Chapter 1
That afternoon, the sun was preparing to trade places with the moon, like a worker in need of rest. Karin was no different. After finishing work, she decided to go straight back to her boarding room. Once she had tidied up and showered, Karin relaxed in her room and picked up her phone. Not long afterward, she received a call from her grandmother.
“Peace be upon you,” Karin said, opening their conversation.
“And peace be upon you. You’re home already, sweetheart?” her grandmother asked.
“Yes, Grandma. I just finished showering.”
“All right then. Come here tonight, okay? Your uncle’s employee brought some pressure-cooked fish. It’ll be nice to have at your boarding room,” Karin’s grandmother said.
“Tomorrow, okay, Grandma? Karin will come after work. I’m still tired right now.”
“All right then, sweetheart. Don’t forget to eat dinner and pray, okay? Peace be upon you.”
“Okay, Grandma. And peace be upon you,” Karin replied as she ended the call.
Karin worked for a private company outside her hometown, which meant she was temporarily living in a boarding room. In truth, she could have stayed with her grandmother and her uncle’s family. Her grandmother had even tried to forbid Karin from living alone in a boarding room, but Karin stood firm and wanted to live independently. In the end, Karin stayed in the boarding room, though she only paid half the rent because the place belonged to her uncle.
After her conversation with her grandmother, Karin immediately told her parents that she had arrived at her boarding room. Not long afterward, she saw a notification on her WhatsApp. A message had come in that read, ‘Karin?’ She opened it right away and checked the sender’s name, but there wasn’t one. She replied immediately, asking who the number belonged to, and eventually received an answer. “Mada?” she said in surprise. After that, they exchanged updates until Mada said he wanted to meet Karin and talk about something. Karin was fairly shocked, considering that Mada already had a wife and child. What could be so important that Mada wanted to meet her? Then Karin glanced at her alarm clock, which showed 9:15 p.m. She quickly got out of bed, performed her evening prayer, and got ready to sleep.
The next morning, she prepared to go back to work, and after work, she stopped by her grandmother’s house.
“Peace be upon you,” she said as she entered her uncle’s house.
“And peace be upon you. Have you eaten, sweetheart?” her grandmother asked while wiping her hands on the house dress she was wearing.
“I ate this afternoon, Grandma,” Karin replied, kissing the back of her grandmother’s hand.
“All right, sit down for a bit. I’ll get the fish,” her grandmother said before heading to the kitchen.
“Okay, Grandma.” Karin then sat down and watched TV in her uncle’s family room.
Her thoughts returned to her conversation with Mada the night before. He hadn’t explained what he would say to Karin later. As far as she remembered, her relationship with Mada had ended that day—the day Karin decided to distance herself from him because of something that had happened.
“Sweetheart? What’s wrong?” Karin’s grandmother asked when she saw Karin spacing out.
“Nothing, Grandma. I’m just tired from work,” Karin replied.
“All right then. Here’s the fish and rice. I fried the fish already. Do you want to eat here or take it to your boarding room?” her grandmother asked.
“I’ll eat at my boarding room, Grandma. All right, Karin’s going back now. Peace be upon you.”
“Okay. Be careful. And peace be upon you,” Karin replied.
Karin arrived at her boarding room and freshened up. She checked her phone again, hoping for a response from Mada, but there was nothing. Karin had been curious all day and could think only about what Mada wanted to discuss. She had even asked him about it during her break at the office, but Mada said he couldn’t tell her through messages or over the phone. “Mada, what do you actually want to talk about? You’re not going to hurt me again, are you?” Karin said, her memories returning to the time she lost her two best friends, including Mada—the best friend she loved.