A month had passed smoothly since Priska started working again, even though it felt somewhat like play. That morning, she was daydreaming, gazing at their wedding photo in a large frame in the living room, while waiting for Indra to finish his call before they both left for work. Her steps halted for a moment as she hadn’t paid much attention to the photo before, but this time, she was intrigued to observe it for a while.
They looked so happy in that photo. Indra’s love had cost the lives of two loved ones, while Priska’s love had cost her moral rights. There’s no one who’s truly evil, Priska just hadn’t gotten to know him well enough. Maybe it was because Priska was too naive or too kind, feeling comfortable even though she was actually the victim. But Indra had repented and promised to be a better person, always there for her and loving her for a lifetime.
She wasn’t sure anymore if her love was the result of Indra’s manipulation or if her affection came from despair. She had to admit, though, that the man was genuinely making efforts to keep her by his side, and Priska’s soft heart eventually surrendered, desiring to stay with him forever. Becoming Indra’s lover, they patched up their wounds and searched for happiness together.
“Let’s go, Pris.”
He appeared and embraced her, leading them outside the house. This morning, Mom was still asleep as she had just returned from a trip, so Priska sent her regards to Rica, who was watering the plants. The girl looked sulky, as she had been forced by Indra to wake up early to tend to Mom’s plants.
The streets were as crowded as usual in the morning. Occasionally, her husband would reach for her hand and press his lips there. His lips were soft and warm, kissing her for a while until Priska found herself wishing for a kiss elsewhere. Ah, the effects of early pregnancy—she had become clingy and wanted to always be with Indra every moment, like glue. If she could, she would stay glued to him all day long, like paper covered in strong glue.
“If you can’t handle it, don’t force it.” He spoke gently.
Priska smiled faintly, shaking her head lightly. “It’s okay. Two more months and I’m out. I still want to work. The office is nice, the people are cool, and I’m happy even if I’m considered Inka.”
They both laughed, as their plan had worked, and the alias sounded funny to them. Inka was a combination of Indra and Priska’s names. It had spontaneously come out of Indra’s mouth when he was trying to woo her into marriage.
A month of being Inka had been fun and exciting. Priska made many new friends, and it was also a small dream of hers back in college—to become a cool office lady working in a big company with a clean, air-conditioned office. It was far from her time as a staff member at the ministry. At Fast Cargo, there was no office politics or drama.
At the restaurant in the afternoon, Priska sat alone. She had declined Elsa and Cintya’s invitation for lunch because she had an upset stomach and felt nauseous. She claimed she wasn’t hungry, but in reality, Priska had sneaked away to a nearby family restaurant to have lunch with Indra. Half an hour quickly passed as she waited for her husband, who was on his way with the driver. Bored and hungry, Priska typed a playful message to Indra. She had also been waiting for her order to arrive, which was making her mood a little off.
Priska: Tell me three of my flaws, Babe.
A few seconds later, she received a reply, and Priska smiled happily. No matter how busy Indra was, he always found time for her, making her feel loved and spoiled.
Indra: What’s this? Bored because there’s no one to talk to?
Priska: Hurry up and come here, Mas. I miss you!
Indra: Why three? You have so many flaws.
Priska: Really?
Indra: Yeah, of course! Alright, since you asked for three, here you go: tone-deaf because you can’t sing, easy to cry or get emotional, too beautiful and makes her husband miss her all the time.
Priska secretly smiled after receiving that response. They continued exchanging sweet messages until she saw two waiters arrive with various dishes. The young men quickly arranged the food, and within moments, the table that was once empty was now filled with food.
She thanked them, and they left. Priska immediately reached for the chicken porridge. It was a craving sparked by a short video she had accidentally seen the night before on a popular online platform—someone eating porridge hungrily, which made Priska crave it too.
Soon, a chair was pulled closer to her side, and Priska smiled brightly because it was Indra. He watched his wife devour the food eagerly before opening his mouth, asking for a bite, and Priska obliged.
“Not feeling nauseous anymore?” Priska asked, as Indra had been vomiting in the mornings lately, even though Priska had been fine for the past month. Her belly still wasn’t showing much, even though a few weeks had passed, and she only occasionally had a fever when she focused too much on work. This made Indra worried.
“Not too much.”
Indra took another bite. “Tasty.” Then he whispered in her ear. “Tasty, but you’re tastier.” He then took a sip of his drink.
“What?” Priska mumbled, blushing.
The next half hour passed with Priska talking about how happy she was that her ideas had been accepted by the other employees. She had also been involved in a new project. Indra occasionally smiled and caressed Priska’s hand, happy to see her happy.
“When will you be home?” Indra asked.
“Same as usual, around six. Are you picking me up yourself? Not the driver?”
Indra nodded. “I think I can leave early today.”
Priska stared at him for a long time, making Indra blush. If they weren’t in the middle of the bustling lunch crowd, perhaps Indra would have leaned in to kiss her and spend the rest of the day in a warm, private place.
“Thank you. You’re so good to me,” Priska said.
“Well, I’m your husband. Now... making my wife and children happy is my top priority,” Indra replied.
“Children?” Priska teased.
“Yeah, Babe, we can’t just have one child. At least two,” Indra said.
They both laughed lightly before continuing to eat, knowing their time was limited. Priska ate everything on the table, as she was in the mood for savory and fishy dishes today. On other days, she could only eat sweet food or chicken noodles without any seasoning. So random.
They still didn’t know the gender of their baby, as it was still a few weeks early, but Priska had a feeling it was a boy, even though Indra insisted it would be a girl.
After lunch, Indra went back to his matters, while Priska took a taxi back to the office. They couldn’t be seen together since Priska was still Inka.
When she arrived in the lobby, Priska felt awkward because she had to enter the elevator with only one other person. Who was it? She didn’t pay much attention, but the man in the expensive suit and luxurious shoes looked familiar. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember who he was.
“Are you Inka?” the man asked.
Priska turned, confused. “Yes? Do we know each other?”
Honestly, she didn’t remember anything about this Chinese American guy—possibly from another division Priska rarely saw. But who was he? His aura seemed too sophisticated for a regular employee.