Independence Day had arrived, commemoration events were held everywhere. The entire alleyway was crowded with people gathered in a series of festive competitions.

The children looked happy and happy with their games. Some were joking while cheering their friends racing in the field using rice sacks.

Some teenagers worked hand in hand to pull the rope so it wouldn't fall on the other side. What a festive day!

That evening, Kumala was seen preparing for dinner that she would hold together with Bella and Lisa. The middle-aged woman was busy in the kitchen preparing the ingredients. She had to start early so that when the sun had set and the night replaced the cheerful morning face, all the dishes were ready to be served on the dining table.

Early in the morning, Bella and Lisa were supposed to help Kumala in the kitchen to prepare everything, but Bella seemed to be still fast asleep in her room. The girl had not slept this well since she was in college. She would not waste this golden opportunity.

Lisa knocked on Bella's door several times, but there was no response at all.

"Bella! Wake up now! A young woman shouldn't sleep around this hour!

" Lisa teased from behind the door.

"You're really old school, Sis!

" Bella replied irritably. She growled and went back to sleep.

"Come on, wake up and help me buy groceries at the market! Come with me to the market now!

" Lisa shouted through the door.

Bella ignored her and kept quiet, pretending to be asleep so that Lisa wouldn't force her out to the market.

'Seriously? Why can't I have my peaceful sleep this holiday?' Bella thought.

Kumala walked over to Lisa who was upset because of Bella. The middle-aged woman patted Lisa's shoulder and said,

"Just let her be, she's tired. She's been sleeping only 3 hours a day this week because of her thesis!

"

"Then who will help you, mom?

" Lisa asked, feeling worried. It's not that she doubted her mother's ability to cook, but she was afraid that her mother's diabetes would recur and then something bad would happen.

"You can help me first. Later, when Bella wakes up and isn't tired, she can help me too!

" Kumala explained softly.

'Ah, Bella is really spoiled by Mom.'

Hearing her mother's explanation, Lisa chuckled and sighed.

"Fine then, here let me help you. Wanna buy anything at the market?

" Lisa asked.

"Please buy me 2 kilos of beef, one chicken, and this is basically everything on this grocery list. You just have to follow it,

" Kumala handed over a piece of paper in a slightly hard to read handwriting. Lisa narrowed her eyes trying to understand the ruffled row of letters.

"Ugh mom your writing is messy,

" Lisa exclaimed spontaneously.

"I'm old, honey. I hope you understand,

" her mother replied innocently.

After that, Lisa grabbed her jacket and hurried to the market on foot. The atmosphere that afternoon was so festive. Colorful lights adorned the streets and alleys around her house. Red and white ornaments stretched from the end of the alley to the top.

The laughter of small children running around carrying red and white flags decorated the atmosphere that afternoon. Every now and then they waved the little flag they were holding cheerfully.

Seeing a sight that she had rarely seen lately made Lisa a bit stunned. The little children were happy living their carefree life as if their biggest burden was just the math homework.

Ah, Lisa longed for that time. But her childhood was not as happy as many kids had it. If it weren't for her father, she might still have good childhood memories she could keep.

While walking down a busy street, Lisa took a deep breath and looked around. How happy she was to see the happy faces of the residents around in this once a year event.

Arriving at the market, Lisa bought all her mother's groceries. Unfortunately, the meat that her mother asked for was only half of what they had left, so she couldn't help but come back with what she got.

When Lisa returned home, she immediately went to Kumala in the kitchen and handed over her mother's shopping.

The middle-aged woman took all the ingredients and arranged them on the table.

"You only have this much meat?

" Kumala asked in surprise.

"Yeah, is that not enough? How many people will you invite later?

" Lisa asked back.

"Not much, just 4 neighbors with you. If Rangga is here, maybe it's not enough.

"

Lisa was immediately stunned when she heard her mother mention Rangga's name. Her heart started beating fast. Her mother still didn't know that Rangga had confessed his feelings to Lisa not long ago.

Lisa hoped her mother wouldn't ask further about Rangga.

"Oh, he's not here, Mom. Rangga is doing business out of town for a month,

" Lisa said, hiding her feelings a little awkwardly.

Her mother only nodded in return and then went back to cooking for dinner.

In the late afternoon, the food was almost ready, but something was missing.

"Lisa!

" Kumala called from the kitchen aloud.

"The meat you bought at the market this afternoon was not enough to feed 5 people. Just try to buy it at the supermarket!

"

Lisa nodded, she put on her jacket again and walked to the nearest supermarket. Finally, she found the beef that her mother had requested.

After leaving the supermarket, Lisa paused to breathe. It turned out that it was quite tiring to walk from the house to the supermarket which was almost 1 kilometer away.

As she stood in front of the supermarket door, Lisa saw two familiar figures. The figure stood not far from where she stood. Lisa took a step toward the figure slowly, trying to keep them from spotting her.

It was true, she saw Rangga and Bella chatting to each other.

Seeing the two people talking made Lisa confused. Wasn't Rangga out of town!? Why was that man in Jakarta talking to Bella?

Lisa didn't know what the two of them were talking about but she could see a big, happy smile on Bella's lips.

Lisa was also watching closely at the way Bella looked at the tall, slender man. Her sister looked at Rangga in a very unusual way. Bella looked at him with a cat-shy look and her eyes always sparkled with joy whenever she met him, as if Rangga was a handsome prince who had come to pick her up.

Lisa didn't want them to know her whereabouts, so she immediately hid behind a tree, still monitoring the two of them.

She didn't want Bella to do stupid things that could endanger herself. Bella was not a child anymore, but she didn't want her sister to approach Rangga and confess her love for him. No, Rangga was an adult who was mentally and financially mature, while Bella was still a girl who barely knew what it meant to be in a romantic relationship!

After Rangga finished talking to Bella and left the girl, Lisa went straight to Bella and said,

"Hey! What were you doing?

"

Bella was surprised to hear Lisa's voice and saw her sister's face, which looked displeased. She could only smile slightly as if she was a mouse deer caught stealing cucumbers.

"Eh, Sis Lisa .... Why are you here?

" Bella asked, pretending to be stupid.