The Traces of Destiny
Cinderella Cijengkol

One afternoon, Saraswati was driving through a historic industrial center about 3 kilometers to the east of the Gajakarta residential area, trying to keep her vehicle pace consistent. Even though he wanted to get the maximum benefit from his training. He has been an avid hiker the last few months since moving here.

It's hard to focus. Every time he looked out, something new caught his interest, something that made him pause and enjoy the scenery.

Since its inception, the city was developed for industrial estates. There stood several Industrial areas spread from the west side to the south side. Southeast Asia's largest industrial city is growing to be the prima donna of many foreign companies.

Not only as an industrial center, the region then also developed into an integrated city equipped with settlements, ranging from small-type settlements to large and luxurious houses. Community activity facilities are also diverse, ranging from golf courses to football fields. The availability of raw water sources is abundant with the water supply from the Kayuluhur Reservoir through Kaliuntung.

Being the most modern integrated independent city even though the industrial area only occupies a small part of the district land. As a thriving city that shelters Gajakarta, this place has a rich history and its own beauty.

Along the side of the road are the tabebuya and azalea flowers that bloom every summer before July, while the chrysanthemum flowers decorate September, likewise in open gardens planted with various types of flowers that partially bloom almost throughout the year.

When Saras first arrived, he toured to admire the beauty of the streets and gardens. Although the garden and plants had changed several times since then, he still felt happy living within walking distance so that he could pass through the area every day.

Saras moved into a modest apartment a few blocks away from the house his parents occupied. The apartment overlooks the main street and is only three doors from the old pharmacy where first kang Husen marketed the Capongtue drink, which later became known by his catchphrase Cap Wong Tuwe, Has Existed Since 1948.

On the street corner, there is a magnificent house of worship that applies the concept of modern architecture contemporary and environmentally friendly. The modern contemporary concept is characterized by the use of vertical and horizontal geometric elements that can be seen from the building of the house of worship, surrounded by towering magnolia trees. As Saras left his apartment for a walk, he passed both locations as he headed for the main street, where many industrial buildings have stood gallantly for decades.

What really impressed him, however, was the fact that most of the houses in the region had been restored one by one, which further exposed their economic class.

Unlike Cijengkol, which developed largely through grants from well-known foundations or generosity ahead of political campaigns. Gajakarta has relied on citizen participation and they have responded enthusiastically. This sense of community in nurturing the city's surroundings had captivated him, as had attracted parents here four years earlier. He knew nothing about Gajakarta until he moved to the city in June.

As he walked, he pondered how different Gajakarta was from Cijengkol, where he was born and raised, where he lived until a few months ago. Although Cijengkol has a rich history as well, it is a relatively isolated small town, uninterested in keeping up with the accelerating pace of life elsewhere.

There, people would wave as he passed them on the street, and any questions asked were usually asking for long, slow answers, often interspersed with references to people or events that have never been heard before.

Everything and everyone in Cijengkol seems to be connected in a special way. Usually, it was a good thing, but sometimes it made him feel a little overwhelmed. On the other hand, Gajakarta is a busy industrial city.

His parents moved to Gajakarta after his father became an administrator at Gajakarta Medical Center. After Saras divorce proceedings were completed, they started encouraging her to move out as well. Although she loves her mother, sometimes their relationship can drain her energy. Therefore, he delayed the decision for a year.

He realized that Gajakarta is not a city for singles. There are not many places to meet new people, and most people his age are married, with their own families. As in many southern cities, social order still had an effect on life here.

With the majority of people getting married, it is difficult for a single woman to find a suitable place or even to start a new relationship. Especially for someone who has just divorced and is completely new in this area.

However, Gajakarta is an ideal place to raise children, and sometimes when she goes for a walk, Saras likes to imagine that things turn out differently for her.

In the past, as a young girl, she always assumed that she would have the life she wanted: marriage, children, a home in the neighborhood where the family would gather on the weekend after a week of work. It was the kind of life she knew as a child, and it was the kind of life she expected to be as an adult. But life did not go as he had hoped. He begins to understand that things in life rarely happen as planned.

However, for a while, he believed that anything was possible, especially when he met Ardi Bakar. She is currently completing her teaching degree, Ardi has just received an MBA from ITB. His family, one of the most prominent in Cijengkol, has acquired their wealth through the banking world and is very wealthy and highly prioritizes the status of certain families and social groups.

They are the kind of ruling family that sits on the boards of various companies, as well as setting up rules in country clubs that are deliberately designed to distinguish them from those they regard as inferior.

But Ardi looked different. He seems to reject his family values and is considered a different person from other family members. When he entered the room, the heads of the people would turn to look at him, and the most charming thing was that he seemed indifferent to the views of others about him.

But, "indifferent indifference" is the keyword here.

Saraswati, like all her friends, knew herself how she was when she performed at the party, and she was very surprised when Ardi came to greet her that night. They are directly connected.

The short conversation turned into a longer conversation over coffee the next day, and eventually continued into dinner. Soon, they date seriously, and she falls in love. After a year of dating, Ardi finally asks her to marry him.

Her mother was very happy to hear the news, but her father did not say much, although he wished for her to be happy. Maybe he suspects something, maybe he's lived long enough to know that fairy tales rarely come true.

Whatever it was, he did not express his objections at the time, and to be honest, Saras did not take the time to question his father's doubts, except when Ardi asked him to sign a pre-marital agreement.

Ardi explained that his family was very considerate of that. Although he tried to blame his parents, Saras hesitated that if they did not exist, he would insist. Eventually, however, he decided to sign the agreement. That night, Ardi's parents throw a lavish engagement party to officially announce the upcoming wedding.