When Eliana returned to the Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta that night, she imagined that her grandfather's footsteps on the same floors, in the same hotel, after climbing the same mountain, would have ... [+]
Orange streetlights dip in and out of view through the tinted windows in a car I've never seen before. The vehicle vibrates with the fervor of a falcon, churning with effort along the long black road.
"How are you doing?" I ask. But the driver must be lost in thought, because he says nothing. I see nothing but neatly combed dark hair, the outline of a cheek and the silhouette of an ear. I wait for a moment for his reply but hear nothing.
Oh well. I turn back to the window to watch the city melt past. Orange streetlights in and out of view. It has been a long day and I cannot recall the way home in this big city. It's a good thing I gave this driver my address. It's a good thing he can find the way.
My phone shakes and lights up. A new message from an unknown number.
"Hello," it says. "This is your Uber driver. I'm waiting out front."
"How are you doing?" I ask. But the driver must be lost in thought, because he says nothing. I see nothing but neatly combed dark hair, the outline of a cheek and the silhouette of an ear. I wait for a moment for his reply but hear nothing.
Oh well. I turn back to the window to watch the city melt past. Orange streetlights in and out of view. It has been a long day and I cannot recall the way home in this big city. It's a good thing I gave this driver my address. It's a good thing he can find the way.
My phone shakes and lights up. A new message from an unknown number.
"Hello," it says. "This is your Uber driver. I'm waiting out front."