The GreenHouse

Life Before the Greenhouse I

"Mama!!" Areeq ran towards his mother with tiny, childish strides as she arrived at the kindergarten to pick him up.

"How was school today, sweetie? Did you have fun?" Alyn asked.

"It was so fun! We learned counting today. I'm already good at it because you taught me math, Mama. Whenever I visit Opah, we practice math too. See, I'm smart!" Areeq grinned proudly, holding up a paper marked with a red pen.

"Come on, let's go home. Mama's going to cook your favorite dish today-beef cooked in red sauce (daging masak merah). Do you want that?" Alyn asked, gently stroking her son's hair.

"Of course I do! Bye, Teacher! Areeq is going home now!" Areeq darted back toward his teachers, kissing their hands in respect. The teachers waved back warmly until the two were out of sight.

After taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes, Areeq walked into the kitchen where his mother was busy cooking his favorite meal. The house was decorated with beautiful framed photographs-iconic landmarks, majestic mountain ranges, serene sunsets, and the early morning sun greeting the horizon. The sweet aroma of vanilla wafted through the house, mingling delightfully with the savory fragrance of the simmering beef.

"Thank you, Mama, for cooking my favorite food. I love you so much!" Areeq said, wrapping his tiny arms tightly around Alyn's leg.

"If you really love me, remember-if it doesn't taste good, keep it to yourself, okay? Mama only accepts compliments ," Alyn teased, still stirring the pan.

Suddenly, the ringing of a telephone shattered the quiet atmosphere. Paris in the Rain blared loudly from the master bedroom.

"Areeq, can you bring Mama's phone here, please? I want to see who's calling."

"Okay, Mama!" Areeq scampered off toward his mother's bedroom with his short legs, rushing so she could answer it in time.

"MAMA, AYU IS CALLING!" he shouted, sprinting back into the kitchen.

"Answer it, Areeq."

"Hello?" Areeq spoke into the phone.

"Hi, Areeq! Where's your mom? Can I talk to her for a second?" The distinct clatter of Ayu's keyboard echoed through the receiver.

Alyn took the phone from Areeq, who promptly wandered over to the dining table since the food was ready. Wedgeing the phone between her ear and shoulder, Alyn asked, "Yeah, what's up?"

"Are we still meeting at the greenhouse? If not, I've got other things to attend to," Ayu said.

"Isn't that this week? Of course we're still going. Why? Is there another Bao Bao concert?" Alyn knitted her brows.

"Yeah. If we're not going, I'd rather skip it altogether," Ayu added.

"We're going. Come on, you can catch Bao Bao another time. He can wait."

"Okay, bye!" Ayu's voice cut off abruptly.

Alyn knew Ayu all too well-a die-hard fan who religiously followed every move her idol made.

"Mama, where are you going next month?" Areeq asked.

"Somewhere... but you can't come along, Areeq," Alyn replied, serving the food before taking a seat at the table.

Ayu was furiously typing away on her keyboard, aggressively replying to every comment mocking her beloved Bao Bao.

"My baby..." she muttered under her breath while typing continuously, refusing to stop until her fingers grew numb.

Feeling exhausted, she finally headed to the kitchen and grabbed her half-empty peach tea from that morning. She took a quick sip before slipping the cold beverage back into the refrigerator door. Glancing up at the kitchen clock, she saw it was already 1:00 AM.