ALPENIA (The Cruel Small Town)

A Hugs To The Mother

Annisa is confused, between feeling relieved because her father is not at home, and feeling burdened because his plan will be delayed. He immediately approached the mother, because he did not usually get a message from the woman like today, who told him to go home quickly.

"What's up, ma?"

Suddenly her mother shows her a divorce document thrown on the table, "mama wants to sue your papa for divorce."

Annisa was a little surprised by what she had just heard, unexpectedly at her mother's sudden steps. Because all this time, he thought his parents were fine, even looking very harmonious and happy.

Not getting any response from her daughter, Silvia again asked, "what do you think?"

Annisa's mouth was still gaping, only to reply soberly, "yes-a-ku, don't know. But, why did you suddenly decide this?"

"From the beginning, Mama wants to get out of your papa's hands. However, my mother thought of you who loved her very much. Until your father gets out of jail, you feel free to decide," she still left Annisa clueless.

"Oh, okay. But, what reason did you want to split up for?"

"Annisa, mama doesn't want to when you hear this, you hate your papa even more." Silvia's words stopped. After all, the man was the father of his daughter.

"Continue, ma!"

"Your father is a selfish man, he always wants to be heard, all his requests must be obeyed. When she was alone with her mom and no one else was watching, she was often physically and verbally abusive." With a pain-bearing voice while recalling the bitter thing she had been through, Silvia could only bitterly smile.

Annisa who just found out about this was clearly more shocked and upset. Apparently, his father had a lot of masks that made him think that he was the best man in the world. And now, as the mask came off one by one, the hatred for his father gradually grew steadily.

When she was a child, Annisa wanted to have a lover or life partner like her father, because she considered very romantic when treating her mother, the type of man "gentle" would. Apparently, all his father's sweet treatment is just a veil of falsehood to hide all cruelty and savagery. Now, Annisa hopes to be kept away from such a figure in her life.

Annisa hugged her mother tightly. "If this divorce makes you feel a little happy, I'll be supportive."

When all children are faced with divorce parents will feel sad and chaotic, in contrast to Annisa who fully supports her mother to achieve happiness by leaving the bad man.

***

Unlike usual, Intan who had just returned home, saw her mother crying while daydreaming. It was too strange for Intan who used to see her mother with eyes full of anger or a high voice when she looked at him because she came home late.

Finally, the girl could not help but approach her mother, only to see more clearly, not to ask her whereabouts.

"You're home late, son?" Cantika greeted her daughter gently, making Intan shudder. Her mother's voice had not been heard in the past two years.

Intan did not answer, and just stuck in silence.

"Today Rahma's nineteenth birthday, we should make a festive party if she is still there," Cantika explained, making Intan start to pay attention.

"Yes, I just came from his grave" said Intan coldly. Every time his mother talked about Rahma, he would feel upset, because he still did not accept when Rahma said the last words to him mentioning that their mother was evil. So, he still held suspicion of Cantika until now.

"Later in the evening, we'll cut a cake to commemorate Rahma's birthday, okay?!" bring Cantika.

With a gulp of saliva, Intan tried to hold back his words that were residing in his chest so as not to come out of his mouth. But he could not resist his frustration for a long time, that was not his skill. If it is emotional, it will voice it as honestly and as vividly as possible.

"Cliches. You don't have to pretend to be sad. Shortly before she died, Rahma said that she was evil. I've said many times, I suspect that mama has something to do with my sister's death." With overflowing emotions, Intan began to get ready. Because usually when he expresses those words, will be reciprocated by his mother with a slap hard enough on her cheek.

But this time, in front of him, he saw his mother growing tears, and with a cry that began to sound, "you are right, here is the guilty mother. Mama shouldn't have said those nasty words to your sister on her last night."

The words of his mother made Indan curious, "what does mama mean?

"Mama doesn't want to tell you about this. But, our relationship has come a long way, just because of all the money misunderstandings happening." Cantika tried to stop crying by wiping away the tears on her cheeks. He still managed to catch his hunting breath.

"On the night Rahma killed herself, she claimed to be pregnant," Cantika explained, making Intan gap in surprise.

"Mama was as surprised as you are now. But, with the importance of the ego and prestige of the mother in this city, the mother forced her to abort her womb," continued Cantika back in tears. He did not dare to look at Intan who was in front of him.

"Your brother was very angry, he refused my request and instead planned to elope with his girlfriend. However, you yourself know that Indra, the father of the child your brother was born with, was in a car accident and died the same night as your brother." Cantika again stopped, regulating emotions that began to be irregular.

"When you heard about Indra's death, your brother lost hope. She didn't want to be a family disgrace, and she didn't want to lose her child. Until finally, he locked himself in the room and decided to die with his son," concluded Cantika really made Intan stunned.

The girl did not expect her suspicions so far turned out to be very much different from the truth. She hugged her mother, who did not want to stop crying, trying to calm her.

A moment later, Cantika let go of her daughter's embrace, and headed for her room about to pick up something. Upon his return, he gave her a cell phone covered in plastic, "Hape Rahma Mama kept it all this time. Only mom, dad and the cops know what's going on. Mama doesn't want the evidence there to spread to the general public, because she doesn't want your sister to be a gossip. In fact, I'm not letting you or Ikbal know about this."

Intan grabbed and turned on the phone, first in dikonya is a gallery full of selfies of himself and his late brother in the past, seen smiling broadly looking cheerful without burden. Intan smiled remembering each of those happy moments.

Continuing, she looks at the messaging app, and finds evidence of her brother's conversation that forced Indra to elope after revealing her pregnancy.

But the Rahma's past message was answered by a heart-wrenching type. The one who retaliated was not Indra, but a father who was sad because he claimed to have just lost his son in an accident.

Intan's smile faded and turned into sadness. The message struck his heart, and made his own eyes glaze over.

"Every day, mama cas hape it. When the night can't sleep, you always look at the photos of your children, and end up remembering your sister's last words that made her desperate."

Suddenly, Intan hugged Cantika's body, something neither of them had done for the past two years, feeling very warm and relieving. "Udah Ma's. Mama doesn't have to blame herself. It's all happened, I should apologize for being so prejudiced." He hugged the mother's body in tears.

"We have both done wrong. Now it's time to end this fight. Rahma must want us to make peace." Cantika let go of her embrace, before a moment later re-captured her daughter.

Ikbal, who had just arrived inside the house, caught the awkwardness in his eyes, threw his school bag on the floor and ran in a hurry. He joined the two special women in his life, "well, follow his embrace dong!" she said cheerfully. He felt relieved, seeing his mother and sister reconciled, after two years of fighting each other over Rahma's death.

The warmth lasted for a long time when the three of them excitedly made a cake together, to commemorate Rahma's birthday.