The Journey of Jinan

Chapters. 20

Evardo Rafandra, a twenty-eight-year-old Turkish man who migrated to Europe at the behest of his father. Ardo's father deliberately gave the youngest child the freedom to live independently with only one car, a simple rental house for two months, and food money worth Five hundred Lira.

For Ardo who used to live with abundant wealth, the money and facilities given by his father was very meaningless. But in order to gain the father's trust to lead his company which is now worldwide, Ardo is willing to change his lifestyle to be much simpler than before.

Because of his above average intelligence, four years of living in Germany and also have known and worked on important people of the world, he said, now Ardo can be said to be what the father wants.

The success that Ardo meant was not financial success or he had a business that could match his father's business. The success that Ardo meant was, with him being able to handle two big businesses owned by his father's rivals who would someday become his business rivals as well.

During these four years, Ardo has twice been an accomplice of important business people who settled in Germany. By being an accomplice to those important people, Ardo indirectly already know a little secret of the company owned by his rival. Even the strategy of people who often play in the underground world was never spared Ardo's view because one of the former bosses he had followed was part of the dark people.

If it is to be honest, it is not money that Ardo seeks during his work with the underground men, but experience. An experience he will never get again after he decides to quit the dangerous job. With that experience, Ardo believes that he can make his father's company become more powerful than before because he already knows some things that ordinary people should not know in the business world.

...

Ardo's journey in search of life experiences stopped one month ago. One month ago Ardo was asked by his father to return to his home country. But Ardo abandoned his intention to go home at that time, he asked his father for permission to stay one week longer because he wanted to spend his last time in a restaurant that has recently become his favorite place to eat.

The restaurant serves Asian specialties that Ardo has never eaten during his life in the world. Simple foods that can make him eat up to double the usual eating schedule he eats every day.

Ardo's last one-week schedule in Germany has become a mess because his favorite restaurant is now implementing a slow order system at lunchtime, as well as dinner. Which is where he had to wait a little longer for the sake of eating some of those simple dishes. But because he had no choice but to be patient, Ardo finally remained faithful waiting because this was his last week to be able to taste the delicious food.

The last two days before Ardo returned to Turkey, he returned to visit his favorite restaurant at lunchtime. But when he arrived there, Ardo was surprised by a writing board that explained that the restaurant was in a close order.

Resisting his regret, Ardo knocked on the glass door that had just been closed by a woman in clothes sweeping the floor. No need to wait for long, the woman immediately turned around and opened the door that turned out to be unlocked.

Before saying anything, the woman smiled at him. The brief smile that succeeded made Ardo forget his regret. I don't know, for Ardo the smile was like magic that made him forget whatever was around him. He was stunned for a few seconds while staring at the long-hijab woman's shady face. Until when the woman flicked her finger in front of her face, then she realized her daydream.

"Can I help you?" ask the woman.

"Oh, yeah. Is the restaurant closed?" ardo asked, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

"Our restaurant is still open, only for food reservations is closed until the next thirty minutes. If Master wants to order a drink while waiting for our chef to finish praying, our barista can serve you now."

Ardo scrunched his forehead. "Two days ago you implemented a slow order system, why is it now a close order?" confused tanya.

"One of our chefs is on holiday, and the other two chefs are currently praying, sir."

Ardo had not yet heard the woman's words, his current gaze even fixed on the woman's distended stomach which now attracted his attention.

"Master?" call the woman by shaking her hand in front of Ardo's face.

Not wanting to look embarrassing because it was too lazy to look at the woman twice, Ardo finally acted cool.

"Why should they be together, can't they take turns to pray? Not everyone who wants to eat here will wait for this kind of thing" Ardo protested.

The woman smiled back. 

"****, can't this woman not smile. I can go crazy if I linger in front of this woman," Ardo's mind is upset. Even the woman's words did not hear Ardo because he could not control his uncertain feelings. He also had no idea what he was feeling at the time.

As he walked into the restaurant, he caught hearing the voice of the woman who was mocking him in Indonesian. Ardo frowned then turned to look at the woman with an unfriendly look.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything, sir," the woman said evasively.

"Do you think I'm deaf?" ardo said in Indonesian.

"You can speak?" ask the woman.

Instead of answering, Ardo instead went away from the woman with a faint smile.

...

Until at night, Ardo's thoughts about the hijab woman in the restaurant never disappeared from his mind. And with the pressure, Ardo finally let out a little of his ability to find out the background of the woman.

"Jinan" muttered Ardo as he stared at the woman's profile on his computer screen.

It was quite surprising for Ardo to find out that the woman was a widow. Growing curious, Ardo finally finds out a little more about the life of the woman named Jinan.

For almost three hours Ardo sat in front of his computer screen just to investigate the life of a simple woman named Jinan. And unknowingly too, during finding out about Jinan's life, a thin smile was always pinned on the handsome face of the man. A smile that didn't know when it was the last time he put it on his face.

...

The next day, Ardo returns to meet Jinan at his favorite restaurant to invite the woman to work together. Not working together as usual business people do, but working together with the aim to get the heart of the restaurant owner. Jinan.

Ardo doesn't know if he's sure of his feelings or not. But for sure, he was sure that the woman was the best woman he had met during his life besides his mother and sister. He does not know Jinan, but he has a fairly strong filing for the woman named Jinan.

Two weeks in a row, the rejection sentence he always got from Jinan. The woman turned out to be quite firm in her stance that does not want to play a marriage just for the sake of success. That clearly makes Ardo more sure of his goal to get the heart of the hijab woman.

And the other thing he was proud of from Jinan was, because the woman was so prioritizing her God even though she had to sacrifice her wealth. And that is also one of the characteristics of the favorite daughter-in-law whose mother likes. Hopefully if he manages to get Jinan later, his family can accept all the shortcomings that Jinan has, including the baby in the woman's womb.

...

Two days ago, Ardo was confused because Jinan's restaurant closed suddenly without news the previous day.

"Did he close the restaurant?" inner Ardo.

Ardo shook his head. "I better come back tomorrow. Who knows tomorrow Jinan's restaurant has reopened," Ardo murmured convinced.

And the next day when Ardo returned to visit the restaurant, it turned out that Jinan restaurant was still closed. Ardo had asked the restaurant's closure to the owner of the shophouse on the left right side of the restaurant, but no one knew what happened to the restaurant.

As Ardo was about to enter his car, he saw a man and a woman opening the door of Jinan's restaurant. He thought the restaurant would be opened soon, but after half an hour of waiting, Ardo never get the trali and the door of the restaurant is open even though at least. Out of curiosity, Ardo finally approached the restaurant.

Just want to knock on the glass door of the restaurant, it turns out that two people who had entered the restaurant are now out of there.

"Excuse me" Ardo said, reprimanding the two men.

"Yes?" sahut the man.

"Why hasn't this restaurant been open for three days?" ask Ardo to the point.

"Sorry, Sir. The restaurant is in the process of being refurbished, so the restaurant will have to close temporarily. And tomorrow we're reopening" one woman explained.

Ardo scrunched his forehead, repairs? Although not satisfied to ask, but Ardo just nodded his head. Ardo said goodbye and immediately got into his car. Without thinking about it, Ardo drove his car to his apartment. Tomorrow he will return to this restaurant to meet with Jinan.

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