanced briefly inside. Thomas, Eddo, and Boban are playing cards. While Riven and Nica were busy playing PS, I don't know what they were playing but both were very excited. Ivani disappeared, don't know where, maybe in her room she was streaming Korean dramas. Thankfully, the signal here is pretty good, usually, when she watching Korean dramas, Ivani doesn't want to be disturbed.

Mai walked over to Aaron and sat next to him, she played with the pool water with her feet. The water was icy cold making Mai pull her leg back.

Why is Aaron so normal? Isn't he cold? - thought Mai.

"What were you doing alone in the park?" asked Mai, she was curious to the point where she couldn't help but ask.

Aaron glanced at her for a moment.

"Oooh... Just nostalgia," said Aaron.

"You used to like playing there, didn't you? It seems I used to go there too often. Maybe we ever meet." Said Mai.

Riven said their family often stays at the villa during holidays and Mai also lived in Bandung when she was little, so they may have met.

"Yes, maybe," Aaron said with a smile.

It's not only possible but it's met.

"Riven said you had an accident here. Is that why you didn't want to come here yesterday?" asked Mai innocently.

"Just fall, small children fall often," said Aaron.

"Oooh I thought why, but why don't you guys ever vacation here again?" Said Mai.

Mai had thought that something big had happened that Aaron and his family didn't want to come here anymore.

"My dad is very busy, he's rarely home, so is my sister too," Aaron said.

Mai feels sorry, Aaron seems lonely, far from his family.

"Now you're on vacation with us," said Mai trying to cheer him up.

"Yeah, I'm happy," Aaron said, the man gave a smile but somehow he didn't look as happy as he said.

"Is it true that this villa is for sale?" asked Mai.

"Why? Do you want to buy one?" said Aaron.

"Too bad. The villa is nice." Said Mai.

"This house is old. It's been there since before I was born. You can see the paint has faded, the bushes are tall too. Danny has a hard time taking care of this house." said Aaron.

"You can renovate or add people to take care of this house." Said Mai.

This house is only managed by Danny and his wife Elsa. The house was big and spacious so of course, they were overwhelmed.

"How come you feel so sorry for this house?" said Aaron.

"Because you must have memories in this house, that's precious. I don't remember anything about my childhood, I don't have memories, only nightmares I had." Said Mai.

Aaron's face immediately turned sad.

"Sorry," he said quietly.

"Why are you even apologizing?" asked Mai confusedly.

Aaron didn't answer. Of course, he couldn't say the reason for his apology.

"I'm sure I also have good memories. You know my house used to be around here, not far from Aunt Puspa's house but now it's occupied by someone else. Puspa must be happy to meet you." Mai babbled at length.

Aaron just smiled faintly. At first, Aaron did not remember who Aunt Puspa was. While reading Mai's diary, he felt the name was familiar to him. After hearing that name many times, also from Mai's stories, he finally started to remember who Puspa was.

He imagined meeting Doctor Puspa, the woman would not be happy to meet him. She would probably recognize him right away. Doctor Puspa had seen him once, begging him to be honest but Aaron paid no heed. He's sorry.

"Did you tell your aunt you wanna find the truth?" said Aaron.

"No... I didn't say." Said Mai.

"Why? She might be able to help you," said Aaron.

"Auntie is just like my mom and dad. She won't say anything." Said Mai.

"Do you remember anything else?" asked Aaron carefully.

Mai shook her head.

"Not yet," she said looking sad.

"But I do have a clue about the boy." Said Mai. The girl who looked sad at first was excited again.

Aaron smiled. A hint of Riven's lies, it's not going anywhere.

"My dad said the child was the son of a rich man. The son of a conglomerate, one of the richest people in Indonesia." Said Mai.

Aaron's body froze. Mai's family must remember who his family is.

They will never forget.

"My dad also said I wouldn't want anything to do with them that's why my dad told me to just forget about it. It seems like they've done something bad to my dad, I don't remember the details, but… our lives were hard after the accident." Mai said she looked sad again.

Oh my goodness, what has his father done to the Mai family. Aaron knew his father had sent Harry to prison but there might be more. His father was quite cruel when it came to the people who had offended him. Either his father is a vindictive person or just being arrogant by showing what he can do.

"I'm sorry," Aaron said, he looked sorry.

Mai instead chuckled and Aaron looked at her confused.

"I don't understand why every time I tell you, you always say sorry." Said Mai.

Aaron smiled bitterly.

"Thank you for listening to my strange story and thank you for helping." Said Mai.

"Anytime," said Aaron.

The two fell silent, playing with the water under their feet. Mai hugged herself, the air was getting colder and she was sneezing. Forgot that she was allergic to cold even though she was currently wearing a long-sleeved shirt.