LIFE IN ONE PAGE

Blatant Truth

°•~Happy Reading~•°

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The afternoon heat was relentless, pressing down on the city like an iron lid over a simmering pot. Siti wiped the sweat off her brow as she adjusted her small warung's umbrella. The smell of frying tempeh and steaming rice filled the air, blending with the distant honks of motorbikes and the rhythmic clang of a nearby blacksmith's hammer.

Across the street, Mr. Darto, the neighborhood's self-proclaimed expert on everything, leaned against his rickety stall, waving a newspaper in one hand and sipping his tubruk coffee with the other. "Did you hear, Siti?" he called out, voice loud enough for half the street to hear. "The governor is promising lower prices again. As if we haven't heard that before!" He chuckled dryly.

Siti smirked as she stirred a pot of sambal. "Ah, Mr. Darto, if words were worth as much as rice, we'd all be rich."

A few customers chuckled, but one man at the corner of the warung scoffed. "You think that's bad?" He was a young office worker, his shirt slightly damp from the heat, tie loosened around his neck. "My boss blatantly favors his nephew for a promotion. I've worked there for five years, but apparently, family ties are worth more than effort."

Siti nodded sympathetically as she handed him a plate of uduk rice. "It happens everywhere. Even here."

She gestured toward the competing warung across the street, where Mrs. Rina, a woman with an ever-present smug smile, was serving customers. A new, shiny banner hung over her stall: Now Selling Homemade Vegetable Rice Cake—Best in Town!

A lie, Siti thought bitterly. She had been making vegetable rice cake for years, and everyone knew it was Mrs. Rina who had first come to her asking for tips on perfecting the dish. Now, Mrs. Rina acted as if the recipe had always been hers. The blatant audacity of it all made Siti's stomach churn.

But Siti wasn't one to dwell on anger. She exhaled slowly and turned to her customers. "You know what? Let's make today special. Extra sambal for everyone, on the house!"

A cheer erupted, and the office worker grinned. "That's the kind of fairness we need."

Mr. Darto raised his cup in salute. "See, Siti? This is why we eat here. Not just because your vegetable rice cake is better—but because you don't need to brag about it."

Siti smiled, the tension in her chest loosening. Some things didn't need loud proclamations. The truth was best served quietly—one warm, flavorful bite at a time.

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°•~THE END~•°