Bram extended his hand to Laras, but his gaze never left her. It was as though he were looking at a celestial maiden who had descended from the heavens. Bram continued staring at her without blinking. Laras felt awkward under his unblinking gaze. She accepted Bram’s outstretched hand, and they shook hands.
“Bram.”
“Laras.”
They introduced themselves to each other as though they were complete strangers.
Sister Retha then invited them into the sitting room and welcomed Bram warmly. He paid little attention to what Sister Retha was saying, focusing instead on Laras. But Laras merely lowered her head, too afraid to look at Bram.
“So, Mr. Bram? Where should we start?” Sister Retha asked the man sitting across from her.
But Bram remained silent. Instead, he kept watching Laras, who was sitting beside Sister Retha. He never expected to meet Laras under circumstances like these—circumstances in which she had already become a nun. It was something he had never imagined all this time.
Sister Retha was puzzled by Bram’s silence and his failure to answer her question.
“Excuse me, Mr. Bram... Do you understand what I mean?” Sister Retha asked, emphasizing her question.
“Huh...? Yes, Sister. Just do whatever you think is best. I’ll follow your lead,” Bram replied, a little nervously.
He was too busy watching Agatha and desperately wanted to ask her a million questions. He was confused and bewildered about why she had chosen this path.
Sister Retha happened to have a very full schedule that day. Her only task was to introduce Laras and Bram; after that, the two of them would carry out the social work together.
“Since Mr. Bram and Sister Laras already know each other, I can leave now. Sister Laras can take it from here,” Sister Retha said before excusing herself and leaving the room.
Now only the two of them remained in the room, with no sound except the silence.
For a moment, the room fell completely quiet. Then the stillness broke with Bram’s soft voice.
“Where should we start?”
“Oh... right. It’s up to you. Where do you want to start?” Bram replied, sounding somewhat confused.
“Wait a second. What should I call you?” Bram continued, asking Laras.
“Whatever you want. You can call me whatever you like,” Laras replied.
“If it’s just the two of us, would it be okay if I simply called you by your name? We don’t have to be so formal, either.”
Laras merely nodded and gave Bram a faint smile.
Bram desperately wanted to ask Laras about the journey her life had taken to bring her to where she was now. But he was afraid it would make her angry or offend her.
“You can start now,” Bram told Laras.
Laras began explaining in detail the social work she oversaw and the difficulties she faced.
“A few years ago, my congregation assigned me to work here, at Biara Santa Theresia. I was tasked with caring for neglected children, including orphans and street children, but my work was limited to providing them with an education. At first, there were only a few of them, so the place we provided was still large enough. But as time went by, their numbers increased day by day, especially among street children who had dropped out of school and wanted to receive a free education here. It wasn’t unusual for them to have to sit outside the room, as long as they could get a free education from us.”
Bram remained silent, listening closely to every detail Laras shared. At the same time, he admired Laras’s gentle face and beauty.