After meticulously organising the counter and carefully accounting for the morning's takings, the pharmacists slated for the afternoon watch began to arrive in steady succession.
Dewi, the esteemed head pharmacist of Koba Baru Pharmacy, was the first to enter the room.
She stepped in with an amiable smile, her presence instantly bringing a gentle warmth to the space.
"Good afternoon, Mel. Good afternoon, Ocha," she greeted, her voice both bright and sincere.
"Good afternoon, Dewi," came the almost simultaneous reply from Rosa and Melati.
Shortly thereafter, Rasya, a pharmacist of some experience, followed by Wina, the newest addition to the team, made their entrance.
They offered polite greetings before settling in to prepare for their shift.
"How has the day fared? All quite uneventful, I trust?" Dewi inquired, a playful note threading through her tone.
Melati and Rosa exchanged a quick glance before releasing a collective sigh, the weight of their shared experience evident.
"Thank God, it has been a smooth day, Dewi," Melati answered with a measured calm.
Yet Dewi's brow creased with mild perplexity, "Smooth, you say? Then why do you both bear such weary expressions?" she pressed, curiosity tinged with concern.
Rosa was quick to respond, "The sales were steady enough, but there was a rather troublesome lady. She lodged a complaint that was most vexing."
"A complaint, you say?" Dewi leaned in slightly, her interest now fully engaged. "Do tell me more! What exactly transpired?"
Rosa commenced her explanation, with Melati interjecting from time to time to add detail.
They recounted the incident of a lady who had arrived, vexed by the fact that the Incidal medicine she had purchased had not alleviated her itching, but rather exacerbated it.
Melati went on to relate how a young gentleman had taken it upon himself to intervene, patiently elucidating the matter to the distressed woman.
After a protracted exchange, the lady had at last consented to depart, appeased by the young man's careful explanation.
"Oh, so it was the young man behind the mask, was it?" Dewi remarked, nodding knowingly.
Naturally, Dewi was well acquainted with Felzein, as he frequented the pharmacy often.
"I never would have imagined it was him… Thank heavens he was there to assist you," she added with genuine relief.
After a moment's reflection, Dewi made a firm decision, "If that young man returns, do grant him a discount or perhaps offer the medicine free of charge. Should the cost be under a hundred thousand rupiah, simply waive the fee," she declared.
"And if it exceeds that sum, then halve the price," she continued with resolve.
Melati and Rosa exchanged surprised glances, "Are you quite serious, Dewi?" they asked in unison.
Dewi nodded, her expression resolute, "Indeed, no trouble at all. Now then, let us proceed with the shift handover," she urged gently to Melati.
As head pharmacist, Dewi carried the responsibility for the shift, while Melati, as assistant pharmacist, needed to submit her report before leaving.
Once the handover was complete, Melati prepared to depart, while Rosa remained briefly, exchanging words with Dewi.
Through the large glass window of Koba Baru Pharmacy, Rosa spotted a familiar figure, Welly, Melati's boyfriend.
A tightness gripped her chest at the sight of him, and the long-suppressed dislike she harboured surged anew.
Her fists clenched unconsciously. She had never accepted the way Welly treated Melati, her dear friend.
Every harsh word and cruel act from him stoked a fierce, silent rage within her.
Yet, she restrained herself, maintaining a calm exterior, though her heart yearned to confront him directly.
Melati, sensing the tension, trembled slightly.
Memories of the previous night overwhelmed her, the repeated slaps, the lingering marks on her cheek, cruel reminders etched in flesh.
Dewi, Rasya, and Wina remained blissfully ignorant of the darker truths concealed beneath the surface.
Unaware that Welly harboured a violent streak towards Melati, they saw only the cheerful facade.
It was Rosa alone who harboured a growing unease, a quiet intuition that all was far from well.
So when Welly stepped through the doors of Koba Baru Pharmacy, Dewi greeted him with genuine warmth, unclouded by suspicion.
"Oh, Welly, here to fetch Melati, I presume?" she inquired, her smile gentle and welcoming.
Welly met her gaze with a practiced ease, his own smile light and easy, "Ah, Dewi. Yes, I'm here for my beloved," he replied with casual confidence.
Dewi chuckled softly, the teasing lilt in her voice unmistakable, "Well, it seems your affection grows stronger with each passing day."
Rasya and Wina, spectators to the cordial exchange, exchanged glances before offering their own quiet smiles, swept along by the convivial scene unfolding before them.
Melati's hands curled into tight fists at Welly's affectionate words.
A fierce tide of fury surged within her, threatening to break free, yet she held it firmly at bay.
The urge to retaliate, to strike back and repay every cruel blow, gnawed at her, but she was but a fragile woman, powerless in the shadow of his dominance.
Meanwhile, Rosa fought the rising nausea stirred by Welly's tender nickname, 'my beloved.'
To the casual observer, Welly appeared the epitome of devotion and kindness.
Yet to Rosa, he was a wolf cloaked in the softest fleece, a mask of falsehood so vile, and an act so masterful, that only those blinded by ignorance remained deceived.
"Darling… Shall we?" Welly cooed the moment he caught sight of Melati stepping out from the dispensary at the rear of the pharmacy.
Melati made no reply. She merely stood, drawing a long breath from behind her mask, summoning what little strength she had left to steady the turmoil churning within her chest.
Rosa, watching from the side, felt a sudden, almost primal urge rise within her to protect.
Something unspoken in her soul stirred, insisting she could not allow Melati to leave with Welly. Not like this.
In one swift motion, Rosa moved forward and placed herself squarely between them.
Her smile was graceful, composed, but beneath the surface, it was sheer performance.
"Welly," she said sweetly, "Melati will be coming with me today. We've something on."
There was no room for debate in her voice. It was not a suggestion, but a quiet decree.
Welly's expression faltered. His gaze flicked toward Melati, searching her face for explanation, for dissent.
But Rosa was already one step ahead. She reached out discreetly and brushed Melati's hand, an unspoken plea. Trust me.
"I-I'm sorry, darling… I've made plans with Ocha," Melati murmured, her voice barely more than a tremble, but her words resolute.
Welly's brow furrowed, "Plans?" he echoed, scepticism creeping into his tone. "What sort of plans?"
Rosa did not hesitate. She tilted her head with mock nonchalance and offered the first lie that came to her tongue. Smooth, deliberate.
"My anniversary. First one. Surely you wouldn't keep me waiting on that."
Welly's frown deepened, his brows knitting together in evident confusion, "Your anniversary? You mean your birthday?" he asked again, as though the words might rearrange themselves into something more sensible the second time.
Rosa gave a light, almost musical laugh, though beneath the surface her nerves twisted like a storm-tossed ribbon.
"No, not my birthday," she said, her tone airy. "Our anniversary, mine and my boyfriend's. It's been a whole year today," she added with a smile that felt like porcelain. Polished, pretty, and perilously close to cracking.
The truth was, Rosa hadn't crafted this story with any foresight.
It had leapt from her lips like a reflex, an urgent fiction spun from instinct, born out of the sheer unwillingness to let Melati fall back into Welly's orbit.
Welly exhaled, the sound laced with suspicion, and turned a scrutinising gaze on Melati.
"Strange... I didn't know you had a boyfriend. Melati never mentioned anything about it," he said, his tone soft, but the question lingering heavy in the air.
Melati froze, visibly unsettled, the lie weighing down on her tongue before she could even form a reply.
But Rosa was quick. Fiercely quick.
"She only found out this morning," Rosa interjected, her voice light but unwavering, as if it were the most mundane fact in the world.
All she could hope now was that Welly wouldn't prod further. That, for once, he would take something at face value and leave.
At that very instant, Felzein appeared once more at the threshold of the pharmacy, his strides brisk and unhesitating.
He had arrived on his modest white scooter, which he parked with a hasty precision before striding purposefully towards the entrance of Koba Baru Pharmacy.
The chime above the glass door barely had time to finish its note when he pushed it open and entered with an air of quiet urgency.
Without a word of greeting, his sharp gaze landed squarely on Rosa.
"Ocha... Where's the Sanmol? You forgot to pack it, didn't you? The order's still short," he said, lifting a plastic bag filled with various medications as evidence.
But before he could utter another syllable, Rosa, ever quick on her feet, spotted a golden opportunity to salvage her half-spun tale.
Turning gracefully toward Welly, she put on a radiant, saccharine smile and declared with the ease of a seasoned actress.
"Welly, there you are! And here he is, Felzein, my boyfriend," she declared, as though unveiling a long-kept secret. "We've just celebrated our first anniversary."
The smile remained plastered on her face like fine porcelain, while Melati, standing nearby, drew in a sharp breath, silently praying that the charade would hold just long enough.