Chapter 41：Had Nothing

Curiosity tormented her.  Cindy knew Lia was hiding something, a man, besides Neil.  But her best friend insisted that she didn't have it.

Even Cindy knew that Lia was lying.  Her best friend would look away and look in random directions, avoiding direct gaze.  Because she wanted to hide the tense look on her face, and because she wanted to hide the shrinking pupils of her eyes.

Oh come on, it's not just about pupils.  Cindy would have a hard time detecting that under fairly dark road conditions.  But Lia's gesture? She couldn't fool Cindy!

"What?  Another man?  Of course, I don't have one.  How could I have another man besides Neil?  That's ridiculous!"  Lia walked in a hurry, ahead of Cindy, and pretended to feel frozen.  But more or less it was a fact.  It was cold at night, and Lia needed a heater.  Maybe Neil was enough for being a heater.  Hey… that dirty mind, stop it!

They walked in small talk about Neil.  Cindy pretended not to notice Lia's lie by smiling and ignoring Lia as if it didn't matter.  Now the chubby-faced girl seemed to have received a state duty, that she needed to investigate Lia and who the man she was hiding was.

She didn't know why it had to be, because if the man was good enough then Lia definitely wouldn't harbor her heart for Neil.  And if the man was good enough, then Lia would never reject Neil.  Besides that, Lia was not the type of girl who liked a bad boy, and also a player.  So, things here are worth exploring.

"Oh, your flat has been restored, after all."  Lia did not expect that she chose such eccentric words. She only had to say, though, that Cindy's flat had been renovated.  She entered the gate, without even waiting for Cindy to welcome her.

Her slender and frail legs were now slowly creeping up, her arms wrapped around her body, and her breath seemed to be shivering.  Now and then she tiptoed on the ground when she found a puddle that almost swallowed her, or at least made her wet.

"Oh, better.  What I like about your flat is the heating," said Lia, after she opened the door to the building in front of the flat.  Lia's frail body seemed to be gaining strength again when she felt a warm air waft from the heating machine in the corner.  She seemed to be able to sleep on the floor if she wanted to.

"This flat is also beautiful, very different from my flat.  Even though this building is also an old one.  But the owner seems very concerned about the environment."  There was a hint of envy in Lia's voice, and Cindy noticed it.

"You should have just moved here.  Or you can stay in the same room as me.  If you're worried about rent, then you don't have to worry about it.  I'm not the type of person to wake you up early to collect rent."  Cindy still hadn't taken off her jacket, because the heating in the front room was still not optimal for her.

If for Lia, Cindy's flat is very good, then not for her.  Her flat was still very simple, and also sometimes it still didn't satisfy her.  Not without reason.  Incidentally, Cindy was raised by a fairly well-off family.  Their house was quite luxurious and had adequate facilities.

Although not from a conglomerate, at least Cindy's family could still be considered rich.  Their agenda every six months was to go on trips abroad, if only her adoptive father wasn't too busy, and if some of her younger step sisters and brothers didn't have to go to school.

The point was Cindy was living a prosperous life.  Living in that flat was an attempt to lower her quality of life.  But she had her reasons. She just wanted to live independently and start remembering where she came from. She wanted to learn to be grateful for life and start from scratch.

"I don't want to bother anyone.  I know you will accept me wholeheartedly in this flat, but I can't unless I have enough money to pay the monthly rent.  An awful flat is enough for me, as long as I can eat and survive.  One day I will have a nice home."  Sounded like a hope rather than a long-term life goal.

Sometimes Lia was so naive, she liked to deceive herself. She knew that some of her future goals were barely achievable.  But she still forced herself to approach that goal.

With her current salary, she could only afford to rent a flat like Cindy's for one year.  Even then she had to use her savings and spend them.  After that, she had to return to her shabby flat again and start a very tortuous and stressful life to save money.

"Up to you.  I just wanted to say that you are always open if you want to come here.  If you don't have a destination, you can come to me.  I don't know how you react to someone else's sincere help to you, but I want you to appreciate every single one of my help."  Cindy pushed the doorknob.  Her round and warm body had disappeared beneath it.

Lia followed from behind, feeling an inexplicable relief when she entered Cindy's room. She was relieved that she could finally find a place to sleep tonight, and she was also relieved that she finally didn't have to see Prince Aerus tonight.

Remembering that, Lia was stunned.  Cindy noticed.  Cindy realized that Lia was hiding a man.  Was Lia that easy to read?  And did Cindy also realize that Lia was no longer a virgin?

Sweat began to drip down Lia's forehead.  Realizing that your darkest secret could be read by others, Lia became even more depressed.  But Cindy was not a bad person, if she knew then she would not make fun of Lia or pry her out just because she was curious.

"Oh, so you still have it?"  Lia had gasped when she saw a small keris hanging on the wall.  It gleamed in the middle of a faded wall, alone, domineering, old, and full of magic.

* Keris is a kind of ancient weapon, which is shaped like a sword, it has a small size.  The blade is twisted, believed to be a very powerful heirloom that is usually inhabited by several spirits based on Javanese beliefs.

"Oh, yeah.  I still have it.  Do you remember what Mrs. Ranty said before?  I was found in front of the orphanage, and the keris was placed near me.  It's the only thing that I have."  Cindy hung her jacket on the wall, started to strip off some of her clothes, and replace them with some warmer tones.

"But usually you carry it everywhere.  The size is also small, compared to other keris.  You used to keep it in a rather large purse a few years ago when we met."

"I was afraid that I would leave it somewhere.  I've been very busy lately.  I often get overtime, and the company I work for has a lot of orders.  So I hardly have time to check the stuff in my wallet as often as possible.  I'm forgetful too you know right?  So, yeah.  I'd better leave it here.  After all, millennials will not be interested in ancient objects like this.  And I'm not sure if the people here know what a keris is.  It came from a very far away island, and in another part of the country."

Many things made Lia envious of Cindy.  Cindy was a sweet child, a bit chubby, and loved by many.  Cindy was also able to find rich adoptive parents, had an adoptive family who loved her and provided for all her needs.

Cindy also had a boyfriend, who was currently overseas on business.  Cindy had an established job because of her high education.  And amazingly, Cindy had something, which could deliver her to her biological family.

But Lia?  She had absolutely nothing.

***