28

Silva could see the tea gardens along the way from inside the car. The sunless weather made her think of the cold air in the village. There was no energy to start the activities she longed for, it felt like her enthusiasm disappeared as soon as she entered the car. She was the most excited when Tengku said they were going to Maryani's house - Tengku's mother whom they had missed for so long.

The last time Silva visited her grandmother's house was when she was in junior high school, several years ago. Tengku, and Sofi found it very difficult to get leave, they could only take leave when it was really urgent, but this time they were able to take some time off instead.

Silva let out a long sigh as she leaned back, reaching for the water bottle on the car door. Gulping down water when the car was traveling on a road full of rocks was not fun, it spilled a few times. However, Silva continued to drink until her throat didn't feel dry.

The car stopped in front of a house that was not very big, but not small either. The waist-high gate Silva could clearly see. The smile was immediate as she got out of the car, running towards the old woman who was waiting in a lawn chair. They hugged for a few moments before Maryani approached Tengku, and her favorite daughter-in-law.

"It took you so long to arrive, I've been waiting here for three hours," Maryani said in an annoyed tone, but still smiling as always.

Sofi and Tengku chuckled at their mother's funny behavior. A smile with a scolding that they missed after all this time.

"We should have come earlier Mom, but Silva needed time to pack the things she was going to bring." Sofi looked at Silva who was busy with her cell phone beside Maryani.

The girl smiled awkwardly when Maryani smacked her butt quite hard. "Grandmother, I'm an adult. This kind of treatment is only for five-year-olds, while I'm already seventeen."

"I don't care how old you are, no matter how old you are I will never consider you old. You're still grandma's little granddaughter, and you'll stay that way."

Silva laughed in surprise at her grandmother's treatment that never changed. It had always been the same until this moment, fortunately she was the first grandchild, and the last. So there would be no one to replace her, and she would never start to feel excluded from the family.

"Hey, why are you guys so quiet? No one asks how I'm doing, do you not care about this old lady anymore?"

"Grandmother's getting old, isn't she? I thought she was so young," Silva said originally, and again she received a smack on her buttocks. "This hurts, Grandma."

"That sentence you just said hurts more, you think I'm young, don't you? I'm so old that you have to respect me."

"How can I say you're old when you act like a fifteen-year-old girl."

"Hey, Tengku, what did you teach this little girl to dare to call me names? She thinks I'm still a girl, gosh I feel like making a bad snack as punishment." Maryani shook her head, while the three guests burst out laughing at her joke this morning.

"Mom, can't we come in?" Sofi began to ask out of exhaustion.

"No, you're all grounded because no one defended me in front of this girl," Maryani said, still annoyed. She gave Silva a sharp look before finally walking in.

Sofi, and Tengku were still chuckling. They followed Maryani behind, but Silva chose to visit the garden beside her grandmother's house. There were roses of different colors, tulips, and lily flowers. So many that they took up half the road, taking forever to get to the end of the house where the dahlias were.

The flowers looked fresh, blooming at the same time in such a beautiful way. Silva smiled at the sight of all those flowers, it felt like she was alive again even though she had been alive for a long time.

"Hey, brat?"

The hoarse voice made Silva turn her head, she gave a smile as she walked closer to Maryani. "Yes, Grandmother? This brat is inhaling the scent of flowers."

"My flowers are very expensive, you can't touch them!"

"Well, now your favorite grandchild has been replaced by flowers, huh?"

"Of course, they're prettier and more obedient than brats like you."

"Hahaha, enough Grandma! The joke's over here. I miss you so much, don't you miss your favorite granddaughter?" Silva hugged Maryani for a few seconds, then gave her biggest smile in sincere apology.

"How could I not miss a brat like you? The house would be quiet if you weren't around, and now it's lively again. It's just that you're still naughty."

"Hahaha, of course I have to be naughty. If I wasn't, Grandmother would be confused by my sudden change in attitude. Does she not like me like this?"

Maryani smiled at Silva's current demeanor, happy to see her grandson more active. She took Silva's tiny hand in hers before she led her into the house. "Come on, the seaweed soup is getting cold, you can't miss the most delicious meal."

"Why is that? I don't really like seaweed, I prefer soto."

"The nutrition of the soup is more than soto, you should enjoy something rich in vitamins." Maryani gave Silva a chair to sit on, and she sat next to Tengku. "Kids these days never listen to their parents."

"That's right Mom, Silva always likes to do his own thing," Sofi added, putting down some glasses and sitting next to Silva. "He also likes to skip class by saying he has a fever."

"Mama, I was never like that."

"Last January during the rainy season. Don't you remember?" Tengku chimed in, a triumphant smile on his face when Silva couldn't move.

Silva let out a long sigh, admitting defeat on this one. While the three parents at the dinner table smiled happily, even her grandmother laughed with satisfaction. Although she was annoyed, seeing the happy smile on Maryani's face made Silva happy too. She missed the warm atmosphere of the house.

"Grandma, why don't you want to live with us?" asked Silva, who hadn't picked up the hot rice since earlier.

"No, I'd rather live in the village than in the city. It's very hot in the city, and it's cool here."

"But there's no chatty me here."

"And in the city there's no place as beautiful as the village. Too much pollution, crowded streets, and no flowers," Maryani said as she munched on her seaweed soup. "I don't have any close friends there."

"Grandma loves flowers too much, apparently, and I was replaced a long time ago."

"It's your own fault for not wanting to visit me. Do you think it's fun to just stay at home?"

****

Sunday was annoying because the sun was too hot. The breeze from the fan couldn't help, sweat still dotted Resa's temples and scalp. He chose to lie down on the mattress, enjoying every breath of wind that the small fan released.

He changed him sleeping position several times so that her body was evenly exposed to the wind. A sense of comfort began to come, Resa enjoyed every breeze that came with different air. His weekday really felt chaotic even though he did it lazily.

"You didn't go to see that girl, Resa?"

Tere's voice made Resa turn his head to the right, he saw the female ghost sitting with a bored expression. He didn't know what the problem was, but Resa thought that Tere's days weren't very pleasant, just like Resa's annoying Sundays.

"No, it's so hot in here, I'm sure it's even hotter outside. What's the point of meeting Silva in the heat of the day?" said Resa.

"To start a conversation, and to start helping your ghost friend." Tere sighed in annoyance, she thought Resa was annoying today. "I'm already bored in the human world, too many boring activities to know what to do anymore. Don't you feel sorry for me?"

"I'm so sorry that I'm making all kinds of plans, but for this time we'd better take it easy. You don't have to worry about that, I'll definitely help you get home."

"Speed up your activities, I really don't want to be in this place all the time. You also don't like seeing me every time I wake up in shock, do you?"

Resa nodded in understanding, his attention turning to the ceiling of the room. It wasn't very clean, but it wasn't dirty either. Seeing the ceiling of his room like that made Resa think again, he felt strange for having to ask for help from his junior. A stranger who might become a close friend in the future.

No one knew about the future, but Resa was pretty sure about that. The similarities between the two will give them new strength, maybe in the future Resa will need other help from Silva, and vice versa. All of that was still a possibility that felt very convincing.

"Resa, don't you ever think strange things about Silva?"

"No, so what?"

"She's too stupid for my liking, and she's too nice."

"What's so strange about that? Being stupid, and being nice is not weird. You seem to be the odd one out," Resa said. His sleeping position changed to sitting, he looked at the confused Tere down there.

"But I think it's strange. She helps all the ghosts, accepts all the ghosts that come even though the house has a big fence." Tere looked back at Resa with a flat, but serious expression. "I can enter the place in the same way, close to Silva without getting caught. So I guess, putting up a fence is stupid because it doesn't work optimally."

"But weren't you the one who said the house was clean, so it's safe to say that not all ghosts could enter even if they did the same thing."

Tere was silent, thinking about Resa's sentence just now which sounded reasonable. However, she was still confused about her being able to come in, but the house was indeed very clean. "What do you think about the ghost-proof fence they use?"

"Who has been able to enter all this time?"

"I don't know, but in there it was just me, and the male ghost who almost drowned her."

Resa's eyebrows knitted together deeply, his lips pressed together in thought. The strangeness confused him, something felt off, but he didn't know what exactly was going on inside his head.

"Is it possible that only ghosts with a purpose, and a strong will can break through that fence?" Resa finally said.

"I think so!" said Tere excitedly, she didn't expect her human friend to be so smart. "Yes, I have a strong will, and the male ghost too because she wants to ask for help. We can both come quietly, you're right."

"But what if we don't?"

"I don't know either, it's very strange to think about. Even her parents don't like Silva being able to see, and help ghosts get home. They always talk about it in their room, and when their daughter is asleep." Tere turned her attention with her forehead linked. "The woman who was always called Mom brought in a shaman several times, and the shaman always said that there were many evil genies there. But there are no genies, only spirits, and only me."

"So you were seen?

"No, she couldn't see me. I stood in front of her with a mocking face, but she didn't notice. It's obvious she's lying, but why are humans so easily fooled?"

"Because they want to be justified, they don't like others saying no when their heart wants a 'yes' answer."