Some people are so poor, all they have is money

I tried to keep myself busy with writing. I just wanted to take my mind off of Andrea and fill it with novel characters. I created a country called the Water Kingdom. Taishi was the crown prince, who had to ascend the throne when he was 9 years old after his father, the king, passed away. Taishi was locked up behind the palace wall while the prime minister ruled as the regent until he turned 16 years old and got married.

The lonely life in the palace without parents and friends made Taishi determined to leave. For years, he planned to escape the palace that he considered his prison. He could not wait for the turn of the century festival when security was weakened, and he could leave his life in the palace behind.

He ventured alone in disguise as a commoner, looking for his mother, who left the palace 15 years ago. He did not expect his reputation as the king outside the palace wall to be very bad, and his heart was touched to see how his people greatly suffered under the tyranny of corrupt officials and the ambitious prime minister.

Taishi then had to choose between living quietly as an ordinary citizen with the girl he loved, or return to the palace and marry the princess chosen by the prime minister, so he could take power. Because of his great love for his people, he finally chose the latter and went back.

The characters and plot flowed smoothly from my mind. I could easily write about Taishi and the Water Kingdom and other characters that he met throughout his journey. Somehow, I was reminded of what Andrea told me five years ago; that I could not produce good work because I never struggled.

Maybe he was right... Now I can pour my heart into my writing because I am struggling... And suddenly I could write good things.

***

My editor at Genta Publishing really liked the last script I sent her, and without much revision, they agreed to publish it. The book was very well received and soon became a bestseller. My mother was very proud and sent it to everyone she knew. I also received an email containing a photo of Andrea, smiling proudly while holding the book on his chest, a few months later.

'I am so proud of you' was the caption of his picture.

I received that email when I was at a museum in Aarnhem, The Netherlands. I was researching for my new novel. My next book will be set in WWII period, and I had been traveling to several countries in Europe to get research material from museums and archive centers.

I sat on a park bench and pondered while reading his email on my cellphone. Very precisely like clockwork, he would send me an email every Sunday when he shared with me how he was doing in London.

So since it was only Wednesday, I didn't expect to receive this email. In my heart, I was happy because, apparently, Andrea knew I had finally achieved decent success with my book.

I'd never replied to Andrea's email. I also never picked up his phone calls. So, he must now understand that I still couldn't talk to him. My lawyer said he already received the divorce papers six months ago. Until now, there had been no response from him on our divorce.

Even though Andrea seemed to try to slow down the process, I knew that sooner or later, we would formally separate, and the day would come when I could finally look into his eyes and talk with him.

After reading his email. I was prompted to explore social media one more time to try searching for news about Adeline Surya. This time, I saw that her social media account was already active. Adeline looked happy as she was sharing her life in London with her son.

In her profile photo, she, Andrea, and Ronan, their son, were photographed in front of the London Eye. There were a lot of comments in the photo from their old friends who were happy for them. Many were also praying for their happiness. They looked like such a perfect little family. He was handsome, she was beautiful, and their son took after Andrea. They were lovely to look at.

"Whaa... finally, you got yourself a Facebook account! This is Adeline and Andrea from High School 7, right? How are you guys doing? Now you're all staying in London?"

"Wow ... You guys are true relationship goals. You started dating when you guys were.. what, sixteen, right? I didn't expect puppy love can turn into a happily ever after, like in fairy tale. You both have such a handsome son too!"

"Adeline! I haven't heard from you for a long time. Please tell us when you are going home to Indonesia so that we can catch up!"

I now understood why Adeline disappeared from the public and shut herself away from her old school friends. She didn't create any online social media account for years until only recently. She certainly did not want their friends to know what happened 8 years ago.

She carried all the shame and pain alone. Andrea did not know what happened until last year. Now that Andrea had returned to her side, Adeline could finally chin up and face the world.

I really understood her and felt sorry for her. I also felt sorry for Andrea. I also know that I should be the bigger person and let them be happy together.

Thinking about my husband and his first love made me feel so miserable. Finally, I could only bury my face in my hands and sob. I remembered my friends in school used to call me "the girl who has everything", but now I feel like the poorest person in the world.

Ever heard of the saying, "Some people are so poor, all they have is money"?

I felt like I was those people.

***