When they reached Tugu Station, the train they were supposed to take hadn't arrived yet. It turned out there was a delay. That's Indonesia for you. Once again, the tourists—especially the men—grumbled and threw around a few curses. This time, Katrin had no idea who they were aimed at. She chose to cover her ears with headphones (listening to music on her iPhone) and sit back comfortably on a platform bench. Italians were known for being rude and always in a hurry. Fortunately, the tense atmosphere didn't last long. Fifteen minutes later, the express train bound for Bandung arrived. They hurried aboard, found their seat numbers, stowed their bags in the luggage compartment, and within minutes, the iron-wheeled vehicle was already speeding along.
Katrin actually kind of understood why the tourists preferred ground transportation for long trips. The journey ahead was going to be pretty exhausting. The ten tourists from Italy were probably backpackers. But Katrin didn't see it that way. They just wanted to save money. Tourists like these were usually a little stingy with tips. They could also be demanding. Katrin's assumption proved correct. When it was time for breakfast, they headed to the dining car without offering Katrin anything at all. She chose to order food from a passing attendant and eat in her seat.
The journey to Bandung offered beautiful scenery that was easy on the eyes. All along the way, they could see sprawling rice fields, villages, distant mountain silhouettes, rivers, valleys, forests, and cities. But Katrin was still too exhausted from yesterday's trip. She wasn't in the mood to enjoy the lovely view. Instead, she sat with her eyes closed and fell asleep. Luckily, the tourists weren't too chatty or constantly asking this and that. They were wrapped up in their respective partners. Meanwhile, the two single men were busy photographing the scenery outside.
Robertino and Diego were the two single Italian men, and the youngest of the tourist group. They seemed quiet and had arrogant-looking faces. Only Diego appeared somewhat friendly. He even tried to strike up a conversation with Katrin in somewhat stiff English. Diego made small talk and asked about her. The girl responded formally. So far, Katrin had always maintained a professional attitude. She never let her feelings get involved when dealing with clients. Everything remained strictly a working relationship between a tour guide and tourists.
Even though she had to admit that most of the tourists she escorted were handsome and single. They met the standards of the kind of men local girls dreamed about. But Katrin held herself back from falling too easily. Spending time with Western tourists who embraced a freewheeling lifestyle had opened Katrin's eyes to just how much their way of life and culture clashed with the norms and values she believed in. Katrin couldn't place her hopes in men like that. So far, her dream of a life partner was still based on the image of an Indonesian man. No matter how you looked at it, Indonesian men were better and more compatible with her.
“So you don't have a partner yet?” Diego's mischievous eyes glittered when Katrin admitted she was still single.
Katrin merely nodded. She hoped her single status wouldn't give Diego an excuse to hit on her. Not that Katrin was being conceited, but she had often been asked out by Western men who had once been her clients. People said she was quite pretty, though Katrin felt she was just ordinary. Still, the reality was that many Western men praised her looks. They said her Oriental features were incredibly sexy. Katrin tried not to get drunk on their compliments. She knew those compliments from Western men were highly self-serving. They only wanted to sweet-talk her until they could get her into bed!
That was why Katrin was so wary. She didn't want to fall into a trap. She would politely turn down any date invitations that hinted at having sex. She knew that if she ever fell into the arms of a Western man skilled at sweet-talking, she'd regret it for the rest of her life. A Western man would never make her his queen; she'd only be a temporary partner he could discard whenever he got bored. That was how they lived—they never took relationships seriously. To them, love was no different from a glass of wine, intoxicating and thrilling as they drank it. But once the pleasure faded, they would go looking for another wine.
And Diego looked like exactly that kind of guy. He was even aggressive. The moment he learned Katrin was single, he shamelessly showered her with sex-laced seduction and invitations to go to “bed.” Holding back her irritation, Katrin responded indifferently. She told him bluntly that she wasn't the type of woman who liked casual sex. She even openly declared that she was frigid. Diego became flustered and finally beat a retreat. Suddenly, Katrin felt disgusted by the sight of Diego's seemingly innocent face—when in reality, he had a filthy mind!