Sweatpants and a gray hoodie were a comfortable choice after a day of rain. Half an hour ago, Mrs. Erika had called Ryan and asked him to come over. It had become customary for Ryan to answer the phone call. At first, Ryan was hesitant because it was cold outside due to the heavy rain that had just subsided. If he had a choice, Ryan would rather have hot weather than the current cold.
Ryan had been waiting for about five minutes for his neighbor's door to open. It was too cold, so he stuffed his DSRL into his hoodie pocket and his hands. His rubber house slippers apparently needed replacing; there were already rips along the edges, and the socks he was wearing didn't look like his original pair. Ryan agonized over how long he had waited before realizing he was talking to himself about his sandals and socks. It had been too long waiting in the cold weather after the rain.
Ryan, a 19-year-old with a melancholy face, waited in front of Mrs Erika's house, who hadn't answered the door despite his knocks. Just then, Amelia arrived from school, wearing a cardigan covering her body, as usual. Opening the gate of her house, which inevitably squeaked, made a very disturbing sound. Ryan acted as usual, his mind filled with confusing compulsory courses, not to mention his strict lecturer. Amelia was there and had seen Ryan when he arrived home. When he stepped onto the terrace floor of his house, the young man was silent as usual, his jaw muscles were stiff, looking down at his toes, which were clad in socks. They were less than a meter apart, and Ryan could smell Amel's perfume, fresh, spicy and floral. The girl wore a perfume that almost matched his own, soft and fresh.
They had never been this close, just a few centimeters, wouldn't it have made it easier for Ryan to say hello? But Ryan no longer dared and looked down at his toes. This was funny. Ryan wanted to laugh at his stupidity even though Amelia was right in front of him. Without Ryan realizing it, Amelia had just seen Ryan's smile, for that one second, the corners of his lips lifted into a mocking smile. Was there something wrong with her? Was something funny? Amelia thought, annoyed, and searched for the spare key she always carried in her backpack. "Click, click," the door lock sounded. Apparently, Amelia had the key and entered without inviting him to come in.
"Mom... Mom's photographer is here!" Amelia, still holding the doorknob, shouted to her mother in the house, startling Ryan. Their eyes locked, and then they staring at each other. That look always seemed unfriendly, appearing like that, giving the impression of being grumpy and unfriendly, is it because he often comes to her house to be asked by his mother to take photos and share them on the blog she created some time ago. Amelia doesn't open the door wide, only leaving a small gap in the door she opens.
"Why? There's nothing wrong with that," Amelia thought as they exchanged glances, then left Ryan standing there, leaning against the wall of the house.
"Tell him to come in, Mel," Amelia's mother, Mrs. Erika, replied from further inside the house. Amelia didn't care and leave Ryan like that, disappearing behind the wall of another room.
"Ry," Mrs. Erika, Amelia's mother, greeted from behind the door and opened it wider. "It's been a while, sorry, I'm praying. Marni didn't hear you ring the bell. You only rang once," said Mrs. Erika, inviting Ryan into her house, which was more or less the same as him, differing only in a few corners and the paint on the walls.
Mrs Erika's kitchen design was very different from Ryan's. The kitchen was tucked away at the back, a corridor separated by a sliding glass door between the kitchen and the family room. The back terrace served as the kitchen area, directly adjacent to the dining room. The roof was a transparent PVC canopy, making the room appear brighter and more spacious. The parquet flooring gave a luxurious and comfortable feel. The wooden and aluminum kitchen set looked neat and clean, but looked messy on the other side, with piles of cardboard boxes containing baking ingredients, oil, and kitchen utensils, from large to small, looking unaesthetic.
From the moment Ryan entered, he could smell the aroma of baking bread. As he entered the kitchen, it was clear the bread had just come out of the oven. "What kind of bread are you making this time, Ma'am?" Ryan asked curiously, immediately sitting down on a chair in the dining room. Mrs Erika then opened the beautiful cloth covering her warm bread, fresh from the oven.
"Taraaa. Melon pan," said Mrs Erika, presenting the round bread with a top resembling a melon rind. "Taste it, Ry," Erika immediately carried out her order. Ryan tore into the still-warm bread, not really smelling melon, only a slight melon aroma, perhaps that's why it's called melon pan.
"Delicious?" asked Erika, curious but already confident that her cake was guaranteed to be delicious. "Delicious!" Erika was very confident. "It's just as delicious as the ones from the shops or the malls, right?" Erika's eyes lit up with eagerness, as Ryan loved her homemade cakes, just by nodding his head, indicating they were delicious. Then, the second beautifully shaped loaf of bread had celery on top. Ryan took a bite, and the aroma and flavor of garlic immediately filled his mouth. What made it so delicious wasn't just the garlic, but the melted cheese inside.
"Shall I try them all, Ma'am?" Ryan asked with a smile, his eyes falling in love with all the loaves. The loaves on the other tray were also round, but with a red bean filling and a glossier outer layer. Erika made Ryan hot tea, which he always had available whenever he visited.
Thanks to taking a professional Japanese baking class almost every week, Mrs Erika was avidly baking bread, even though she previously specialized in making pastries for parcels, hampers, and Eid gifts.
"So, which one do you want to photograph first, Mam?"
"It's up to you, Ry. Some of them will be in the same frame, Right? They'll all be in the same frame, but on different trays."
"Ooh.Okay, Ma'am."
"Can I?"
"Of course! I'll get everything ready, Ma'am." Ryan got ready. "Oh, do you still have the props from yesterday? So, let's just use the theme like yesterday."
"Oh, that's okay, Ry. I'll come with you."
Ryan prepared the props he'd used previously. Kitchen utensils, decorations, and backdrops that could be used to blend in with the previous photos. While taking photos, Ryan could hear Amelia's footsteps descending the stairs, the sound of her flip-flops making a noise with each step.
Ryan adjusted the lighting so that it illuminated the breads placed on the wooden tray on the table. Amelia was there, and she never spoke to Ryan, so the silence between them was a familiar feeling.
"Want to eat, honey?" Mrs Erika greeted, watching the photos unfold. Then, approaching her daughter, who was about to eat, Mrs Erika took a plate, as it was closer to the shelf. She let Amelia open the rice cooker and put the side dishes on the table.
Ryan could see Amelia, amidst his camerawork, staring at a tray filled with various breads, all aesthetically pleasing and themed. Amelia wore a loose-fitting t-shirt, visible from the material. She wore shorts that didn't match the shirt, emblazoned with a blue Stitch character. The girl had the same fair skin as both of her parents.
Ryan was alone in the house in the afternoon, his father was on duty and only left a small note in front of the refrigerator door about dinner that was already in the refrigerator Ryan just had to heat it up. Ryan already understood, he was used to enjoying his time alone since his mother left him. Then three years ago his older brother decided to live alone because he got a job in Singapore.
The doorbell rang while Ryan was happily eating spring rolls dipped in sauce. It felt so good to finish five of them all at once, not to mention the dim sum he was heating. He would be full without having to eat rice. Ryan was too lazy to open the door and ask who was visiting so early in the afternoon.
When the door opened, Ryan was standing in front of Amelia, holding a bowl of chicken pieces in a soup. Ryan was surprised, this was the first time he had been this close to Amelia. Her face wasn't sullen, but she looked shy.
"This is from Mom," she said, handing him the bowl, covered in condensation-covered plastic wrap, which was still warm.
"Ooh," Ryan accepted it, still surprised; usually, it was Erika or the housekeeper who delivered food. But this time, Amelia herself.
Amelia signaled that there was sauce left near Ryan's mouth, but Ryan didn't understand until Amelia pointed to her mouth twice more, pointing to it.
"Oh, sauce. I was eating lumpia," Ryan said, embarrassed, wiping the sauce stain with his hand.
Amelia expression was flat and direct immediately turned away, even though Ryan wanted to thank her, but the girl had already go back.
"What's this?" Ryan asked about the the food in the bowl is a bit foggy, the plastic lid is closed and the bowl still feels warm.
"Garangasam," the girl said, turning around, which Ryan liked because this was their first time talking.
"Garang Asam"
"Hmm," the girl turned around again and closed Ryan's iron gate. This was the first time she had delivered food to his house. Her hand was on the bowl, and Ryan smiled to himself as he remembered the sound of her calling out the dish's name. If that's the case, he won't be eating the dim sum; he'll have warm rice and side dishes that the girl gave. Ryan went inside to put the side dishes on the dining table. Then he remembered that he hadn't closed the door.
"Ehh...wait," said the girl next door before Ryan closed the door. She was shaking gently the chili sauce in a small plastic container. "Sambal," she said from behind the wall.
"Huh?"
"The chili sauce. Here!"
Ryan approached the girl forgetting sandals to leave the house then he go to meet her.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," she said, getting off the wooden stool he was using as a foothold to look at his next-door neighbor. Because the wall separating the house and his height were low than him, he could continue to see that girl, until she entered the house. She is cute and adorable and Ryan saw the wooden stool that the girl used to make her body taller, he was growing increasingly fond of the girl, not only beautiful but also friendly, as his voice had just sounded. "You're welcome," Ryan repeated. "She's not mean, then."