Chapter 134 - Living in San Francisco (1/2)
Finland finally left for the United States and said goodbye to Singapore.
For 4.5 years she had regarded the city as her home. She had no fond memories of Jakarta, and aside from Singapore, she did not feel that she had a place to live. All her life she felt alone and alienated, therefore, for her to move to a new place was not too scary.
HR had prepared an apartment for her in Chinatown area and, while getting to know her new city, Finland decided to live there. Her office was located in the Financial District not far from Chinatown.
The first few days after arriving in San Francisco, Finland tried to walk around the area of her residence to recognize the surrounding environment. San Francisco was very densely populated and was never devoid of tourists. She was a bit surprised because she had never lived in a city full of tourists like that before.
The apartment was simple and close from a variety of Asian food stalls and supermarkets. It was also located near a beautiful park. She saw a lot of Asians in San Francisco, which made her feel like she was in Singapore again. Her apartment was located not far from her office, so she could walk to work every day. Finland initially felt that her new life in United States wasn't too bad.
LTX International in San Francisco had one department that did not exist in Singapore, namely the Market Research Department. This was a department that Tony founded with his own efforts. He made use of the knowledge he obtained from his Masters in finance.
This department conducted researches for various international companies who wanted to invest in the Asian market. They had research specialists for each region. Because the Indonesian market was increasingly eyed by investors, market research from various industries was in higher demand.
They sought and invited experts in each field to source insight for investment companies and hedge funds management companies interested in investing their funds in the Indonesian market.
Tony, who was impressed by Finland's work while in Singapore, felt that the girl would be the right candidate to help him in the research department when he moved to San Francisco. Finland was trustworthy, she really liked working and she would never forget Tony's kindness who gave her this opportunity.
”How are you?” Tony asked on the first day they came to the new office.
”I'm still adjusting to the climate here. It turns out that San Francisco is very cold...” Finland said. ”But I can manage the rest.”
”I know you said I don't have to give you special treatment,” Tony said to her. ”But I'm not a heartless person. You can ask for special treatment or extra leave if you need it. I don't mind as long as you do a good job.”
”Thank you, Tony...”
Unlike in Singapore, Finland soon made friends in the San Francisco office. There was no evil girl like Meilin here to speak ill of her to everyone. Tony also made sure the staff in her department treated Finland well.
There were 8 staff in total in the Market Research department and they were all very busy. Only two people were under 30 years old and Finland soon became friends with them.
Anne Lee and Lucia Mendoza were very sympathetic when they found out that Finland was pregnant, and they took turns bringing healthy food so that the thin girl could become fatter. Their kindness touched Finland's heart and slowly her sad face and thin body began to get better.
Finland never stopped finding updates and information about Jean, but until five months after she moved to San Francisco, the man was still unconscious from the coma. She slowly gave up and thought that it was time to let Jean go.
Finland was eager to go to Paris and visit Jean at the hospital, but her pregnancy prevented her from flying. She hoped that Jean could survive until a few months after her child was born so that Finland could visit and say goodbye one last time...
”When do you want to apply for leave, Finland?” asked Anne as they ate lunch in the office. She pointed at Finland's already big belly. ”Your pregnancy is almost 9 months, right? Are you still walking to the office?”
”Yes. The doctor said when the pregnancy is on its late term, I should walk more, so that the baby will go down quickly and I can give birth normally.” Finland answered. She rubbed her protruding tummy lovingly.
Since moving to San Francisco, she felt a little better. She liked walking to the office, as taught by Jean. The cold temperature in San Francisco made walking a fun activity, unlike walking in the hot Singapore. Her nightmare had slowly gone, and every time she thought of the baby in her womb, she felt happy.
Soon Finland would no longer be alone. She would have her own family as soon as her child was born. The baby in her womb was what gave her the strength to survive until now.