the night grew deeper, and the temperature felt colder due to the night breeze blowing across the beach. however, roni and miya were still sitting in front of the campfire that was almost extinguished, leaving only faintly glowing embers.
miya began to tell stories about her childhood, which turned out to include living in a village before. this made roni interested in listening.
"so you're not originally from the city, right?" roni asked curiously.
"yes, we used to live in a village. my father used to have a farming business. it still exists until now, but we moved to jakarta because my father built a company there," miya answered.
miya continued her story, "i used to have many friends in the village, and i still miss them until now. unfortunately, our village has changed; there are many solid buildings there now. my childhood friends have also moved away."
"maybe that's why you and bobi can accept me as a friend, even though we've only known each other for one day," said roni.
"it's not about wisdom," miya said with a smile. "there are also many village people who are indifferent. brother bobi probably likes being friends with you because you're fun, open, and don't look down on anyone. brother bobi is like that too."
"you should tell me about your life in the village. i'd really like to hear it," miya asked.
roni smiled faintly before answering, "my story isn't that interesting. i wasn't popular in the village. i rarely socialized; i spent more time working in other people's fields to earn money for my schooling. if not in the fields, i herded other people's livestock."
"do you have siblings? and where are your parents now?" miya asked curiously.
"i'm an only child. my mother died when i was still in elementary school, and i lived alone with my father. he taught me the meaning of life and how to live properly, until he passed away when i had just entered junior high school. after that, i truly had to find my own living expenses. even so, i never thought about quitting school, even though i had to live all alone," roni explained, while trying to keep his composure.
listening to that story made miya feel sad. "i'm sorry, maybe i shouldn't have asked you to tell me about your village life," she said regretfully.
"it's okay. i'm not sad, look, i've been smiling all this time. i think that's just the path of life. i never complain or envy other people's lives. i also enjoy living that way," roni replied with a sincere smile.
the night grew deeper, and the weather became colder. the noisy sounds from bobi's tent had stopped; it seemed that bobi and seli had finished their activities.
roni pointed at the sky and said, "look at those stars, miya. they're very beautiful."
he continued, **"do you know? the stars in the sky teach us about beauty that continues to shine, even though they are separated by distance and surrounded by darkness. just like our lives; even though full of challenges and surrounded by difficulties, we must remain strong and radiant. because just like stars, our beauty appears when we endure in the midst of dark trials.
a star does not choose a bright night to shine; it shines wherever it is. be like a star, whose strength is not determined by circumstances, but by its belief in the light it possesses.
every star in the sky has its own light, small or big, bright or dim, all have their roles. so do we; whatever our condition, remember that we have a light that can inspire the world.
when darkness comes, look at the star. it does not complain about the darkness, but instead shines even brighter. in life, let every challenge be your reason to become stronger and shine more.
the stars in the sky never fall just because of a storm. be like a star—steadfast, shining, and always giving hope, even when the world sometimes feels dark."**
hearing that, miya smiled while looking at roni's handsome face illuminated by the campfire light. she didn't quite understand what she was feeling, but the point was she really wanted to stay with roni and spend time with him.
without realizing it, miya's head leaned against roni's shoulder. when roni looked at her, he realized that miya had fallen asleep. seeing miya exhausted and asleep on his shoulder, roni decided to carry her into the tent.
miya's beautiful face looked radiant under the reflection of the moonlight, making roni mesmerized. however, he only smiled and whispered softly, "you are truly beautiful, both your face and your gentle nature. i hope one day you find a partner who always makes you smile so that the beauty on your face will always shine."
roni carefully carried miya and covered her with a blanket inside the tent. however, when roni was about to leave to return to his own tent, miya did not want to release her grip on roni's arm.
roni tried to loosen miya's grip, but she continued holding his arm tightly. feeling very sleepy, roni finally decided to lie down and sleep beside miya.
that morning, the chirping of birds sounded melodious, accompanied by the sound of ocean waves and the gentle morning breeze on that beautiful beach. none of them had woken up yet, except roni.
roni looked busy catching fish with a simple spear he had made from makeshift wooden branches. meanwhile, bobi and seli were still fast asleep in their tent, embracing each other with not a single piece of cloth covering their bodies.
the day grew later, and the sun began to feel hot on roni's body as he continued fishing. his efforts since morning were not in vain; he managed to catch quite a lot of fish.
"this seems enough for breakfast together," roni muttered as he walked back to the shore.
he placed the fish he had caught, then began looking for wooden branches to make a fire that he would use to grill the fish.
"wow, where did you get so many fish?" asked bobi, who had just woken up and saw roni lighting a fire.
"from the sea, of course. do you think i went to the market to buy them?" roni replied jokingly.
"you're quite good at catching them. there are a lot," bobi praised.
"yeah, not bad. earlier i bathed while hunting at the same time," roni explained.
"sorry, i woke up late, so i couldn't help you," said bobi as he sat beside roni to help grill the fish.
"where's miya? is she still sleeping?" bobi asked, since he hadn't seen his sister yet.
"yes, it seems so. we slept too late last night. we talked for a long time," roni replied.
"since being with you, miya talks a lot now. unlike before. she used to be quiet and always cold. it seems she's finally found a friend to share stories with," said bobi while patting roni's shoulder as a sign of gratitude, because thanks to roni, miya had become cheerful again.
"if i may ask, why did miya become so quiet? was she like that since childhood?" roni asked curiously, remembering how miya was very quiet and often looked down while playing with her fingers when they first met.
"no. she used to be very cheerful. but since we moved to the city, she's always been gloomy and doesn't socialize much. many people tried to approach her, but i always stopped them. i don't like men who only want to take advantage of my quiet sister. miya is my only younger sister, so i have to know anyone who becomes her friend. especially since she's still innocent and doesn't fully understand city life, even though we've lived there for a long time," bobi explained.
"then why did you trust me so quickly to accompany her? you don't even fully know who i am yet," roni asked.
"i observed you from the first time we met. you seem suitable to be her friend. i admit, you're handsome. but not only that, your genuine personality makes me believe you're a good young man who can protect my sister. i only ask for one thing—make miya feel alive again. my parents and i have tried many times to bring her back to how she used to be, but we always failed," said bobi with great hope.
hearing that, roni didn't know what to say. bobi's intention was still not entirely clear to him, especially when bobi asked him to always accompany miya.
"don't worry. we'll be good friends. i'm actually happy that you're willing to accept me as a friend, even though i'm poor," roni said sincerely.
"alright, let's not talk about that anymore. roni, i have a job for you. would you like it?" bobi asked, changing the subject, knowing that roni surely needed a job to cover his college expenses.
"sure, that's perfect timing. i really need it. what kind of job is it? anything as long as it's lawful," roni replied enthusiastically.
"well, it's convenient. you're skilled in farming, right? so i have a job for you. for now, you'll work at my father's warehouse. your task is to manage the storage of our rice harvest. my father's business is growing rapidly, and we decided to add one more person in the warehouse section. you'll start there for now. how about it?" bobi explained.
"wow, of course i want to! when do i start working?" roni asked enthusiastically.
"i'll let you know later. i have to inform my father first. once you're ready, just wait for my news," said bobi.
"goodbye."
not long after, miya and seli came out of the tent. seeing seli come out, bobi immediately approached her and took a scarf to cover the visible red marks left from what they had done the night before.
"wait a moment, wear this scarf. cover your neck," bobi asked. seli immediately understood and accepted the scarf, then put it on.