A week later, Lisa had gotten used to working in a company that strangely had not received her warmly until now. But even more strangely, the other employees didn't seem familiar with each other either.

Since Lisa is also used to working in the administration department, her job this time is very easy. Even with closing her eyes, she was sure her work would be done in a matter of minutes!

Well, maybe those words were too exaggerated and arrogant. However, according to her, the workload is not too much. Even in just a week, she was one of the competent employees at the Better Life company.

Right at the end of the month, after Lisa got her first paycheck, she asked permission to take a few days off. The new employee should still not be able to take a day off, but the disgusting man allowed her to take a day off saying that it's the reward of good performance.

Since the day after tomorrow is Andien's wedding day, Lisa bought the plane ticket the very morning. Even though she tried to turn her attention to her endless work, her mind always drifted back to her friend. Until now, she still doesn't know why Andien had to get married so soon. Who does she want to marry? That woman never had a boyfriend.

Having so much thought made Lisa unable to sleep well. Every night, she considers when is the right time to ask Andien further. And finally, the woman got to the point where she decided to ask directly in front of her friend. Face to face, so she could see the look on Andien's face.

Shortly after Lisa took her small suitcase, her cell phone showed a call from Andien.

"Have you arrived yet? I'm already there, waiting for you!

"

"Are you crazy to pick me up today? Be patient, I'm still on my way!

"

And sure enough, when Lisa came out of the airport, she immediately saw her friend. That afternoon, Andien wore a long, dark blue sweater that fell below her buttocks. Black leggings adorned her legs neatly. In a short period of time, her friend looked emaciated.

"Lis, you've finally arrived!

" Andien greeted her, looking excited.

Lisa left her suitcase and met her in the middle. They let go of each other's longing by hugging tightly. The woman embraced Andien's body, which looked thin like a stick.

Not long after, Lisa let go of their tight embrace and stared intently at Andien's face. Her cheekbones were bulging, her eye bags were thick, and her eyes looked hollow.

"Why are you here?

"

Hearing this, Andien's eyes immediately turned red and filled with tears. At the same time, it made Lisa's eyes tear up. Instead of getting more and more attention from around, Lisa decided to tease her friend.

"Hey, you miss me so much that you're crying like this? Duh, I miss you too, I just don't want to cry like you!

"

Suddenly, it made Andien chuckle a little. She wiped the tears that flowed down her cheeks as she pushed Lisa's body away. Her short hair looked messy and tousled. This time, Lisa's adorable friend looked unkempt.

"Shut up before I stuff your mouth with trash! Let's go back to my house, my mother is in the hospital so it will only be you and me later at home.

"

Andien's sweaty palms then tugged at Lisa's wrists. They stopped at one of the taxi reservations and chose a car that could fit only 2 passengers.

"So, you are with me now?

" Lisa teased as she pulled her suitcase in front of the taxi they had ordered.

Actually, there are many questions that stay on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to ask why her mother was in the hospital. Why did she have to get married so soon? Who is the man who will be her husband tomorrow, and so on. But Lisa chose to swallow all her questions and teased Andien.

***

The city of Jakarta is always surrounded with heavy traffic and office buildings that look tall and majestic. Passing around the front of Hotel Indonesia, Lisa was immediately greeted by the Welcome statue, which looked aged. The busway lane that looks loose makes her want to take the bus instead of having to go through the busy highway.

Congested roads make the journey to Andien's house take approximately one hour. Andien, who was sitting in the passenger seat, immediately fell asleep on Lisa's shoulder.

Arriving at Andien's house, the two women chose to relax in the family room. But not long after, Lisa immediately approached Andien and started asking questions that had been making it difficult for her to sleep lately.

"Ndien, now you have to tell me everything. I mean everything, okay? Don't let there be anything that you don't tell me!

"

One thing Lisa has noticed since she sat next to Andien is that her friend looks different from the one she knows. 2 months ago, she could feel the aura of warmth emanating from the woman's body. But now, all Lisa felt was emptiness and confusion.

Seeing Andien's body that is getting thinned and her empty eyes makes Lisa feel that something is wrong.

Hearing Lisa's question suddenly made Andien's eyes turn red and teary. The woman lowered her head, wiped her tears, and began to explain.

"Please don't mock me after this, I'll tell you everything. I'm really confused and don't know what to do, Lis…

"

Lisa touched Andien's shoulder.

"Calm down, Ndien. You know that no matter what happens, you're still my friend, right?

"

"Yes, I know,

" Andien replied, looking at Lisa briefly. The woman looked down again and replied,

"So, you know that my family and I don't have enough money to pay for my mother's hospital fees, right? Her condition is getting worse and worse, and she has to be operated on soon. And I can't pay for it all, Lis. And if my mother doesn't have surgery…

"

Lisa was silent and let Andien calm herself down first before explaining. Now she knows why Andien's body is getting thinned and the bags under her eyes are getting thicker. This is all because of the burden in her mind that she must bear alone.

"My brother doesn't want to know what my mother and I have to do. So all the burdens starting from the hospital fees, surgery, medicine, is on me. My monthly salary is not enough to pay for it all…

"

The uncomfortable feeling came back to Lisa slowly after she heard Andien's explanation. Without mentioning that topic, she already knew the meaning of Andien's words.

"Don't tell me you're married because you can't afford your mother's medical bills?

" Lisa asked in disbelief while frowning.

"Andien Fatmawati, don't tell me you sold yourself to a rich guy?

"