For several days, Dina avoided Ando. After the incident in the garden, for some reason, she felt embarrassed around him. She did her best to avoid him without making it look awkward.
But here she was now. At Ando's mother's clinic to have Garfield's health checked. Garfield's eyes blinked slowly on the examination table. The room felt quieter than Dina's previous visit, so quiet that Dina felt like she could hear Garfield blinking. In the corner of the room, a lavender-scented diffuser released a thin stream of mist that drifted upward like a white thread, slowly curling before disappearing.
Dina stood beside the table, stroking Garfield as he sat there resignedly. The cat's fur felt soft and warm every time Dina stroked him.
The clinic was quiet that day—there were no other patients, only the sound of the air conditioner and the television playing in the waiting room.
"Garfield is healthy. There are no significant problems," Ando's mother said as she closed her small stethoscope. "But for now, don't give him too much wet food. His digestion isn't very good."
Dina nodded. "Yes, Doc. Thank you so much."
Ando's mother smiled warmly. "Where do you live, Din? How did you get here?"
"At Villa Indah Pajajaran, Doc. My older brother drove me here. He'll pick me up later too."
"Oh!" Ando's mother's eyes lit up, as if she had found something familiar. "Papa Ando's younger brother used to live there too. His house was near the mosque. There used to be a soto stall nearby that had really good soto."
Dina was surprised as well. "My house is near there too, Doc. The soto stall is still there."
"When Ando was little, he used to play there a lot," Ando's mother continued as she opened a drawer in her desk. "I still have a photo of him with his uncle in front of the old house." She handed a small photo album to Dina.
Dina smiled politely and took the album. Ando's mother invited her to sit on the sofa in the waiting room while they looked through the photo album. Garfield had already been placed inside his pet carrier. Ando's mother chatted warmly about the stories behind each photo. Most of them were pictures of Ando as a baby. Sometimes he was alone, sometimes with his parents, and sometimes with someone Dina assumed was his uncle. Dina looked at the photos without thinking too much about anything—in her opinion, all babies had the same face. Cute.
"Now, this was when Ando was about to start kindergarten," his mother said enthusiastically, pointing at a photo. Dina felt the face was familiar. Where had she seen it before?
She was still wondering when the photo Ando's mother had mentioned earlier appeared.
The photo was already somewhat faded, with corners that had begun to turn yellow. In the photo, a little boy wearing a maroon T-shirt stood in front of a house gate with an adult man. He had a wide smile, his hair messy as if it had just been blown by the wind.
Dina froze when she saw that smile. That smiling face was Alfa's face. Her Alfa—the one she had been searching for all this time.
Something stirred in Dina's chest, slowly but deeply.
"That's… Ando?" Her voice barely came out.
"Yes," Ando's mother answered with a small laugh. "He loved playing around his uncle's neighborhood back then. He often wandered off by himself."
Dina stared at the photo for a little longer.
That was Alfa. That really was Alfa.
Dina's hands were slightly sweaty as she returned the album. She tried to smile, but her body was still stiff.
Alfa.
Alfariando.
The little boy in her hazy memory—the one who helped her on an orange-colored evening—turned out to be someone who was so close. Someone she would see every time she turned toward the back row.
Ando's mother took the album back. "Ando told me you're the most diligent member of his group. I'm happy he has good friends."
Dina nodded slowly. "Y-yes, Doc."
Her phone vibrated. Her older brother told her that he was already outside, waiting for Dina. After finishing the payment, Dina said goodbye to Ando's mother. His mother smiled warmly again and reminded her to come back in six months for a routine checkup.
Dina got into the car in a daze. Her mind was filled with the pieces of her childhood puzzle that had now finally fallen into place.
---
"Ando."
The call made Ando turn around. Ando, who was putting his books into his backpack and getting ready to go home, looked at Dina standing beside his desk.
Bram, sitting beside Ando, gently patted his shoulder and said, "See you," which was met only with a nod. The other students began pouring out of the classroom, paying no attention to Dina and Ando.
Ando went back to putting his things into his backpack, while Dina sat in the chair in front of him.
"So you're done avoiding me," Ando said without taking his eyes off his backpack.
Dina's face grew hot. She had not expected Ando to notice her attempts to avoid him.
"I wasn't avoiding you," she protested.
After everything had been put into his backpack, Ando looked at Dina. His gaze was sharp.
"Liar."
Dina simply lowered her head in embarrassment.
Seeing that, Ando softened. He sighed before continuing, "Okay. What's wrong?"
Dina raised her face again. This time, she looked at Ando bravely.
"I want to ask you something."
"What?"
Dina pretended to be casual, even though her heart was somewhat restless. "My mom said your uncle's old house used to be near my house, right?"
Ando nodded. "Yeah. When did my mom tell you?"
"Yesterday, when I went to your mom's clinic to get Garfield checked."
"Oh." Ando placed his hand on the desk. He leaned forward. Toward Dina. "That was a long time ago. My uncle moved away years ago."
Dina continued. "She said you used to play there a lot, right?"
Ando nodded again. He was starting to wonder where this conversation was actually going.
"When you were little, did you ever carry a little girl who had fallen?"
Ando thought for a moment, not entirely sure. "Maybe."
"Maybe?" Dina frowned. "Try to remember."
Ando rested his head on one hand. His gesture was casual. "I've been a good guy since I was little. A lot of girls fell. I helped a lot of them too."
"You're so full of yourself." Dina playfully smacked his hand. She took a breath, then offered a second clue. "Does my house look familiar to you?"
Ando thought again. "A little. Maybe because I used to pass by it a lot when I went to my uncle's house." He suddenly realized something. "Did we meet when we were kids?"
Dina's eyes immediately lit up. "Yes. But the one I met was named Alfa."
Ando burst out laughing. "I used to be called Alfa."
Dina was definitely not mistaken. Her chest felt warm yet bitter at the same time, as if she had found a small missing piece—but only she knew how meaningful that piece was. Because the memory that had accompanied her all this time had apparently belonged only to her.
Dina pushed the unpleasant thought away and decided to focus only on what she was trying to reach now.
"Why did your nickname change?"
Now it was Ando's turn to feel slightly embarrassed. "The story is kind of ridiculous."
Dina looked curious. "I want to hear it."
Ando finally answered, his voice quieter. "I was seriously sick once. I had a really high fever and even had seizures." His eyes looked into the distance, as if revisiting something from the past. "Have you ever heard that there's a myth that when a child gets seriously ill, their name has to be changed?"
Dina nodded. She had heard that myth several times. She thought it was pretty ridiculous.
Ando scratched the back of his neck. His face was slightly red. "My parents didn't actually believe in the myth, but my grandmother insisted. So as a middle ground, instead of changing my name, I just changed my nickname."
Dina burst out laughing when she heard the ridiculous reason. Ando smiled shyly.
"Done with your questions?"
Dina answered between the remnants of her laughter. "Yep."
Ando stood up from his chair. "Let's go home. I'll take you."
Dina could not stop herself from smiling.
Ando looked at her in confusion. "You're weird today."
"Whatever."
They walked side by side.
Closer than usual.