“Excuse me, but if I’m not mistaken, I think we’ve met before. Is that right?” Sam suddenly voiced the question that had been nagging at him.
“Oh—yeah?” Katrin stammered nervously.
“I’ve seen your face before, but where…? I can be pretty forgetful sometimes. I’ve got too much on my mind!”
“That’s right, sir. We have met before.” Katrin could no longer lie.
Sooner or later, Sam was bound to remember her. It had only happened three days ago, after all. Scientists like Sam didn’t pay much attention to trivial matters such as remembering the faces of people they had met.
“So we really have met before?” Sam’s eyes widened with delight.
“Yes! In Bandung… That night, when I was being harassed by a gang of thugs. You helped me, sir…” Katrin told him.
“Ah, yes… I remember now. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine! Thank you for helping me!”
“Forget about it! I just happened to be passing by. I’m glad you’re all right. Can you tell me what happened that night?”
Katrin then told him about that bleak night. Sam nodded along. His expression grew furious when Katrin’s story brought up that rotten Italian duo.
“Those Italians were completely irresponsible!” Sam seemed to blame Robertino and Diego instead. From Sam’s perspective, what happened to Katrin that night was the result of those two Italian foreigners inviting her out. If only they hadn’t forced her to go with them that night…
But Katrin had already put it behind her. She didn’t want to drag the matter out. The important thing was that she had made it through safely. From then on, Katrin would be more careful. She wouldn’t go out alone at night so casually. Next, Katrin steered the conversation to another topic.
Katrin didn’t want to talk about what had happened in Bandung anymore. She didn’t want to accidentally let it slip that she had sworn to become her rescuer’s wife. This James Bond type might get the wrong idea. Katrin didn’t want to get trapped in some classic romance born from gratitude. Oh, no! God forbid…
Sam seemed like a pretty pleasant person to talk to. He was well-informed, intelligent, and courteous. He was nothing like the typical arrogant, conceited Western tourist. Sam acted and carried himself like a local man.
Maybe it was because of his intense engagement with Indonesian culture, especially Javanese culture, one of the fields he was studying in depth. Sam had observed many of the cultures, customs, and traditions that had developed in Indonesia. It was no wonder he spoke Indonesian fluently, even if his accent sounded strange.
Yet even though Katrin was impressed by Sam’s exceptionally kind personality, she wasn’t instantly drawn to him. She remained firm in her commitment to only be interested in guys who were “homegrown.” Katrin tried to banish Sam’s image from her thoughts.
Katrin still believed that beneath Sam’s friendly, courteous Western exterior lurked the selfish, arrogant nature typical of Western tourists, and that beneath his appealing looks hid a womanizer. In short, Katrin refused to be bewitched by the handsome James Bond’s charm. She firmly shut her heart against Sam’s magnetic pull!
But the three-day trip around Yogya-Solo slowly chipped away at Katrin’s pride. The harder she tried to erase Sam’s image, the more often the man appeared to fill her thoughts. And not merely as an image—he was there in person. Time, circumstances, and the situation itself forced Katrin to work with Sam.
That was because none of Sam’s colleagues spoke Indonesian fluently. Some understood it, but couldn’t speak it. So Sam ended up acting as the interpreter in their conversations.
Katrin actually spoke English fluently, but she had some trouble translating specialized terms and expressions related to academic language. It was even harder because she didn’t understand many of the terms in anthropology and science. So Sam served as the bridge. He connected the research subjects with the scientist.
Without realizing it, Sam himself became the tour guide, while Katrin’s role was reduced to simply showing them the way. In a situation like this, Sam and Katrin had to stay together, communicate, exchange information, and handle various other matters.