Biohazard's Catastrophe: Death's Hallway
Pamit Auction Dusk
Eight days later, the,
Pasundan Regency Bogor City
“Please enter, Brother Ardana. Hasn't Brother come here in a long time? I heard Big Brother works in this city too, huh?”
The young girl with a sharp nose who wore a green collared T-shirt with light blue jeans invited Ardana to enter. While walking, the host immediately rained down with various questions. Ardana who was already poulting out of her head about the character of the person next to her was just stalling a smile. She knew him as Lellyta Mariana. The young girl of high stature who is now studying at the medical faculty of the University of Indonesia is indeed younger than him, four years under the age of Ardana.
Eyes that are slightly wide with a slightly tapered face supported by white skin color make its appearance similar to those of European descent. Ardana knew where the tanned black haired girl had gotten such a physique. According to inherited stories, one of Lellyta's maternal ancestors was a VOC employee from Denmark.
Ardana spread his gaze around them. The atmosphere of the large house with whitewashed walls and natural rocks still remains the same as he last visited it four years ago. The house that gave him the memory of someone who had lived in it, and was once one of the special people in his heart. His last glance fell onto a row of family photos in the front room. Both of his eyes were fixed on one of the photos of a girl whose face was slightly similar to Lellyta's.
He closed his eyes and turned his face away from the photo. There was a slight claustrophobicness that suddenly appeared. The person in the photo left memories in his heart.
“Kak Ardana?”
“Eh, i—iya, now Sister is working in this city. Yeah, so you can be close to you too. If you are still in Jakarta not necessarily able to visit here often,” replied Ardana quickly. Lellyta's rebuke instantly made her mind crumble.
“Why Brother don't just accept Mami's offer to stay here?” ask Lellyta.
Ardana just shook her head slowly. “Unthinkable, unless later there is no boarding house or rent that is a good location to live in and not too far,” he said.
“So Sister is still home and away between Jakarta and Bogor?” Lellyta glanced over curiously.
“Yes, don't want to. As before when still often come to this house,” replied Ardana while looking at the girl.
“Ya already, Sister told Mami herself,” reply Lellyta relaxed.
The two now moved to the back of the mansion. Where there is a small garden with a fish pond and a pot of bonsai plants with interludes of beautifully arranged flowers. The green landscape refreshes anyone who sits there. This place is one of Ardana's favorite places every time you come to visit. Not much has changed, except for the growing number of ornamental fish in the pond.
A middle-aged woman sits on a wooden chair right by the pool while enjoying green tea while reading a health magazine that comes out once every two weeks. He was wearing a white shirt outfit with black long formal pants. The doctor's white coat covers his upper body. Her hair that still looked black and slightly choppy was left unraveled. From a distance Ardana could tell that the age of the woman had passed the number forty-five. Still younger than other mothers, she thought.
“Mami, see who came?” Lellyta preceded and immediately hugged her mother from behind.
The woman that Lellyta called ‘Mami’ just turned her head while frowning.
“Who, Lyta?” tanyakanya.
Lellyta did not answer. He just gave Ardana a hand code to get closer. Ardana just smiled and walked towards the fish pond but not too close to them.
“People are near us, Mam!” show Lellyta.
Ratna Prasetya looked back. Ardana smiled a thin smile while nodding slowly. Realizing who had come to his house, the middle-aged woman looked delighted. He folded the magazine and got up then approached Ardana.
“Ardana... Oh my goodness, how are you doing, son? Long time you did not come here,” welcome him friendly and very happy.
Ardana bowed slightly then kissed Ratna's hand respectfully. “Iya, Aunt. I deliberately came to visit to see the state of Auntie, Lelly and Om Rudy. Oh, yes, where did Rudy go?”
“Om Rudy has not returned from yesterday, there is still a task in Mapolresta Bogor. I think it will be a new afternoon to go home. Come on, let's go ahead!” Ratna invites Ardana and Lellyta back to the living room in front.
“Kak, I made you a drink first, yes?” Lellyta broke away from them before Ardana could be prevented who did not want to drink anything.
What's okay, it looks like Lellyta deliberately let him chat more with the middle-aged woman he should either call a foster mother or whatever her name is. Although Ratna never asserted that, but her treatment of Ardana as if the young man was her biological child.
Ardana followed Ratna all the way to the living room. The two sat facing each other separated by an oval-shaped wooden table whose top is coated with the number one quality marble imported from Italy in bluish green with a beautiful abstract pattern.
“How are you doing in Jakarta? Lellyta said, now you work in Bogor. Is that right?”
Hearing the word of the service, Ratna shriveled.
“Why didn't you tell Auntie and Lyta first that you were going to work here before? If you have said everything will be Om and Aunty take care of, that means that you do not need to bother looking for a boarding place or contract that suits your wishes.”
“I think it's better to live independently, Auntie. And indeed still commuting Jakarta and Bogor. After all there are many colleagues who live not far from where I work I work.”
“Where do you work now?”
“Baihaqi Armed Corps. Five days ago I just started on duty.”
Not long after, Lellyta appeared with a tray of three cups of cold tea with real lemon slices on the edges.
“Mami wants Sister to stay here. I hope Big Brother doesn't mind,” said the girl while giving Ardana a drink.
Ardana who is reluctant to smile tries to be able to make a knotty smile with the look of her eyes as if she is happy. I don't know if the mother and the child in front of her can read her heart. Years ago, Lellyta's older sister Stella Marinia was her lover. The two of them meet accidentally in a bookstore when Ardana goes to Bogor. From then on the two became increasingly familiar and began to grow feelings of mutual love and love.
Within six months of the first meeting, Ardana and Stella had a romantic relationship without being noticed by the girl's parents. However, the problem came when the relationship between the two of them was discovered by Rudy Wijaya, Stella's father who was still clinging to a perspective that differentiates social status. The Brigadier's rank police did not approve of the relationship. Only Lellyta has secretly supported her sister's relationship with Ardana.
Stella's reaction then surprises Rudy and Ratna. Their firstborn son became the one who always resisted their desire not to approach Ardana. Ardana who is reluctant to be the cause of the problem asks Stella carefully to end their relationship. Stella refused and was firm on her stance.
In the midst of the feud, no one knew Stella had stage three blood cancer. Ironically, Ardana was the first to realize the situation experienced by the girl of his heart. He also tried to make Stella recover and not think about the problems they faced. But destiny says something else. That beautiful girl has no power against destiny. In the arms of Lellyta and her parents she passed away without Ardana beside her.
After Stella's death, Ardana secretly meets Lellyta who is willing to show Stella's tomb. The heart-wrenching girl who was not with him in the last moments of her life was already lying quietly under the cold marble hood. Lellyta let Ardana cry beside her sister's grave, then told her that her parents regretted reading everything Stella wrote in her diary. In it there are many experiences of the girl during her life while still with Ardana.
Relations between the two parties that previously deteriorated then turned into a warm family. Rudy and Ratna are finally able to accept Ardana and the circumstances of her life. Sometimes this young man visits the family of his late lover every month. Over time Ardana they considered as part of them.
And now they want him to live together in that big house.
Ardana did not immediately accept, but also did not express rejection. She alternately looked at Lellyta and her mother with a little seriousness. A little sigh helped him to answer calmly.
“If Om, Auntie and Lellyta want that, then fine. I'll stay here,” he said.
“But... I will stay after returning from the first field assignment. The next day I will leave for Bandung,” he added.
* * * * *
The tomb with a green marble mound looks as clean as any other tomb. No weeds growing in the middle. Likewise, the road that becomes access passes for those who are on pilgrimage, clean and no garbage left behind. The funeral attendant really proved his responsibility to take care of those who had rested quietly in the TPU area in the middle of the rainy city.
Stella Marinia
Born: 10 April 2000
Died: 9 March 2017
Before dusk really came, Ardana had already come there. He sat next to the tomb. Although there was no expression of sadness, his two eyes seemed to be glazed over. Slowly he reached out his right hand, wiping the tombstone part very carefully while smiling.
“I've got a better job. Although we've rested for quite a while but I'm sure you already know. I really wish you could be by my side and proud to see me now. But it's okay, as long as I keep coming here and remembering you until I actually catch up with you. Oh, yes, your mother and sister are still friendly to me. I was also asked to stay at your house,” said Ardana, as if the person she was chatting with was really with her.
This young man poured rose water on the tomb and then sprinkled the flowers he bought in front of the cemetery.
“I'll leave for Bandung, the day after tomorrow. There's a first task I need to complete. After coming home from there, I will fulfill your mother and sister's request to stay together. Don't worry about my situation, I'll take good care of myself and go home. I'll take my leave first, okay? See you later,” hisses.
Back, Ardana rubbed the tombstone tenderly as if she was caressing the head of someone she loved. He got up and turned around, leaving the burial area with a firm heart.
* * * * *
