DELENE

ENAM

"Delena, do you know where Joshua is?"

Delena frowned confusedly. Suddenly Om Arfa, Joshua's father contacted him and asked him where his son was. Then Delena remembered the man's words yesterday. Tonight their families should be having dinner together at Joshua's family home.

"Delena doesn't know, um. What's up?" answer the girl. He deliberately did not offend that the man had met him yesterday.

"Om intends to discuss Joshua's wedding with Selena. The boy should have known, but he didn't come."

Delena pecked and almost dropped the phone that was in her ear.

"Hello? Delena? You still there, son?"

Delena foolishly admired it until she realized that Joshua's father could not have seen it. He immediately replied and apologized.

"You're making Om worry. Yasudah, please let Om know if you call Joshua or see the boy."

"B. Okay, Om."

The phone connection was cut off, leaving Delena sitting limply on the cold floor of her room.

"Don't be stupid, Delena. You already know in the end they are going to get married," he said.

***

"Woy! Very lemes, why?" Miss Sarah, the most senior teacher at her course suddenly shocked the dreamy Delena that afternoon. The class is empty and they will be closed soon.

Delena shook her head, she gave a small smile before beginning to droop on both of her arms folded on the table.

"Don't be a rossa, Delena."

"Huh?"

"yourselves

I'm rigid

Ho-o-o-o..."

Delena put on a nauseous feigned expression after hearing the senior sing in a super discordant tone. Sarah would've been shaking her head had Delena not dodged so quickly.

"That dong, smile! Don't pout! Until Miss Henny finds out you were pouting in kayak class, got a scolding for sure." Sarah pokes Delena's nose which is now more cheerful. By the way, Miss Henny is the owner of the course where they work. He usually only comes at certain hours and on certain days. The middle-aged woman always emphasizes her employees to smile as much as any problem that is being faced outside the classroom. At least when in front of children, they should not be in a bad mood. And that's part of the job.

Delena rolled her eyes when one of her colleagues joined in and put on a curious face. "WHAT?" asked Delena.

"I missed what?" the girl asked innocently.

"Si Om Gavin shot our Delena, Lai," Sarah said casually.

"WHAT?" the two people who heard it shouted together.

"Miss Sarah knows where?" delena asked, this time slower. "Well, So, Bener?"

Checkmate. Delena was framed apparently. The girl pouted again while her two friends were already laughing out loud. They're so mean.

"I want to go home."

***

"Who the hell is he?"whispered one of them that Delena did not want to guess who it was.

"What is Shua's brother doing here?" delena asked without bothering to say hello. Hey, he's entitled to protect his hurt feelings.

"Are you going home, Del?" Joshua smiled at Delena's two friends and gave a small nod before refocusing on the woman in front of him.

"You can go first, let me be with Laila who closed the class. While we wait for an invitation." Sarah replies representing Delena who is just silent.

"Wait for your husband to pick you up, don't you mean Miss Sarah?" Delena rolled her eyes looking at the behavior of the young mothers. Very nice, God damn it!

"The rage is so high, Del."

"Huh? Who's jealous?"

"You." Joshua suddenly responded. Sontak Delena glared at him.

"That smile is faint..." Sarah looked at Joshua as she bit her lip. He immediately got a death glare from his junior-Delena who according to the woman was really cute.

"Piscok!" Delena sewot. The girl immediately pulls Joshua away from the place before getting bloodied and humiliated in front of her own ex-lover.

"Seriously, Brother Shua, what's going on here? I thought I was back in Jakarta."

"As much as you do, I don't want to come to that dinner, either" Joshua began. Delena was already about to let go of her grip on Joshua's arm as the man quickly grabbed his fingers. Joshua led Delena into his parked car not far from where they were standing while the girl simply complied.

For a while there was only silence in there. Delena suddenly felt like she was freezing not knowing what she was going to do. Who me? Where am I? Oh, awake!!!

While Joshua was just silently staring straight ahead, his gaze was blank. He may have chosen the word he was going to say.

"Del, do you know how my mama is doing now?" the man asked, looking unsure.

"Why, brother?" As Delena recalls, Joshua never told her anything about her mother all this time. But Delena still vaguely remembered the woman's face, even though Delena had only met her once. And that was when he was a kid, probably before entering Primary School.

"Papa's and Mama's marriage didn't go well until they decided to separate. I was a kid when I first found out that mama wasn't coming home."

"Then I grew up and I happened to meet him somewhere."

Delena was still listening. Joshua turned his eyes away from Delena for a while before returning to continue his story.

"I wanted to go up to her and was eager to hug her, Del. I might spill all my yearning for her. But in me, I know I can't. It hurts so much."

Delena had already shed her tears before Joshua himself did. The man clasped Delena's fingers and Delena knew she wouldn't be able to resist.

"Marriage is certainly something big. And for me it was so big, how I again saw the failure and pain of my brother's relationship. You must know that story. Then our relationship..."

Delena knew the story Joshua was talking about. They were still dating when Joshua's older brother got married and even divorced. The reason that at that time he did not understand, the woman felt she had no match and decided to divorce while bringing their daughter. And Delena never knew that Joshua was that broken when they were still together. He suddenly felt regret emerge from within him. Her instincts take over and Delena is suddenly in a warm embrace with Joshua, her ex-lover. Not only that, Joshua was also his sister-in-law's candidate. The last fact made Delena immediately take off their embrace quickly.

"I have to go home, brother." The girl got out of the car without waiting for a reply from the man. He wiped his tears violently before running away from the parking area and taking public transport on the highway.

While Joshua was trying to control his emotions, the man was speechless staring blankly at the seat next to him where Delena had just left.

"I wouldn't be this sad if you were Delena."