Ida woke up very early that morning. She opened her cupboard and took out several ingredients, along with her recipe book.
 
Alzena, hearing noises from the kitchen, went to the kitchen. Ida was making something.
 
"What are you doing, Mom?" Alzena asked.
 
Ida turned around, surprised to see Alzena standing beside her. "Alzena, why are you awake? It's still early; go back to sleep," Ida said.
 
"What are you doing, Mom?" Alzena asked again, peeking to see what was behind Ida.
 
"What's in there, Mom?" Alzena asked.
 
Ida tried to block Alzena's view, but Alzena had already seen it.
 
"Oh, it's flour. I thought it was something else," Alzena said.
 
Alzena returned to her room. Ida breathed a sigh of relief and continued making her cake.
 
That morning, Alzena didn't find Ida at home. Ida was busy watering her flowers, humming a song.
 
Alzena got ready. Opening the food cover, she found no breakfast. She took some ingredients and cooked fried rice, adding various ingredients to create a delicious flavor.
 
"It's ready." Alzena placed a plate of fried rice on the table. The color was tempting, but after taking a bite, Alzena quickly drank some water; it was incredibly spicy, even making her tongue scream.
 
Alzena drank some water, feeling a little calmer. She added some other side dishes.
 
"What's wrong?" Ida asked, having just finished her work.
 
"It's super spicy, Mom. Don't even try it; you'll get appendicitis," Alzena said.
 
"Seriously?" Ida sat down, took a spoon, and tasted the fried rice.
 
"Hmm, it's normal; it's actually delicious," Ida said, taking another bite.
 
"Delicious? Not spicy?"
 
"You probably used five chilies without removing the seeds, right?" Ida asked.
 
"How did you know, Mom?" Alzena asked.
 
"I make fried rice every day. With that amount of chili, I know how it tastes," Ida said.
 
"But why does my fried rice taste sweet?"
 
"Because you added sweet soy sauce. Eat quickly, then go to work," Ida said.
 
"Okay, Mom."
 
After eating, Alzena said goodbye to Ida.
 
"Come home early," Ida said.
 
"Why?"
 
"I said come home early. Go now," Ida said.
 
Alzena rode her motorbike, wondering about Ida's words, but she tried to ignore them.
 
At the shop, the atmosphere was quiet. "Am I alone here?" she wondered. She opened the shop door; the room was dark. Alzena turned on the lights.
 
She started arranging books neatly on the shelves and prepared some books to record the day's sales.
 
Alzena looked around, occasionally glancing at the still-empty street.
 
Suddenly, she heard the sound of running water from the toilet. Alzena strained her ears; the sound eventually disappeared.
 
Alzena braced herself, seeking God's protection.
 
Knock…
 
The bathroom door opened. Alzena hid behind the cashier counter, holding her breath; her heart pounded; she couldn't stop trembling.
 
A face peeked out. Alzena was startled and even shrieked.
 
"What's wrong, Al?" Nina asked. Alzena calmed down, patting her chest.
 
"Whew! You scared me. Luckily, my heart is strong; it didn't stop," Alzena said, pouting.
 
"Hehehe, sorry. My stomach hurt; I couldn't hold it, so I went through the back door," Nina explained, chuckling softly.
 
"Oh, I thought it was something else," Alzena said, calming down and cleaning the shop.
 
"By the way, Syila hasn't come yet, has she?"
 
"No, she probably won't come again after being punished by the boss yesterday," Nina said, laughing heartily, remembering yesterday's events.
 
"Anyway, she's still our friend," Alzena said.
 
"That's you, not me," Nina said, walking away.
 
Alzena sighed at Nina's attitude but ignored it, returning to her imaginary world—a world of beautiful writing. For Alzena, writing was the easiest job, but it wasn't always easy; she often struggled to find inspiration.
 
That day, there weren't many customers, but Alzena and Nina were overwhelmed with work.
 
"This is taking too long!" a customer snapped, having stood there for hours.
 
Hearing the customer, Alzena quickly served them.
 
At 1:09 PM, Alzena asked Nina for permission to leave early.
 
"What? I'll be alone watching the shop," Nina protested.
 
"Yes, but my mother asked me to come home early," Alzena said.
 
"Okay, go then," Nina said.
 
At home, Alzena peeked inside; there were many guests. Ida, seeing Alzena, opened the gate.
 
"Who is it, Mom?" Alzena asked.
 
"It's the extended family. Come in, take a shower, use the back door; don't get your clothes dirty meeting the family," Ida said.
 
Alzena slowly went to the back door, showered, used her favorite soap, and went to the living room. Hia and Dila were chatting.
 
"What are you talking about?" Alzena asked, sitting between them.
 
"We're talking about the field. You came home early,"
 
"Yes, Mom asked me to come home early," Alzena replied.
 
The three chatted. Unbeknownst to Alzena, Badrun had returned earlier; he was chatting with Nasir.
 
"So, we should add some other ingredients to the fertilizer," Badrun said.
 
"That's a good idea. I didn't think of that," Nasir said; they laughed together.
 
"How about we go on a beach vacation?" Ida asked; everyone looked at Ida; they were silent for a moment.
 
"Okay," they said in unison.
 
Badrun looked around; he felt Ida was using some kind of spell. "But Dad won't go; I feel so sore," Badrun said.
 
Ida pleaded with Badrun to come along. "Alright," Badrun said.
 
That day, they prepared; cheerful singing filled the car, accompanied by guitar strumming.
 
At the beach, Alzena, Hia, and Dila held hands and ran towards the waves crashing on the white sand.
 
They danced on the soft sand, laughing happily as the waves gently pulled them.
 
They laughed freely; Hia threw sand at Alzena; Alzena got angry and wrote something on the sand; the waves immediately washed it away.
 
Hia realized her mistake and apologized to Alzena; she did the same thing, but this time on a rock.
 
"Why are you writing on the sand and the rock?" Hia asked.
 
Alzena smiled. "If I write on the sand, the waves will wash away my anger. If I write your kindness on a rock, nothing can erase it; your kindness will always be there," Alzena explained.
 
Hia was stunned by Alzena's explanation; she invited Alzena and Dila to play in the sand; they acted like children.
 
 
 
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