Nara woke up at 5:41.
This time, the alarm went off first.
She let it vibrate on the table for a few seconds before turning it off.
The room was still dark.
Outside, someone was sweeping the yard. The strokes were steady, stopping briefly before starting again. A motorbike started up at the end of the alley.
Nara stared at the ceiling.
The third day.
She no longer felt like she was starting something new.
Maybe because yesterday she had already learned where the A4 paper was. She knew which machine to turn on first. She knew the first customer usually arrived before eight.
All she had to do was show up.
Nara got up and took the blue shirt from behind the door.
This time, the collar wasn't quite as damp.
She put it on.
The shoes she'd worn yesterday were still beneath the table. Nara picked them up and checked the heels.
The soles really had worn thin.
She put an extra pair of socks in her bag.
Just in case.
On the table, her phone lit up.
There was a message from Raka.
Raka: Awake?
Nara replied:
I am.
A few seconds later.
Raka: Your foot?
Nara looked at her shoes.
Nara: Still here.
Raka: Your answers are getting weirder.
Nara: Because your question is the same.
Raka: I'm not asking again today.
Nara read the message.
Then another message came in.
Raka: But don't forget to eat breakfast.
Nara smiled faintly.
She didn't reply.
In the kitchen, Ms. Sari had already put rice on the table.
“Not too much,” Nara said.
“It isn't much.”
The plate was still full.
Nara ate.
After a few bites, Ms. Sari took something from the small shelf near the refrigerator.
A clear plastic container.
“Here.”
“What is it?”
“A food container.”
Nara looked at it.
“For the cat?”
“If it isn't for the cat, who else would it be for?”
Nara took it.
“Whose is it?”
“Mine. I used to keep onions in it.”
“And now?”
“Now it's for the cat.”
Nara looked at the lid. One corner was slightly cracked.
“It can still be used.”
“Exactly.”
Nara put it in her bag.
“Thank you, ma'am.”
Ms. Sari didn't answer.
She simply went back to washing glasses.
7:13 a.m.
Nara arrived at the store.
Mr. Hendra was already inside.
He was lifting a box of paper.
“You're two minutes late.”
Nara looked at the clock.
“You said not to come too early.”
“I was kidding.”
“Oh.”
Mr. Hendra laughed.
“You're starting to know when I'm kidding?”
“Not yet.”
“Good. Don't trust me too quickly.”
Nara set down her bag.
She picked up the smaller box.
“Where should I put this?”
“On the back shelf.”
Nara carried it to the back.
The day began without any need for a lengthy explanation.
The machines were turned on.
The paper was checked.
The printer was turned on.
The desk was cleaned.
The cash box was opened.
The front door was raised.
At 7:57, the first customer arrived.
“Two copies of my ID.”
Nara nodded.
“Color?”
“Black and white.”
“Double-sided?”
“No.”
She took the document.
Her hands moved faster than they had two days earlier.
Not by much.
But enough for her to notice.
Around noon, a man arrived carrying a stack of documents.
“Can this be finished now?”
Mr. Hendra looked at him.
“How many?”
“One hundred pages.”
“Not right now.”
The man frowned.
“Why not?”
“There’s a queue.”
He looked at Nara.
“What if I pay extra?”
Mr. Hendra remained calm.
“Everyone here pays.”
The man sighed.
Nara looked at his face.
Something about him was familiar.
Not his face.
The way he stood.
The way he wanted everything finished because something was waiting for him somewhere else.
Nara had once been that kind of person.
Maybe she still was.
She took the documents.
“If you want, I can start now. But it'll take about an hour.”
The man checked the time.
“Can't you do it faster?”
Nara shook her head.
“If I rush it, something will probably go wrong.”
The man was silent for a few moments.
“Okay, then.”
Nara began working.
One hundred pages.
One at a time.
There was no way to make it faster without increasing the chance of making a mistake.
Mr. Hendra didn't interfere.
When the customer finally received his documents, he counted the money in his hand again.
“How much?”
Nara told him the amount.
The man paid.
Then he said, “Thank you.”
Nara was slightly surprised.
She nodded.
“You're welcome.”
After the man left, Mr. Hendra said, “See?”
“What?”
“Not everyone forgets to say thank you.”
Nara smiled faintly.
12:40 p.m.
The store grew quiet again.
Nara opened the packet of rice Mr. Hendra had brought her.
Today it came with tempeh, egg, and sambal.
She ate sitting on a plastic chair.
Mr. Hendra was repairing a large stapler that had jammed.
“Sir.”
“Hmm?”
“If I keep working here...”
Nara stopped.
Mr. Hendra waited.
“What is it?”
“It's nothing.”
“If you want to ask something, ask.”
Nara lowered her head.
“If I get good at this later, will the pay stay the same?”
Mr. Hendra smiled faintly.
“Negotiating after only three days?”
“I'm just asking.”
“When you can run the store without me, we'll talk again.”
Nara nodded.
“So it can change?”
“It can.”
That answer left Nara silent for a while longer.
Not because of the amount.
Because for the first time since losing her job, someone was talking about the possibility that she might still be somewhere several days from now.
Not tomorrow.
Not next week.
But later.
Afternoon came slowly.
At 4:20, a woman arrived carrying two folders.
“Can you print this file from WhatsApp?”
“Yes.”
Nara took her phone.
The file names weren't clear.
She opened them one by one.
Then she found that the two documents had different final pages.
“Should this one be printed too?”
The woman looked.
“Oh, yes.”
Nara noted the number of pages.
There was no rush.
Nothing was wrong.
When the work was finished, the woman took her documents and left.
Five o'clock.
Mr. Hendra lowered the store's door.
“Coming tomorrow?”
Nara nodded.
“If you don't change your mind.”
“I haven't changed it.”
Nara picked up her bag.
She was almost out when Mr. Hendra called her.
“Nara.”
“Yes?”
“Tomorrow, you don't have to keep wearing that blue shirt.”
Nara looked at her clothes.
“Why not?”
“If it gets ink on it, you'll be sad.”
“I only have two shirts.”
Mr. Hendra fell silent for a moment.
“Wear the other one tomorrow.”
Nara nodded.
The tabby cat was already waiting behind the convenience store.
Nara took the plastic container from Ms. Sari out of her bag.
She rinsed it with a little water from her bottle.
“This is your place now.”
The cat sniffed the container.
It didn't eat right away.
Nara sat down.
“Don't be picky.”
The cat looked at her.
Then it began to eat.
Nara watched.
The container really was better than a plastic bottle cap.
The food didn't spill as easily.
Nara felt happy for a reason too small to mention to anyone else.
Her phone vibrated.
Raka: Done?
Nara: Done.
Raka: The cat?
Nara: It ate.
Raka: You?
Nara looked at the time.
It was almost six.
Nara: Not yet.
Raka: Why?
Nara: I'm not hungry yet.
Raka: That's not a reason.
Nara: I'll eat at the boarding house.
Raka: Okay.
A few seconds later.
Raka: I have something.
Nara remembered last night's message.
Nara: What?
Raka: Tomorrow.
Nara: Are you trying to make me curious?
Raka: A little.
Nara: Don't buy anything expensive.
Raka: I already told you.
Nara: I'm serious.
Raka: So am I.
Nara slipped her phone into her pocket.
The tabby cat finished eating.
It didn't leave right away.
It sat beside the container.
Nara watched its ears.
The wound was almost dry.
“I'm working again tomorrow,” she said.
The cat didn't answer.
“If you keep coming, I'll keep coming too.”
Nara stopped.
The sentence sounded strange.
She didn't know whether she was making a promise to the cat or to herself.
That night, Nara ate with Ms. Sari.
Rice.
Vegetables.
Egg.
Nothing special.
But when she finished eating, she didn't leave right away.
She sat for a few minutes longer.
“Ma'am.”
“Hmm?”
“If I work there through the end of the month...”
Ms. Sari looked at her.
“What is it?”
“I might be able to pay the room rent on time.”
Ms. Sari picked up the plates again.
“Couldn't you before?”
“I could. But...”
“If you can't, just say so.”
Nara fell silent.
Ms. Sari carried the plates to the sink.
“Don't wait until you have nothing left before you speak up.”
Nara looked at her own hands.
“Okay.”
“And don't start thinking you have plenty just because you've gotten some money.”
Nara nodded.
The advice sounded like something she needed to hold on to.
In her room, Nara opened her wallet.
She still had enough for transportation.
She still had money for food.
Not much.
But it was there.
She opened her notes.
Showed up again today.
She deleted it.
Then wrote:
Show up again tomorrow.
Nara stared at the sentence.
Tomorrow.
The word was still there.
But now it looked different.
Before, tomorrow had meant something she had to get through.
Now tomorrow had a 7:15 a.m.
There was a copy machine.
There were customers.
There was a packet of rice.
There was transportation money.
There was a chance she'd be asked to come back after that.
Her phone vibrated.
Raka: Good night.
Nara replied:
Good night.
She waited.
There was no other message.
Nara turned off the light.
The room went dark.
A few seconds later, her phone screen lit up again.
Raka: Don't forget, I'll give you something tomorrow.
Nara picked up her phone.
She typed:
If it's expensive, I'll give it back.
The message was sent.
The reply came.
Raka: Then don't give it back.
Nara smiled.
She set the phone beside her pillow.
Outside, a motorbike passed along the road in front of the boarding house.
Then came the sound of the gate.
Then someone laughing in the next room.
Nara closed her eyes.
She would show up again tomorrow.
For now, that was enough.