"The universe always has its own way of bringing together two people who have never even known each other. It writes a script so beautiful, far beyond any string of words a human pen could ever carve. And when two fates have been destined to greet each other, nothing can stop them from meeting at a time and place no one could ever have expected." ~~ Rain City had been drenched by nonstop rain for two days straight. Since setting foot here two days ago, Riza and her family had spent most of their time cooped up in the simple guesthouse her older sister had arranged.
"The rain hasn't stopped since yesterday. All we can do is stay cooped up here," Riza complained, pressing her forehead against the fogged-up window and watching the raindrops fall harder and harder.
Her mother, who was folding clothes on the bed, slowly turned to look at her. "Rain is a blessing, Riza. Just pray that the sky will be kind tomorrow so we can go out."
Mom then turned her attention to her eldest daughter, who was busy arranging her kebaya. "How are your preparations for tomorrow, Sis?"
"God willing, everything's ready, Mom. I just need to iron my headscarf tonight," Sis replied with a relieved smile.
"Hopefully everything goes smoothly at the ceremony tomorrow."
"Amen..."
Morning arrived carrying the distinctive scent of wet earth. The last traces of drizzle still clung to the leaves, leaving behind a cool, soothing atmosphere.
This morning was the day Riza's family had been waiting for most. Two years of exhausting hard work, sweat, and prayer had finally paid off. Today was a historic day: her sister's master's graduation ceremony at one of the city's prestigious universities.
"Riza, hurry up! Your sister's going to be late!" Mom called from the guesthouse living room, which was beginning to fill with the scent of a hot breakfast.
"Coming, Mom! I'll be there in a minute!" Riza called back as she fixed her headscarf in front of the bedroom mirror.
Once everyone was ready, they immediately left for the ceremony venue. The trip felt short despite the heavy traffic. For Riza, this was her first time setting foot on that magnificent university's campus. The surroundings were lush and beautiful, with neatly arranged buildings.
This university is so beautiful... she thought in awe.
Long ago, this university, nicknamed the Biodiversity Campus, had been one of her biggest dreams. But fate had other plans; she wasn't meant to study there.
The main auditorium was already filled with a sea of black graduation gowns. The graduates looked incredibly excited. Because of the limited space, only the parents were allowed inside to accompany the graduates.
"What are we going to do until the ceremony is over, Riza?" Riza's older brother asked after their parents stepped inside.
"Let's look around, Bro. Since we're already here," Riza suggested enthusiastically. She wanted to explore her dream university first, passing through its lush gardens and the grand buildings surrounding them.
A few hours later, the solemn ceremony inside the auditorium came to an end. A sea of black graduation gowns poured out onto the wide field in front of the auditorium. The atmosphere suddenly grew lively with laughter, warm embraces, and group-photo celebrations.
As she stood waiting for her parents to come out, Riza's gaze accidentally settled on a man in the distance.
From his appearance, the man was clearly not a graduate. He wore a brown shirt paired with jeans. He was tall and well-built, with a calm, gentle expression. Every so often, he laughed freely with his friends while glancing around.
"What are you staring at, Sis? Why do you look so serious?" her younger sibling suddenly whispered, breaking Riza's focus.
Riza jolted and quickly looked away. Yet for some reason, her eyes seemed determined not to obey her, always returning to that figure. There was a strange sensation she couldn't explain, as if the crowd around her had suddenly blurred, leaving the young man in the brown shirt as the only thing in focus.
"Nothing. I'm looking for Dad and Mom. They haven't shown up this whole time," Riza quickly excused herself.
"Really...? You're not checking out the guys over there, are you?" her younger sibling teased with a mischievous smile.
"Of course not! Why would I stare at some stranger? It's not like I have nothing better to do," Riza protested, her cheeks turning slightly red.
A short while later, Dad and Mom came out. The happy moment continued with a group photo session. Between camera flashes, the figure in the brown shirt still occasionally crossed the edge of Riza's vision, even as she tried hard not to turn and look too often.
That night, inside the warm guesthouse room, Riza lay on the bed while playing with her phone, as her sister busily transferred hundreds of photo files from the camera to her laptop.
"Sis, send me the photos from earlier, please. I want to update my status," Riza requested.
"Just a minute. It's almost finished," her sister replied without taking her eyes off the screen.
A few minutes later, dozens of photos appeared in Riza's phone gallery. She swiped through them one by one, gazing at each shot that captured her family's happy smiles.
After some consideration, she chose a photo showing everyone's most carefree smiles.
Then she typed a short caption:
"Your hard work has finally paid off. Congratulations on your graduation, Sis. May your knowledge be blessed and put to good use."
Post.
Riza let out a relieved sigh. But when she was about to enlarge the photo to look over the details again, her eyes suddenly locked onto one corner.
Her breath caught.
Beside one of her sister's friends standing in the back, there was a man in a brown shirt wearing a faint smile that felt strangely familiar.
Thump!
Riza's heart suddenly began pounding. Her body went rigid, while her hand instinctively tightened around her phone. She blinked repeatedly, making sure her eyes weren't deceiving her.
"Is that... him?" she whispered softly.
A strange warmth suddenly welled up in her chest. The stranger who had accidentally stolen her attention among thousands of people that afternoon had now, unexpectedly, been captured in her family photo as well.
Riza stared at the phone screen for a long while, reluctant to look away from the faint smile of the man in the brown shirt.
How could he be in this photo? she thought, filled with questions.
She hesitated about enlarging the photo, but quickly changed her mind. Riza took a deep breath, trying to calm the unfamiliar flutter that had suddenly grown frantic inside her heart.
"Will I ever get to meet him again? A stranger whose name I don't even know..." Riza whispered quietly, staring at the dim ceiling.
Outside, Rain City's drizzle continued to fall softly, slowly lulling Riza into sleep as she dreamed of the fate that had just begun. .... .... To be continued