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The Malaysian sun rose with fervor, but didn’t alleviate my anxiety. However, I was relieved to see an olive-skinned woman with a cherubic face approach. Dara’s black eyes widened with concern and her forehead furrowed when she saw me.
“Natalia, why are you sitting outside?”
“Dara, my parents are gone, and I can’t find them anywhere.”
Her eyes narrowed, but she was speechless.
“I called Dad’s cell, but he didn’t answer.”
She nodded.
“Their car is gone. Should we call the police?” I asked.
My housekeeper shook her head firmly, but then said slowly, “Your parents went on a business trip.”
“A trip?” I asked with skepticism.
“A secret trip,” Dara whispered carefully, which made me think she was lying. However, I was eager to believe her.
“When will they return?”
“I’m not sure Natalia, but you need to leave Kuala Lumpur right now.”
“How can I do that? I’m only fifteen and have three years of high school left.”
“Do you know how much money is in your parents’ safe?”
“I have no idea,” I exclaimed.
“We should find out,” Dara ordered as she headed upstairs to my parents’ room.
She opened the closet, pulled clothes to the side, and revealed a small safe.
“What’s the code?”
“No clue,” I responded.
“Figure it out and get the money. Then, go far away from here,” Dara firmly instructed.
“Where do I go?” I asked softly.
“I don’t know, but you don’t have much time. You need to leave soon.”
I reluctantly opened the safe after testing different numbers. I wasn’t surprised to discover that the code was my birthday: 06 - 12 - 83. According to Mom and Dad, 1983 was a tumultuous year because of U.S. relations with the Soviet Union.
In the safe, I found some cash and jewelry.