That was the plan. For three days, Katrin wanted to truly relax, free from all the annoying little matters that gave her a headache. She wanted to rest her tired body after constantly being dragged from place to place. Traveling was her hobby, but traveling too often could be exhausting. Especially lately, most of her trips had been out of town. Weariness and fatigue clung to her body.
Katrin stretched out on the bed while reading a novel by Agatha Christie. The very romantic love stories by that author of a thousand novels always swept her feelings away. They carried Katrin's imagination to beautiful, classic, and exotic European lands. Katrin often pictured the gentlemanly men in Agatha Christie's stories as Hugh Grant, Orlando Bloom, or Russell Crowe. But this time, another figure had taken a stronger hold of her imagination: James Bond himself, Pierce Brosnan.
The face of her handsome rescuer often danced before Katrin's eyes. Eyes as blue as lapis lazuli, a handsome face with a strong jaw, a calm, soothing gaze... Ah, Katrin's heart began to race. She felt like someone drunk on love. Regret crept in—why hadn't she introduced herself to him that night? At the very least, she could have learned his name and where he was from. Suddenly, Katrin found herself smiling. She quickly brushed those feelings aside. Oh, why am I rambling like this?
Why do I need to know his name and where he's from? What if he's already married or has a girlfriend? It would be ridiculous to hope I could have a boyfriend like him, Katrin thought to herself. She tried to keep her feet on the ground and return to her original commitment not to be attracted to Western men. She had promised herself she would marry a local man. She already knew what Western men were like. For all she knew, that “Pierce Brosnan” wasn't a decent man at all. He might be just like Western men in general, who preferred living freely without commitments.
The kindness he had shown that night had merely been a coincidence. He had happened to pass down that street and seen a woman being harassed by a gang of sleazy men. Just like in Western action movies, Western men loved being called heroes. They wanted to look super in other people's eyes. The plot was predictable: the girl they'd rescued, feeling indebted to the hero, would willingly give him her heart and body. They would fall in love, and it would eventually end in bed. But that love story would be short-lived, because the hero would go off adventuring again in search of another girl he could rescue and sweep into his arms!
That was what would happen. Katrin shuddered at the thought. She tossed aside any desire to get acquainted with her Western rescuer. She was sure he was just like Western men in general. Katrin erased Pierce Brosnan's face from her mind, then replaced it with local faces like Dude Harlino, Ferdi Nuril, Nicholas Saputra, or Rafli Ahmad. Hmm, they were no less handsome than Western guys. Katrin hoped that someday she would meet a homegrown guy. Original. Top-quality. And of course, someone of the same faith, culture, nationality, language, and country—as well as, if possible, the same region!
Her wish to enjoy three days of leave by pampering herself turned out to be far from reality. She had barely reached her second day off when trouble arrived. Her phone rang. It was a call from the office. Mbak Wita was on the line.
“Hello, Rin?”
“Yes, Mbak. What is it?” Katrin's voice sounded listless.
“I've got an assignment for you.”
“But I'm on leave, Mbak...”
“Yes, I know. But this is important. Everyone else's schedules are full. You're the only one available...”
“But, Mbak, I'm out of town right now!” Katrin made an excuse.
“That doesn't matter! You can come home right away. This assignment starts tomorrow morning!”
“Then ask Ira or Lina. Ira came back from Semarang today, and so did Lina. They'd probably be willing!”
“But the boss wants you to accompany them. It's only three days, escorting tourists from England to the royal palace in Solo and then back to Yogya. It's not far. What do you say?”
“Oh, come on, what's wrong with this boss? I'm on vacation and trying to rest. Why can't another tour guide do it?” Katrin grumbled to herself.
“Talk to Pak Irawan yourself,” Mbak Wita said from the other end, asking Katrin to speak directly with her boss at the office.
Katrin hurriedly cut her off. “No need, Mbak. Just tell him...” She hadn't finished when the deep voice of a man suddenly came through from the other end.
“So, Katrin, you're willing to do it, right?”
“Uh, yes, sir...!” Katrin felt awkward when she realized that Pak Irawan, her boss, was the one speaking. She had intended to refuse the assignment, but now she couldn't bring herself to do it.
“You still remember Mr. Bernard, right? He's my colleague—the one you escorted to Prambanan Temple. This time, he's invited his friends from England to visit Solo and Yogya. They're a group of researchers and scientists who will be conducting observations at the palaces in Solo and Yogya. Mr. Bernard recommended you as their tour guide. So? Are you willing?”
Once the boss himself had asked, Katrin had no reason to refuse. She brushed aside her disappointment at having her vacation cut short. Two days of rest would have to be enough. Besides, the assignment she was about to take on sounded fairly easy: simply escorting tourists around Solo and Yogya. It wasn't too far. The tourists she would be accompanying were also a more special group—scientists and researchers. Tourists like these usually weren't too demanding. They didn't make a fuss about accommodations or travel taxes. All they needed was a tour guide who could show them the way and point out the places. The rest was their job!