FORBIDDEN TO FALL IN LOVE

46. Remembrance

Valeda sat with his back straight in his chair. His forehead wrinkled. Face seriously. He was thinking about what kind of relationship he had with Daniel.

"Who is Daniel?" ask Valeda to herself. Valeda scrunched his forehead. He was trying to recall the flash that flashed in his memory yesterday.

"Did that scar have anything to do with me? Did Daniel and I ever meet? But, I can't remember at all when."

Suddenly, Valeda remembered about her father who had seen Daniel before. Valeda immediately grabbed his phone lying not far from where he was sitting, and contacted Mr. Suherman.

"Father!" sambar Valeda when he heard the greeting of Mr. Suherman from across.

"Yes, Honey? What's up?" Mr. Suherman sounded shocked. "Did Daniel do something last night? Will you teach him a lesson?" accuse Mr. Suherman, because last night he warned his daughter to be careful. However, hearing his daughter suddenly call in an urgent voice, made Mr. Suherman think negatively.

"No, Pa! No!" answer Valeda.

"Then, what's up? Why do you sound so rushed?" Mr. Suherman asked back.

"When Papa met Daniel for the first time, Papa said it was like he had met Daniel before, right?" Valeda.

"Hmmm," Mr. Suherman tried to recall the incident where he first met Daniel when Valeda introduced him. "Yes. Papa did say that, " replied Mr. Suherman. "The face of Daniel is no stranger. But where have I seen him, huh?"

Valeda gave his father time to think longer. He was too curious as to who Daniel really was. The urgent work that was on his desk, was not even able to distract him. "How, Pa? Does Papa remember anything?" urged Valeda.

"No... Papa doesn't remember anything."

"Could Daniel be one of Papa's colleagues' children?" terkah Valeda's. He considered all the possibilities, given that Mr. Suherman knew many people during his lifetime.

"Maybe, too," replied Mr. Suherman. "But Papa has a lot of colleagues. Papa doesn't remember all their children."

"What about the child who has a special sign?" Valeda remembers the scar Daniel had.

"What sign do you mean?"

"A scar, for example?" ask Valeda.

"Hmm, the scar..." Mr. Suherman repeated Valeda's words. "If the child has such a scar, surely Papa remembers it. Could it be more specific?"

"Former burns" Valeda replied quickly.

"Daniel has a burn scar?"

"Yes. He's got a scar on his neck. Val hadn't noticed him all along. But, if you look at it carefully, it's a burn scar" Valeda said.

"If it's not too visible, does that mean it's an old scar?"

"It seems so," Valeda agreed.

"If it's a child with a burn scar on the neck, Papa never seems to know him" replied Mr. Suherman in the end.

Valeda sat down slumped in his chair. 'So, Papa doesn't know either, ' he thought desperately. But, Daniel's behavior earlier, clearly showed a tremendous sense of anger. Valeda didn't like to see Daniel that way, but Daniel wouldn't say why he was angry. He himself found a dead end.

"But..."

Valeda sat up straight as Mr. Suherman began to speak again. "But what, Pa?"

"When we talk about fire, there was a fire in our old house, right?"

"Old house? A fire?" Valeda doesn't understand.

"First, when you were a kid, we lived in a house near the beach. But, there was an unpleasant incident. The doctor said, You are traumatized to the point of forgetting the incident. Do you not remember it yet?" ask Mr. Suherman.

"Before Papa told me, are you okay now? Papa was afraid that your trauma would have a bad effect" said Mr. Suherman.

"Yes, Val is fine. Val wants Papa to tell me everything" replied Valeda. Valeda really couldn't remember anything her father said just now. About their old house, or about the fire that ever happened. The only way, indeed, was to listen to the story from Mr. Suherman, even though it meant that he had to open up old wounds that he did not want to remember.

"So, when you're three, we're still living in a house near the beach. Actually, Papa and Mama have been living there since Papa's business advanced. Everything goes perfectly until you celebrate your third birthday."

Valeda tried to remember what happened when he was three years old, but nil. Valeda found nothing in his memory.

"Papa invited whoever you wanted to invite back then. There are a lot of friends coming. Your birthday atmosphere is so great. Unexpectedly, when Papa and Mama didn't notice you, your friend started a fire in your Mama's greenhouse."

Valeda closed his eyes. His head throbbed painfully. Flash after flash flashed rapidly in his closed eyes. Valeda can see a handsome little boy wearing a blue shirt at first glance. Then another child walked behind him. In the last flash, flames raged in front of him. Valeda can sense very hot air.

Valeda opened his eyes. He breathed the air quickly. Valeda felt like he was drowning. He can't breathe very well. Cold sweat soaked his temples.

"Val, are you okay?" ask Mr. Suherman from across the street.

Valeda managed his breathing with great difficulty. He tried to set the rhythm of his fast-pounding heart. "Y-yes, Pa.." replied Valeda.

"Papa's going there now!"

"That's okay, Pa!" reject Valeda. "Val can handle this well" he continued. Valeda did not want to make a meaningless furore and made the people in his office panic.

"Are you sure, son?" Mr. Suherman did not immediately believe Valeda's words.

"Yes, Pa," Valeda's voice again sounded steady. Valeda can control himself. "Then, what happened that day?"

Mr. Suherman took a deep breath. Actually, he did not want to continue the story. Mr. Suherman's been keeping the wound tight for years. He did not have the courage to tell it from his own mouth.

"Pa... It's okay, Pa," said Valeda, wanting to convince her father. "Val is ready to listen. Can Papa tell me about the continuation?"

"All right..." Mr. Suherman surrendered. "The fire quickly crept because in the greenhouse was a lot of furniture made of wood and bamboo. You're in that greenhouse."

"Why did Val survive?" ask Valeda. The feather stands. Sweat began to flow across his temple. Valeda could feel his hands getting cold.

"The boy took you out. At that time, the fire was huge. Papa's looking for a way to get in. But, a child saved you. She wrapped you in wet clothes and walked out of that greenhouse. Indeed he should have risked his life for you, because he caused the greenhouse to burn down, "Mister Suherman sounded furious at the end of his sentence.

"The boy who saved Val is the one who burned the greenhouse?" ask Valeda. Valeda's eyes closed again. He clearly remembered there were some children there back then. "Is that kid really doing it?"

"Yes. There's only you two in that greenhouse."

"Both?" whispered Valeda slowly. "Pa, were there no fatalities in that incident?"

"Nothing."

"Papa sure?" search Valeda.

"Of course Papa is sure," Mr. Suherman sounded resolute. "Papa called the police to investigate the incident."

"Then, what's the fate of the boy?"

"The father cut off his working relationship with his father. The mistakes of children must be borne by their parents as well, because they are not good at educating children" replied Mr. Suherman.

"Does you remember the boy's name?" ask Valeda.

***