7 Peaceful Slumber

Since I was little, I was known for having a memory of a goldfish. I had lost my wallets, cellphones, bags, and even my passport too many times to my liking. But... I would never forget the first time I met Andrea at the airport six years ago.

At that time, I was like a bird, always flying around to different places. My excuse was always the same: I was looking for inspiration to write. Having really wealthy parents who loved me to bits helped my quest for this so-called inspiration. I also didn't understand why I always felt uneasy when I stayed somewhere for more than two months.

Maybe, I was restless because I had not found my "home". I didn't feel like I belonged, so I kept traveling and I kept searching.

After I married Andrea, the anxiety disappeared, replaced by a sense of comfort and content. Sitting on a chair in the balcony of our apartment and write something on my laptop every afternoon while waiting for Andrea to come home from work made me extremely happy and satisfied.

Sometimes, we ate outside, sometimes he cooked, other times we had a takeaway, but our life together was never boring. We always had a good conversation. I didn't recall we ever had any fights too.

We went back to our country at the end of every month and we traveled to Europe or America once a year. Sometimes, he had to attend conferences abroad or went on business trips. Usually, I would be happy to tag along. You could say we were almost never apart.

Wherever we go, Andrea could always blend perfectly. In Asia he looked Asian enough, and in Europe he looked European enough. That's the perks of being of mixed raced.

In a glance, he looked like a typical European with a tall body, fair skin, and pointed nose. But when people looked closely, they could see his Asian heritage on his delicate facial features, and smooth handsome face.

I'm not biased because I was his wife, but Andrea was extremely handsome. He had that dreamy look that enchanted so many women. I know so many girls in his office were heartbroken when he took me to his company year-end party for the first time - subtly announcing that he was taken.

Oh, we were so happy together, just the two of us.

Back then, when people told me to picture my life, where I would be in five or ten years later, I would reply that I would be wherever Andrea was. In all honesty, for me, Andrea was home. He was my place to go home to.

One year ago, I lost that home. Now, I went back to being a bird, wandering around, flying to different places on earth just to comfort my weary soul.

To be honest... I was kind of tired now. I really wanted to go home, but my home was gone.

***

October 2019,

The cybersecurity conference was held at the Hilton in Nusa Dua, Bali. Andrea was invited to be one of the keynote speakers. I was very proud when I read his bio on the event's website. Andrea now had become a really well-known figure in his industry and was admired by many.

I decided to come to the Hilton on the last day of the conference. It had been a year after I left him and I figured it was time to meet him and get things over with.

When I arrived at the hotel lobby, my heart immediately felt doubt, whether I made the right decision by meeting him today.

Andrea knew I was invited to be a speaker at the UWRF (Ubud Writers and Readers Festival) this year. It was a prestigious international writers' festival held annually in Bali. He deliberately accepted the invitation to be a speaker at a cybersecurity conference in Bali because of it.

He knew I would not have the heart to avoid him if we were on the same island. He was right. I gave in and replied to his email that we can meet at the Hilton after he finished with his talks.

"Good day, ahh, Ms. Ludwina, how are you?" The friendly guest relations officer who saw me entering the lobby greeted me with a broad smile.

I was surprised because the hotel staff seemed to know right away who I was. I didn't realize that I was so easily recognized.

"Oh, hello. I am well, thank you." I replied with a friendly smile.

"Your husband has notified us about your arrival, so the key has been prepared at reception. Do you only bring this one bag?"

Oh ...

I could only nod in silence.

Somehow, I had involuntarily followed the staff into the hotel and we entered a beautiful suite facing the sea. On the table was a cold bottle of prosecco with a red ribbon and a vase filled with beautiful flower arrangements.

"If you need anything, please call this number, Mam. Have a good rest."

I nodded and placed my bag in the cupboard. Inside the cupboard, I saw two shirts hung neatly. I felt touched and stroked both shirts lovingly. I bought him those shirts before he moved to London.

Suddenly, I was feeling unusually tired. I laid my body on the bed and soon everything went dark.

I woke up when it was already morning the next day. When I opened my eyes, a pair of beautiful brown eyes were staring at me lovingly from above.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty." His lips smiled. "You have no idea how badly I wanted to kiss you and wake you up from that peaceful slumber."