CHAPTER TWO
(Part One)
THREE YEARS AGO
"Wait, what exactly are you saying?"
There was a chuckle on the other line while Petra tightly hugged her grumpy bunny stuffed toy in military costume.
"Pack your stuffs tonight because we're going to the capital tomorrow. We're hired!" Nifa excitedly announced over the phone.
"Are you serious?!" Petra exclaimed in surprise, jumping off her bed and throwing the stuffed toy on the corner.
"Yes! I'm serious! They already sent an e-mail, haven't you read it yet?" Nifa replied and they both screamed in excitement.
Outside Petra's room, her father was listening to the noises she was creating and she realized how loud her screams must be.
She checked her e-mail and read that they were asked to report the day after tomorrow. "I'm gonna tell it to Papa. Good night." She told Nifa after confirming the good news and hanged up.
She ran to open the door just to find her father standing in front of it.
"What happened? Why are you screaming?" He asked worriedly.
She gave him a tight hug and said, "I'm hired, Papa!"
Her father was confused. "Hired? To where?" He asked, eyebrows were twitching in curiosity.
She loosen the hug and said, "Remember the university that me and Nifa had applied last week? They are asking us to report the day after tomorrow. I was hired as the university physician!"
"We should celebrate tonight then." He said with a smile and grabbed the keys.
It was dinner time so instead of preparing something to eat, they decided to spend their dinner in a classy restaurant in town. They were living a simple life in the outskirts of the capital, almost near the rural areas, and the nearby town was several kilometers away from their house.
Petra was grateful that they've got time to spend dinner together before she went to the capital. She knew that she would be leaving him alone when she started to work as a university professor.
Days passed like a blink of an eye. She was both excited and sad. That would be the first time that she would leave her father but she wanted to pursue her dream of working and practicing her chosen career. Her father never got tired of supporting her dreams and he was so proud of her.
"Papa, will you be alright?" She asked him before she opened the passenger seat's door.
Her father drove her to the capital to ensure her safety. They parked in front of the building that Nifa told her to be their meeting place.
He smiled and stroked her hair. "I'll be fine, honey. Don't worry about me."
She hugged him tight and said, "Don't forget to drink your medicines. Take care of yourself and the goats."
Knowing that his father was getting old, an old fashioned-man, didn't know how to use the internet, and has hypertension, she promised him that she would call on the telephone every weekend. Before the tears that she'd been controlling since last night could flow from her eyes, she stepped out of the car and faced the tall and huge buildings of the capital. After a short melodramatic fairwell, her father went off.
Before she could pick her phone to call her friend, a very familiar voice called out her name that made the people passing by to look at them. Nifa was running with open arms, the handbag hanging on her shoulder was swaying in the air.
"Nifa." She said and returned the hug.
"Let's go?" She asked, thumbing over her shoulder a hotel. "We have to check in for a while."
After they put their luggages on the hotel room, they went to look for an apartment near the university.
"Don't they have cheap apartment rentals here?" Nifa muttered as they were walking dejectedly by the street.
Their search for a cheap apartment was in vain. Aside from that, the apartments near the university were already occupied.
"Where are we going to live?" Nifa mumbled as they stopped in front of a convenient store near the hospital.
Petra shook her head hopelessly.
"You kids should back off before I break your ribs!"
Their attention was caught by an old woman being surrounded by three boys who seemed to be college students.
"Shut up and give us your money!" One of the boys yelled before the old woman's face and it made Petra furious.
She crossed the street and confronted the boys that surprised the old woman. Nifa followed her.
"Hey, you!" Petra confronted the one who yelled before the old woman. "Don't you have respect to the elderly? You should apologize!"
The three boys looked at each other and laughed out loud.
"What are you saying, lady? We are not disrespecting her. We're just asking for money. Nobody needs an apology." The boy replied with a sarcastic grin.
She clenched her fist in anger, but before she could say a word, the old woman spoke.
"If another war rises in this generation, I don't know if these kids will make it alive." She said and grabbed the back of the shirt of one of the boys. "Next time, know who you ask for money." She added and threw the boy on the ground, as if she was used to fights. She was strong than Petra has even expected.
"You old ha-" the other boy was interrupted when a strong fist punched him in the face that made him fall to the ground.
Petra was surprised to see a grumpy old man standing before them.
"I always believed that pain is the only way to discipline brats." The old man said and beat the three boys.
Petra and Nifa couldn't react to what they had witnessed. Those old people were seemed to be experts in hand combat and were strong despite their ages. When the old man was done beating the three boys and has called the policemen, the old woman thanked Petra for confronting the boys.
"It's nothing. I am not of any help." Petra said sheepishly.
It was an awkward one minute of her life when she noticed that they were staring at her face intently.
To cut the awkward air that was suffocating them, Nifa held Petra's arm and said, "Uhm, my name is Nifa and she is Petra. We are looking for a cheap apartment near the university."
The old couple looked at each other with twitched eyebrows. It was as if they were puzzled of what they've heard.
"I think we can help you." The old woman said, a smile painted on her lips. "Right, Captain?"
The old man nodded, his eyes were nailed on Petra's face.
"Let's go?" The old woman said and they walked through the hospital's parking area.
Petra and Nifa were surprised to see a luxurious, olive green matte car. They looked at each other and exchanged a surprised smile. On their way, the old woman asked them why they were looking for an apartment near the university so they told her about their jobs. It didn't take them long to reach their destination until they realized that they were standing before an old manor.
"Where are we?" Petra asked, merely puzzled.
The old man replied, "I thought you two are looking for a cheap apartment?"
"This is an apartment?" Nifa asked, quite amused.
There was a maze-like garden of thorny red roses on the left wing of the frontyard. On the right was a lake with water lilies and a gazebo. The trellis complimented the medieval walls of the manor. The center aisle from the wide gate was leading to a grand staircase going to a wooden double door. It was a big house for two people.
The old woman chuckled. "This is actually our home but we're about to move next week or maybe on Friday so we're looking for someone to live here."
The two ladies looked at each other, bewildered of what they've heard.
"Why don't you check it inside?" The old man offered and started walking up the grand staircase, leaving them behind.
"Come on, ladies." The old woman said and tagged their arms lightly.
As they entered the foyer of the manor, they saw huge paintings framed on the walls and expensive chandeliers were hanging on the medieval designed ceilings. It was old-styled but properly arranged, clean and dust-free. The paintings gave chills to Petra because the illustrations portrayed by the images were gore and bloody. The hues used in the paintings were a contrast of bright and dark perspectives. She thought that the choice of art on the walls was unique.
At first, Nifa wanted to decline the offer out of bewilderment but Petra accepted it because they had no choice. She also didn't want to turn down the old couple's kindness. When they settled the agreement, they learned that they only have to pay for water and electric bills that they'd about to consume; no extra charges.
"You sure about this?" Nifa asked the old couple.
The old woman replied, "We don't want to sell this house because there's so much memories here. And we don't want ghosts to dwell here either."
"Just make sure that every corner of the house is clean, got it?" The grumpy old man told the two ladies.
Petra smiled and with determination, she nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir! We will. Have faith in us."
The couple gave her a surprised stare, then they looked at each other meaningfully. Petra was getting curious as of why they kept on staring at her as if she's done something that has impact on them.
That same day, they moved their entire luggage there and had lunch with the old couple. While enjoying the meal that the old woman had prepared, Nifa asked about the old couple's profession in the past and they learned that the couple was veterans. Petra got interested and asked them about their experiences during the war. The old man told her that he was the captain of the Special Operations Force and his wife was one of his subordinates.
"Ah! Now I understand why you called him Captain." Petra told the old woman. "Amazing."
The old woman gave her husband a meaningful glance and he glanced shortly in return. Petra didn't know why she felt like picturing herself like that of the old woman when she got older. She flashed an admiring smile on her and though she wanted to ask about the old couple's children and grandchildren, she just brushed it out of her mind.