"Lisa, listen to me first! I know you are worried about your family and the child you are carrying now. But think about it, do you want to have a miscarriage like that time? What if you just stay at my house until you can work again? I'll take care of you. I've been lonely since Maria took Julian back to America. You also don't need to worry, Mrs. Sumiyati is ready to help you anytime."
Rangga touched Lisa's palm without realizing it. The man's worries grew even more. He couldn't bear to see Lisa struggling alone with the burdens of her life.
Lisa shook her head firmly after hearing Rangga's offer. "Are you crazy? No, I can't live at your house! I'm not your girlfriend, let alone your wife! If the neighbors know then what will they say about you? I can't!"
"Do you have a better solution than my offer?" Rangga asked back, his voice was firm.
His question just now had a point. Lisa paused for a moment to think about the next steps if she had to give up her work because her health demanded her so.
'If I go back to your house, it's certain that my mom will assume that I was forced to marry a guy I didn't really like sooner or later despite the fact that I don't want to be in any relationship just yet. I also didn't want to shock her to the point of making her illness recur. So what should I do? How could I bear to stay at your house for 3 months?' Lisa said silently while scratching her chin and occasionally gazing at her childhood friend.
"Lisa," Rangga called softly. "You don't have to worry about what to do. I go home late at night, you can be alone at home and no one will disturb you. It's good for you to be accompanied by Mrs. Sumiyati. I'm not going to bother you, at best, you would already fall asleep when I come home haha," Rangga added confidently.
Lisa looked at her palms that were clasped together and closed her eyelids. She was really in a very difficult position. The only person who could and wanted to help her at this time was Rangga.
"Lis, I swear to God I don't mean to make it weird. I just want to help you. I don't force you to move to my house, but as long as you don't have anywhere else to move, the door to my house is always open for you," he added again, this time he rubbed the back of Lisa's hand gently.
Lisa pursed her lips while making the right decision. She didn't dare to look at Rangga's face, which looked pathetic with pity. Lisa sighed and said, "Okay fine, I accept your offer. But remember, you promised me only 3 months, right? After that I will leave your house!"
Hearing that his offer was accepted made Rangga feel happy. "Just calm down, I don't mean anything other than helping you to solve this problem."
"Just watch! If you lie, you know how karma works!" Lisa replied confidently.
"Haha, you're still fierce as always," Rangga teased nosily.
"Yeah, so don't annoy me any further!"
"Shit maan, just watch out if you ask me for help again!"
The two childhood friends joked and laughed together. They hadn't shared this warm and familiar atmosphere for a long time. Since Lisa left Colors Advertising because of a jealous Maria, the two friends had had almost no contact.
When the meal time arrived, Rangga, who had gone out to buy food, came with two packs of Lisa's favorite chicken porridge. He handed her the steaming chicken porridge as he said, "Shall I feed you?"
"No! I can do it myself," Lisa replied curtly. She chuckled after that.
After eating together, Rangga helped Lisa clean up the wrap by throwing it in the trash. Initially, he wanted to accompany her until tomorrow morning, but Lisa refused.
"Never mind, I can stay here alone. Besides, there are nurses and doctors. You're busy and you have two companies, don't try skipping work just because it's me," Lisa said attentively.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself?" Rangga asked to make sure Lisa did not twist her words.
"Yes, I swear it's okay, I can stay here by myself."
The tall and slender man with black curls then said goodbye to Lisa. The room suddenly fell silent and cold at once. It was as if Rangga's presence was like a spring sweeping the winter cold.
Lisa stroked her stomach which started to look swollen, saying to herself, "Honey, hold on okay? I will do everything in my power so you can be born healthy…"
***
In the next two days, Lisa spent most of her time in the hospital alone. It looked like Rangga was very busy with his work that the man had not visited her in the last two days.
Every morning, a nurse diligently monitored Lisa by giving her injections and medicines, which she must take before each meal. Her health was getting better. There was still hope for the baby in her womb.
Today, Lisa had passed the threshold of saturation. She was so bored with the tense and cold atmosphere of the hospital room.
Suddenly, her cell phone rang, breaking the room's reverie and silence. Lisa grabbed her cellphone from above the nightstand then glanced at the name of the caller. She picked up the call, said, "Hello, what's up Alia?"
"Lis! Where have you been these past four days?" Alia asked from across. Her voice sounded very worried.
There was a pause between the two as the call remained connected. Lisa did not flinch, but she was at a loss for words to answer the simple question that Alia had asked.
"Al, I...."
"Why? Don't tell me you have a problem with your family?"
"I resigned from Cendana Hotel," Lisa answered briefly.
"Hah! Is it true? Didn't you just become a permanent employee? Why are you in such a hurry to resign? Is there such a big problem that you have to quit your job like this?" Alia asked, sounding disappointed and sad.
"Sorry, it's not that I'm arrogant or what but I can't tell you the reason. This is my personal business. Anyway, thanks for caring about me," Lisa replied in a low, tired voice.
"Well, since you have your own reasons, I can't make you stay at the Cendana Hotel. Honestly, I'm really worried about you. Fine then, I'll go back to work again..."
Then the call was closed.
It was a dilemma for Lisa as she was actually very comfortable in her new workplace. Even though the hotel was a small company, working as an accountant in the finance department was not as tiring as working in a multinational company like Petersson Communication.
The problem was, the doctor had warned her that if she got exhausted from excessive activity such as overwork, it would add the risk to a miscarriage. Like it or not, Lisa had to sacrifice her work for the child she was carrying.
***
The fifth day since she was referred to the hospital, Lisa was finally allowed to go home by the doctor who treated her this morning. Her fever had completely subsided and her strength recovered slowly.
While waiting for Rangga to pick up and take care of the administration matters before she was officially allowed to go home, Lisa sat on the chair in the waiting room, tapping her long fingers in anxiety. Waiting for the man to come from Jakarta to Bekasi made her heart restless, afraid that he would not come.
Suddenly, a man came over with a grocery bag, seemingly containing various fruits. The man greeted Lisa with a friendly smile that surprised her.
"Really....!" Lisa exclaimed, stunned.
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