A Flavor to Love
19-3
“At last we got...,” Luna got out of the car and hooked her ten fingers and lifted her up. After a long struggle driving a car through the inner-city toll road connected to the Jagorawi toll road for an hour and a half and stop by the flower market to buy flowers that will be sprinkled on top of the navel, finally they arrived at a public burial place in the Bogor area which is the birthplace of his mother, Astrid. “Lumayan also yes Bi his journey for people like me who have not driven a car for a long time.”.
“Aunti has told Non to use the driver just now, but Non-nya still kekeuh surekeuh drive himself, but,” Ani sighed and tried to catch up with Luna to equalize her footsteps with the girl who had already walked in front.
“Aduh Bi Ani is still discussed about it,” Luna grimaced in response to the middle-aged woman. If Kirana were to say it, they would definitely be busy joking around and denouncing each other. Ah.., he almost forgot that the name had to be removed from his mind and mind. And the feeling of tightness as well as pain that he tried to get rid of earlier came back to his chest because remembering Kirana just as well reminded him of Daichi, his older brother.
As far as looking, only the expanse of gravestones standing upright represented those who had preceded Luna and Ani left the mortal world. They immediately stepped foot onto a tombstone bearing the name Astrid Medina. All the way to the tombstone, the expanse of colorful frangipani trees accompanied every gravestone they passed through like a protector and dye from the gloomy and sinister atmosphere that became a general picture for most of the living human beings like it until the end they came before the gravestone they were looking for. Luna was quite astonished by the remaining sprinkles of flowers that had not dried perfectly united with the soil on the navel. Who was the last person to visit his mother's navel considering Grandpa and Grandma from each side Papa and Mama long gone?
“Almost once a month Mr. Daniel visits the navel of Bu Astrid to pray for her,” Ani who catches Luna's astonishment immediately explains.
“Serious Bi? Bi Ani is not joking with me is it as if Papa is a loving husband with his wife?” Again Luna felt a small surprise unexpected by her. Photo frame on the buffet table and now this. Has he misjudged his own father?
“Alas Auntie once said that Mr. Daniel does not love Ms. Astrid, Non?” Ani scrunched her forehead.
“But based on Mama's diary and what I experienced myself it can be concluded that Papa never cared at all with Mama and I, Bi,” Luna tried to defend her opinion.
“I knew Mr. Daniel much longer before Non Luna was born, so I know better how his character actually,” Ani squatted next to the white marble belly button with the middle left in the form of soil. Seeing Luna who was still silent was fixated with a face between disbelief and wanting to cry that he was sure he had been detained since from home, making a knotty smile on his old face while pulling Luna's left hand as a code for the girl to squat like herself. “Come on, we sprinkle the flowers and pray for Ms. Astrid. After that Non Luna can convey all the feelings that Non wants to convey to Bu Astrid. Non no need to worry, this time Bibi will leave Non alone because Bibi sure many things that Bibi does not have to know.”
“Bi Ani..”
***
“Remove your ego that you place too high, not always you are on the right side. Sometimes the one who helps you solve problems is the one you hurt because of your ego. Do you not know that saying?”
“What deal do you offer?”
“I will help to solve the complicated problem that is like a tangled thread between the Senpai family and the Luna family so that Senpai can return with Luna on the condition that Senpai must approve my relationship with Kirana.”
He already guessed! Daichi's ten fingers tightened between willingly and unwillingly releasing his sister to be with Akio. “Unfortunately a smelly child like you has any experience to help me?”
“Puffh.., hahahahaha…,” Akio laughed when the words ‘anak kencur’ smell that he had not heard back echoed in his ears and a tremendous surprise in Daichi's eyes that his juniors could laugh off as well. Apparently, Kirana's presence was quite influential on the changes that she believed were extraordinary until it could be what it is today. “What Senpai forgot that I am the CEO of QLONE, the largest retailers in Asia and Europe including Indonesia in it so that it has a network with SOE companies engaged in port logistics to make it easier for my company to enter goods there? And as long as you know Senpai, Daniel Putranto who is the father of your lover Luna is Commercial Director at one of the logistics companies owned by SOEs Indonesia who cooperate with me in providing Freight Forwarding services.”
“Are you kidding right now?” Daichi's eyelids grew as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. How could such a coincidence happen? Even my logic cannot even suspect it..., what exactly is Your plan, Lord…?
“I never joke about Kirana, Senpai,” Daichi said with firmness. “Because I really love your sister that.”
“Playboy like you can love just one girl? Have you been eating the wrong medicine?” A look of disdain was behind Daichi's slanted smile.
“Senpai by yourself how? Isn't Senpai also the same as me who changed because he had found a woman who managed to make you leave that dark world?” Akio unscrewed the bottle of Whisky and poured the drink into an empty Daichi glass. “If you think back on the actual oath of absorbency that Kazuto uttered first is a form of affection for us to realize that we have gone off track from the path of life that should be. Did Senpai not notice it?”
Daichi pensively tried to digest the speech that was thrown from Akio. It may be true that God heard Kazuto's prayer first realizing that the life they had been living was wrong. Even his mother had repeatedly protested against him but never hounded by him because he felt arrogant and had the right to live what he wanted since his father made him the legitimate heir of Matsumoto Global Group.
“I'll meet you with Mr. Daniel and let you guys speak one-on-one as a Father and a man who loves his daughter,” Akio continues his talk. “But your success depends also on the blessing of your parents, are they willing to be the children of people who have tried to destroy their relationship used to enter the Matsumoto family? It all depends on you Senpai..”
***
