The sound of a spoon stirring a cup of tea rang loudly through the room. The constant ting-ting was impossible to miss in the living room. The house, which was usually warm and comfortable, felt different that afternoon.
Aunt Tati was visiting.
Dina knew exactly why she was there.
She had been the one asked by her mother to make the drinks, and she couldn't quite hide her annoyance. The innocent tea became her outlet.
At this rate, I might as well put some poison in it, she thought wickedly.
Dina carried three cups of tea into the living room: one for her father, one for her mother, and one for Aunt Tati. Dino was sitting quietly near Percy's cage, gently stroking the cat.
A familiar scent immediately reached her nose. A combination of hair oil and balm, exactly the same as always. Her aunt's face was serious, and so were her parents'.
"Have some tea first, Auntie," Dina offered after placing the cups on the coffee table.
She then sat down beside Dino and Percy. The moment her eyes met Dino's, they both automatically let out a short sigh in perfect synchronization.
Family drama again.
Aunt Tati lifted her cup and took a small sip. Her expression relaxed slightly. Then she began her usual narrative.
"Iman's sick."
Iman was Aunt Tati and Uncle Agus's youngest son. He was the same age as Dina.
Dina immediately glanced at her mother. Her mother's expression automatically turned worried.
"Oh my God… what's wrong with him?" her mother asked.
"Typhoid. He's already back home from the hospital, but the doctor said he needs another checkup this week."
Then, like a scene that had happened countless times before, Aunt Tati's gaze shifted toward Dina's father.
"You can help pay for your nephew's medical expenses, right, Man?"
Dina instinctively rolled her eyes.
Dino let out a tired breath.
They exchanged another look—their secret signal whenever this particular problem came up.
Here we go again.
Dina's father tried to remain calm.
"Sis, we just helped pay for Lina's school expenses the other day."
"Yes, but this is different, Man. This is an emergency."
Dina's mother tried to mediate, her voice gentle even though she was clearly holding back her own feelings.
"We'll see what we can do, Sis. We'll check our savings first."
Dina took Percy from Dino's lap. She needed something to hold, something to keep her hands from fidgeting in frustration. Dino started playing with his phone, but his attention remained on the conversation.
Aunt Tati took a long breath, as dramatic as usual.
"You know… back when you were struggling, who was always there to help you?"
Dina let out a quiet hiss and glanced at Dino.
"Here it comes… the favorite card."
Dino gave a small nod.
"Bingo."
Dina's father remained patient, though the exhaustion in his voice was becoming more obvious.
"We remember, Sis. But we have other expenses too."
"Come on. Surely you can help out a little, right?" Aunt Tati's voice sounded gentle, but there was a sharp edge underneath it.
The atmosphere in the living room grew heavier.
Dina felt as if the air itself had become stuffy. She hugged Percy tighter, hoping the conversation would end soon.
Her mother finally brought the conversation to a close, her voice quiet but firm.
"We'll talk about it again later. I'll look at our finances first."
"Okay… I understands. But don't take too long, okay? He has another checkup this week."
Dina desperately wanted to escape to her room. So did Dino. But both of them remained seated politely. Even though they were clearly annoyed.
Dino whispered, "Why is it always our family?"
Dina answered quietly, "Because we never say no."
Aunt Tati stayed the night, extending the awkwardness in Dina's house.
The next morning, after breakfast, Dina's mother handed her an envelope containing money for Iman's checkup.
Aunt Tati left with a relieved expression, while Dina simply stood near the staircase, unsure how she was supposed to feel.
Relieved that it was over… or exhausted because she knew this would happen again someday.
After her aunt left, the house felt quieter than usual.
Dina's mother looked busy writing something down in her notebook. Dina knew that with this unexpected expense, her mother would have to rearrange the rest of their spending.
Dina sat on the sofa, repeatedly pressing the buttons on the TV remote without finding anything interesting to watch.
Her mother's voice caught her attention.
"Din, we're going to Aunt Tati's house this long weekend, okay? To visit Iman."
Dina immediately protested.
"But, Mom, I already made plans with my friends. We're supposed to work on our project."
"Put it off for now. Your cousin is sick. Your friends will understand. Think of it as a vacation too. Okay?" her mother said, half forcing the idea on her.
A vacation? What kind of vacation comes with household chores and an aunt who complains about grocery prices every five minutes?
But her mother's expression looked almost like she was asking for a favor.
Dina could only nod.
She then typed a message on her phone.
Dina: Di, tell the others we're postponing the group project, okay? I'm going away. My cousin is sick.
The reply came a little later.
Short and to the point.
Aldi: Okay.
---
Three days later, Dina was already at Aunt Tati's house.
It was big, but packed with stuff and noise.
From morning until afternoon, her aunt kept talking about all sorts of things, most of them complaints. Grocery prices were going up, school expenses were expensive, and she often brought up how much her husband had done for Dina's father.
Dina simply sat there nicely, pretending to listen.
There was nothing she could do there. She had no friends. Dino also kept wandering off somewhere without inviting her along.
Dina found herself checking her phone more and more often, hoping for a message from people who might not even remember her.
It was a long weekend. Everyone was out on vacation.
In the middle of her boredom, Dina thought of Ando. They hadn't seen each other for three days.
I wonder what he's doing. What if he's on a date with Clara?
She also remembered Alfa. He had said he was going hiking this weekend and promised to bring her an edelweiss flower.
Dina lay on the bed, opening Facebook on her phone. The signal was painfully slow, but good enough for some leisurely scrolling.
Her feed was filled with statuses and photos of friends who were off on vacation.
Dina sighed. Then she typed a short status:
"This vacation = doing social work at my own aunt's house. And the weather is freezing too."
She pressed post and placed her phone on the bed.
Aunt Tati's house was always noisy, yet Dina felt lonely.
A few minutes later, her phone vibrated.
Ando commented on your status.
Dina immediately sat upright.
Huh? Seriously?
Ever since they had become Facebook friends, Ando had never commented on any of her statuses.
He had never even liked one.
Dina immediately opened the notification, her heart beating faster.
Ando's comment appeared on the screen:
Ando: Hang in there, Din. Take care of yourself. Don't let the cold weather get the better of you. The Dina I know is strong… just like that monkey we saw at GGPNP. Haha.
Dina stared at the screen.
A monkey? Seriously? What a jerk.
Apparently, if he went even one day without annoying Dina, he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully.
Dina huffed, but she was smiling too.
At least he still cares, she thought happily.
She quickly covered her mouth when she realized she was smiling. She then opened Ando's profile, hoping to find something she could comment on in return. Unfortunately, there were no recent statuses for her to comment on. So Dina could only reply to his comment.
She typed:
"Can you write one sweet sentence without sneaking in an insult?"
It didn't take long. Another notification appeared.
Ando: If I say something sweet, you'll melt.
Dina stared at the screen, completely stunned.
Is this guy trying to pick a fight with me or what?
But her cheeks felt hot anyway.
Before she could reply, more comments immediately started appearing.
Icha: Oooooh… ehem, ehem.
Aldi: It's okay if you melt. Ooh-hoo-hoo…
Nia: Date! Date! Date!
Bram: You two really know how to cause chaos at night.
Dina buried her face in her pillow and groaned in frustration.
"Oh my God… where did all these people even come from?" she grumbled, half embarrassed and half annoyed.
She quickly typed:
"Melting? Please... What a waste, melting over someone else's guy."
Ando didn't reply after that.
But Dina kept staring at the screen for a long time, waiting… and, yes, still smiling to herself.
With her mood dramatically improved, Dina decided to turn on her laptop and work on her art paper little by little.
Better than having nothing to do, she thought.
And so, she lost herself in her schoolwork.