Finding a Place to Belong

Chapter 3 - Feel Comfort

"Hey, may I sit here?" inquired Alia politely, pointing to another swing right on the left side of Reno.

"Yes, sure," answered Reno with a little smile, to give a kinder attitude.

"What a tiring game, isn't it." Alia started the conversation to comfort him here.

"Ya, especially the sun is right above our head. Never knew the sun could shine this bright, probably too bright, till the heat pierced my skin." Reno just showed his voice to Alia and she was a bit surprised by it.

"Agreed, but you know, sometimes it is hotter than this, it must be contrasted with London, right?" Alia mentioned London on purpose, trying to find a related topic.

Reno smirks a bit, staring at the ground where his feet are treading right now. He didn't respond to Alia immediately, but he was first drowning in his memories that noon, playing snowballs with his friends. For no reason, that nostalgia looked too real, he remembered every second of it like it was happening just yesterday. His words were stuck in his throat, and after taking a deep breath with a much more relaxed mind he replied.

"Hmm, sure, and I am still processing what is truly happening. I was never ready to move here. I am not prepared to face the reality that I am with you and the others playing engklek. Something a hundred person unfamiliar, and I have been wondering who I truly am, where I belong to, in London or here?" whether he is aware of it or not, he explained his feeling that long for the first time.

"I understand enough what you are going through, I have never experienced it, but it must be so hard to separate from your previous life. Especially since you lived in London, my teacher said is a developed city, I can visualize it, a bit." She responded to Reno based on her own knowledge and full of empathy.

"I don't want to compare, but yes, I miss my life there already, anyway, thank you for your understanding, Alia, thank you for inviting me to join with the others. Actually, it makes me feel better right now. It is more fun than I thought to play engklek with you all." Reno really meant it, a smile appeared on his face, much more friendly than before.

"I am happy to hear that, Reno. I know you struggle to find who you truly are, and what I can say is no matter where you are right now, whether in London or Indonesia, we are all here different in our own ways, and that is not immediately determined by our identity. You can be the person who fits in London, also you can get along well here with us. I hope you can live at the moment, enjoying what it is in front of you, no worries. You have each other now, let us know if need a hand. Glad to see you join us, Reno." Perhaps, that is all she can do to help him feel better.

"Very kind of you all, I really need to hear that, Alia." He wanted to say many thank you very much, yet he lost for words.

That cold swing he sat on earlier feels warmer now, not because of the sun's heat, but because Reno's emotions did. His heart has softened, starting a sense of eagerness. He opens himself up to the possibility of belonging, starting to feel warmer inside, a sense of connection more reachable. Indeed, it is not an instant process, but with support from people around him, sooner or later Reno will find he is own way to accept reality.

As the sun goes down, they disperse themselves to their home. The sunset emits its vibrant colors across the sky. Reflecting Reno's journey he discovered that belonging could blossom in the most surprising place he never even dreamed of exploring.

Before he lifted his feet from this very spot, he looked back, smiling gladly, ready to explore his identity.