Chapter 17 - The Expensive Roaming Call

Andrea actually did not really want to move to Singapore, but the job offer at this IT company was very attractive to him. He could experiment with many platforms and develop various digital security programs.

Such opportunities did not exist in his home country. He also chose Singapore because of its close location. He could go home once a week to visit his mother if necessary.

His last interview with the user who would become his manager took place very warmly. Both quickly found a deep connection between them as they discussed various existing cybersecurity trends.

Joe was one of the few people who hold CISSP, ISSAP, ISSMP, and CSSLP security certifications, and he inspired Andrea to follow in his footsteps. He praised Andrea as a genius and managed to convince him to start working immediately and move to Singapore as soon as possible.

Andre's Employment Pass* was immediately processed by the company, and he received confirmation exactly a week later.

Andrea was provided with accommodation in a hotel for two weeks by the company as soon as he arrived in Singapore, so he could have enough time to find an apartment. As a man who was simple and did not have much stuff, he came only with a suitcase.

Later, when he found a place he liked, he would move from the hotel to his new apartment. The salary given for his position was quite good, and Andrea could choose a place to live alone.

Some of his Indonesian colleagues chose to save on accommodation costs by sharing an apartment together and saving a large portion of their salary, but Andrea was a loner who considered his privacy more important than saving.

On his second day in Singapore, Andrea decided to start looking for a suitable apartment. His head immediately felt dizzy to see so many ads and choices on various property platforms. His boss advised him to use a property agent to help him, but still, there were too many agents to choose from, and he was confused.

He almost threw his cellphone to bed because he was annoyed when suddenly there was an incoming call, and on the screen, he could see the name Ludwina.

In a hurry, Andrea caught his cellphone before it reached the mattress and pressed the accept call button. He managed to land on the bed with his cellphone in hand and immediately calmed his panting breath from the surge of adrenaline.

"Hey .. Hallo, Wina. How are you?"

In his heart, he praised himself for being able to speak in a voice that sounded normal. In the past month, he had been thinking a  lot about her and was tempted to call her so many times. Unfortunately, Andrea had no excuse to contact her because Ludwina already "recovered".

Andrea was not good at making excuses. Unlike Ludwina, who could suddenly come up with her physiotherapy BS.

"Good news ..." came Ludwina's crisp voice at the other end. "My legs are completely healed, and now I can even jog if I want to... Haha."

"Good to hear."

"I can go and watch movies again. There are so many good films that I want to watch in the cinema."

"That's good. I'm happy for you."

"Uhmm ... What are you doing?"

Andrea looked at his computer and sighed. "I'm looking for an apartment. I don't have the talent to do this."

"Where are you looking for an apartment? Do you want to move?" Ludwina asked in amazement.

"Singapore. I've accepted a job here and just moved yesterday. I'm still living in a hotel, and I'm looking for a place to stay. Too many choices, I don't know where to start."

"Oh ..."

For two minutes, there was no sound of Ludwina. Apparently, she was still shocked at the news of Andrea's unexpected move and could not find the right words to convey her feelings. Andrea waited patiently until the girl spoke again.

"So... you've moved to Singapore ..." finally came Ludwina's voice softly. "Which area is your office in?"

"In the Financial District," Andrea answered. "Marina area."

"Oh ... Do you want to live in an HDB or an apartment or a condo?"

"What is the difference?"

While listening to Ludwina's explanation about the differences in the three types of housing, Andrea suddenly realized that Ludwina had called his Indonesian prepaid number. He hadn't had a chance to stop by SingTel to get a local SIM card.

Andrea did not know how much credit remained in his Simpati number, but he would not let the call disconnect suddenly for running out of credit. He quickly opened i-banking and topped up while listening to Ludwina's chatter.

"OK, I'm fine with living in an HDB or an apartment. The important thing is the place is comfortable." Andrea said, finally drawing conclusions.

"But do you like working out or not? HDB has no gym and swimming pool facilities. Someone like you might be more comfortable working out in the apartment building facilities, rather than having to go to a sports center outside. You don't like crowds."

Inwardly Andrea felt touched because it turned out that Ludwina quite understood him. Indeed, he was a loner and did not like the crowd.

"You're right. Then I'll just look for an apartment, make some must-have item lists and give it to the agent so that they could shortlist the options and I just need to see a maximum of 3 units," he said in the end.

"Yup. You're busy, don't waste time looking for apartments on your own."

"How do you know so much about Singapore? Have you ever lived here?"

"Hehehe ... not really. I used to go with Mom to Singapore every weekend for shopping. That was until I felt bored with Singapore. I haven't been there in two years actually.  I prefer traveling to other countries," Ludwina answered. "Our house in Singapore was sold because I stopped coming there."

"Oh ..." Andrea's hope of seeing Ludwina in Singapore, vanished when he heard that the girl was not interested in coming there.

Instantly his mind became clear. He remembered that he shouldn't have been thinking about Ludwina, much less hoping to be her boyfriend. Their worlds were so different, like heaven and earth. The girl was born in a wealthy family and, in her life, had never experienced any life struggles.

"Where was your house located in Singapore?" Andrea asked casually.

"It was in the Beach Road area. It's not too crowded, but it's close to important places. I think it's very strategic," answered Ludwina. "Wow, by the way, congratulations on your new job. Hopefully, you will enjoy living in Singapore. It's very convenient because public transportation is good. They have MRT and reliable buses. Not too bad. It was also perfect for walking because the sidewalks are wide and smooth. I just can't stand the heat."

Andrea then remembered what Adeline said several years ago. After they graduated from college, Adeline wanted Andrea and her to move abroad because, in developed countries, you couldn't really tell the rich from the poor. Everyone could take public transportation because a car was not really needed.

"Thank you. I think I will enjoy living here," Andrea said.

"OK ... well, I guess ... good luck!"

"Thank you, Ludwina."

After he hung up, Andrea sighed and looked out the window of his hotel, trying to guess where the Beach Road area was.

In Jakarta, Ludwina also hung up with a sad face. She slumped her butt on the sofa in her room while trying to remember something. Then she gasped and pressed her lips. She just realized that Andrea's number she just contacted must be in roaming. Gosh...

That must have been a very expensive call for him to receive...

Ludwina immediately felt ashamed because she did not think about how expensive it was for Andrea to receive her call, but she just kept blabbering for so long. She just realized that she was quite selfish and had been used to only thinking about herself.

"Gosh ... should I transfer the money to cover roaming fees earlier?" she thought in confusion. After a while, she decided that offering money to pay for the call would only make the situation worse.

Ludwina was very upset with herself.

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*] Employment Pass (EP) is a work visa for professionals in Singapore given to foreigners.