City A, Indonesia
That night, a middle-aged man stood in front of a clean white house with a radiant smile he couldn't hide.
The simple but well-maintained house looked warm, adorned with flowers in the front yard. He wore a neat short-sleeved shirt with formal long trousers, typical of a humble father figure. Occasionally, he checked the watch on his wrist.
"Where is Mr. Antonio? He should have arrived by now," he mumbled softly, sighing, impatient with the wait.
That man was Santomo, the old friend Antonio was coming to meet today.
Not long after, the sound of a car engine was heard in the distance. A black car stopped right in front of his house gate. Santomo's smile widened further, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
"I think that's them," he said quietly, almost to himself.
With quick steps, he came down from the porch, opened the gate, and signaled for the car to enter the yard. The car tires quietly crunched on the paved driveway.
As the car door opened, the figure of the old man with a wooden cane in his hand slowly descended. It was Antonio, the old friend he hadn't seen for years.
From the other side emerged a tall, large young man, Aegypt, and from the front seat, a calm-faced man, Lexus.
"Wow... It's already night when we arrive," Aegypt thought to himself.
"Mr. Antonio... Welcome back to Indonesia," Santomo greeted him, opening his arms wide, his face full of joy.
"Thank you for the welcome, Santomo. I'm truly happy to be back here," Antonio replied, his voice slightly trembling, before embracing his old friend tightly.
The hug between the two friends from different continents felt warm. Although distance had separated them all this time, their friendship remained solid.
To Antonio, Santomo was like a younger brother. And to Santomo, Antonio was a wise older brother figure.
"How are you and your family? Is everyone healthy?" Antonio asked, patting Santomo's shoulder.
"All good. We are healthy, thankfully. How about yourself?" Santomo replied.
"Still blessed with a long life, that's more than enough," Antonio answered with a small laugh.
Aegypt, standing slightly behind, just watched, his face full of confusion.
"Grandfather speaks Indonesian so fluently. I don't even understand half of what they're saying," he thought with a snort.
Antonio glanced at his grandson. "You don't understand, do you? See, this is why you shouldn't always refuse when I tell you to learn Indonesian," he teased, raising an eyebrow. (Using Italian)
Aegypt just sighed in annoyance, not arguing.
Santomo chuckled softly, then turned toward Aegypt, "Sir, is this the grandson you often told me about?"
Antonio slapped his forehead, "Oh, right! I almost forgot. Santomo, this is my only grandson, his name is Aegypt."
Aegypt offered a thin smile and extended his hand for a handshake. He looked slightly awkward, as if he wanted to greet but didn't know how.
Noticing this, Santomo smiled kindly. "If you can't speak Indonesian, speak English. I understand a little," (using English)
Aegypt's eyes lit up with relief. "Oh, alright then. I'm Aegypt. Nice to meet you, Uncle," he said politely.
Then Aegypt and Santomo began interacting using English, the language they both understood.
"Nice to meet you too, Aegypt," Santomo replied with a distinct but warm accent.
Santomo then turned toward the other man who was almost obscured by Aegypt's large frame, "And that person...?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, he's Lexus. My personal assistant," Aegypt answered briefly.
Lexus offered a faint smile and bowed slightly as a sign of respect.
Warmly, Santomo immediately invited them inside. The living room was simple but cozy, with the aroma of freshly cooked traditional food. The table was already full of various traditional dishes.
"Please, have a taste. All of this was cooked by my eldest daughter," Santomo said proudly.
Antonio nodded, "Then, where is your daughter?"
Santomo gave an awkward smile. "She said she was going to take a shower, but for some reason, she hasn't come out yet."
Before they could continue talking, a cheerful sound of footsteps was heard from a room, followed by a woman's spoiled tone.
"Hello, handsome. Let me introduce myself, my name is Sinta. You can call me darling," a beautiful young woman said, looking at Aegypt with a flirty smile. She was Santomo's eldest daughter.
Santomo's face instantly flushed. "Sinta! Mind your manners! They are special guests. Besides, you already have a husband!" he scolded her harshly.
"But having a foreign husband is my dream, Dad," Sinta retorted while continuing to stare at Aegypt without blinking.
Aegypt instantly got goosebumps. The woman's gaze made his hair stand on end.
"Why is this woman like a fuzzy caterpillar? Does she have a birth defect?" he thought with a flat expression.
Santomo quickly turned to Aegypt, his expression full of apology. "Aegypt, please forgive my daughter. She's often out of control."
"It's alright," Aegypt replied with a stiff smile, clearly uncomfortable.
Sinta, instead, grew more curious. "Dad, why are you speaking in English? Can he not speak Indonesian?"
"No, he cannot," Santomo replied firmly.
"Ohh... I thought he could, like Grandpa Antonio," Sinta responded, finally nodding in understanding, though her eyes were still glued to Aegypt.
However, Sinta still looked at Aegypt with admiration, "Hmm... Blue eyes, thick eyebrows, dark brown hair. And, most importantly... that strong, muscular body. Even though it's covered by a suit, it's still visible. Ha... It makes me unable to resist," she thought.
To lighten the mood, Santomo immediately invited them to sample the available dishes.
Aegypt took a spoon of rice with the side dish and put it into his mouth. His expression instantly changed.
"Why does it taste so strange? It seems my palate just doesn't suit the food in this country," he thought, restraining himself from spitting it out.
On the other side, Santomo also put some rendang into his mouth. His expression was equally confused. "Why is this rendang so salty? And since when did yellow rice taste sour?" he wondered.
They both glanced at Antonio, who was actually eating heartily, seemingly unaware of the strange flavors.
"Wow, Grandfather's palate must already be used to the food here," Aegypt thought, amazed.
Santomo tried to break the tension. "Mr. Antonio, slow down. No one is going to take it," he joked.
Antonio laughed softly. "Forgive me, I'm truly enjoying this dish," he replied sincerely.
However, in his heart, Antonio was also momentarily perplexed. "Why does this food taste different? I remember it all being delicious before."
In between dinner, Antonio set down his spoon for a moment and looked at Santomo with a gaze full of warmth mixed with curiosity.
"Santomo, didn't you have one more child? Where is she?" Antonio asked, his voice calm but clearly making everyone at the dinner table pause for a moment.
Santomo let out a small sigh and then smiled. "Oooh, you mean Abel? She's currently on duty in the outskirts of the city. Her job often keeps her from coming home."
Antonio nodded in understanding. "Oh, no wonder I didn't see her. She was very beautiful as a child. I still remember her running around this yard, her hair in pigtails."
Hearing that, Santomo chuckled softly. "Hahaha, yes, that was Abel. But she's all grown up now, Mr. Antonio. You'll be surprised when you see her later."
Aegypt just listened with a flat expression. He didn't understand what they were discussing at all because Indonesian was still foreign to him.
Finally, he lowered his head again, trying to continue his meal, which tasted strange on his tongue.
"Ugh... I can't finish this food. My tongue is numb," he thought, staring at his spoon with utter misery.
Aegypt turned to his grandfather with a serious face. "Grandfather," he called softly.
Antonio looked over, smiling broadly. "What is it? Want seconds?" he asked teasingly.
Aegypt quickly waved his hand, his face panicked. "No! No need, I'm full," he answered hastily.
Antonio raised an eyebrow, clearly able to read his grandson's lie. "Are you sure? This is an amazing dish, though," he subtly hinted.
Aegypt looked down, then cleared his throat. "I... I'm going to find a hotel first."
"But you haven't finished your food," Antonio cut in, pointing to his grandson's still-full plate.
Aegypt sighed internally, then said, "Sorry, I can't finish it. I'm afraid it will get too late if I have to look for lodging."
Antonio narrowed his eyes, observing his grandson closely. "Hmm... It seems this boy just wants to run away from this amazing food," he thought, trying to suppress a laugh.