You, the Whisper Across Lifetime

Chapter 5: My Life Is Never Ordinary

My life has never been ordinary.

Though I was raised in a traditional family, I've taken a different path. Now, at forty years old, I'm a single, working mother raising two sons on my own. We live in Jakarta—this loud, chaotic, endlessly moving capital city. It's not always easy, but somehow, it works.

A few years ago, I left the rigid nine-to-five office job and switched to more flexible work. The income is about the same, but the freedom it gives me is worth more. It's not an abundant life, but it's stable. My little family is doing okay—and that's good enough.

My eldest son chose to attend a boarding school in a nearby province. He's fourteen now and still in middle school. My younger son, who is on the autism spectrum, is homeschooled. He's drawn to music, so I hired a private teacher to help him with violin and piano.

They're only a year apart, and people often say they both look a lot like me. Fortunately, they didn't inherit my petite build—both are tall for their age. The younger one's chubbier and playful, while the older is more reserved and leans toward the nerdy side. If I may say so… they're both handsome. Maybe I'm biased. But I'm their mother—so I get to be.

They seem calm and well-behaved now, and I'm grateful for that—because when they were younger, it was a whole different story. Back in kindergarten and primary school, they were like walking whirlwinds. Always climbing trees, walls, furniture—whatever they could get their hands on.

Their school uniforms got torn so often I was stitching something back together almost every weekend. To help them release all that boundless energy, I enrolled them in swimming lessons. It gave them an outlet. And gave me a little peace.

While people often say I'm a good mother, I can't say I'm someone with particularly good traits as an individual.

Since I was little, I've known I was psychic. I saw things others couldn't see. In my teens, I started questioning religion and eventually embraced spirituality on my own terms. I'm a loner by nature, though I'm grateful for a few close friends who've stayed through the years.

I taught myself how to read palms, and over time, friends and acquaintances started seeking me out for it. Word just spread on its own.

But when it comes to love… that's a different story. I've never been good at finding—or keeping—romantic partners. Not because I'm incapable of love. In fact, I've fallen for a few men in my life. But each time, there was always this voice in the back of my mind that whispered, "This won't last."

And most of the time, it didn't. I've had boyfriends here and there, a year or two at most. Then it would fizzle out.

Call me stupid, but I've never been the type to nag or cling when someone's heart starts to change. Not out of pride or ego, but because… I just don't like the hassle. If something's not meant to work, then I'd rather accept it and move on.