Friend Bed

Not Now

"Shakila!" call Aini and Fitri when you see Shakila who is currently unconscious in Aini's arms. Hearing Aini and Fitri yell, Dimas and Delia then let go of her embrace and approached Shakila.

"Dimas! Quickly lift Shakila's body into the house!" fitri's orders.

Dimas then nodded his head and raised Shakila's body into the room he was assigned to.

"Shakila!" delia said softly when she saw the body of her daughter who was currently lying limp on the bed.

"It must be very difficult to accept this reality. I know, this isn't easy for Shakila. I shouldn't have been selfish in asking you to take Shakila right now, Aini."

"No Delia, she's an adult. He also deserves to know the truth! We can't hide this thing continuously for twenty years."

"But Ma, look at Shakila. Look at it being like this, Ma. I can't bear to see him like this."

"Delia, this is a process that Shakila must go through. This is a reality that Shakila must know because she deserves to know her true identity!"

"Truely Delia, this is part of a process. The process that Shakila had to go through. Sometimes the truth is bitter, but we can't hide this truth forever, Delia."

Delia then seemed to take something from her bag. "It's wind oil. Please put this wind oil under Shakila's nose, so she'll wake up quickly."

"Yes right, said Aini. You'd better swab this wind oil, and blow Shakila's head off. I'm going to go back for a bit to make some warm tea for him!"

Delia nodded her head and started walking closer to Shakila and sat on the edge of the bed.

For a moment, Delia looked at her daughter's face. Tears then poured back down his face. She then stroked her hair and face, offered a prayer as she touched the tip of her head, rubbed the wind oil under her nose, and rubbed it on her forehead while frowning Shakila.

'My daughter, I've been waiting for moments like this for so long. Even though I know, every possibility can still happen. And the greatest possibility of that happening is your rejection, and I'm ready if you reject me because I realize I'm so dirty and you don't deserve to be your parents,' muttered Delia while holding tightness in her chest.

Before long, Shakila's eyes opened. When those eyes opened, Delia tried to get up from the edge of the bed. But the move was prevented by Aini. Delia then looked at the face of Aini who was shaking her head.

"Stay here, Delia. Stay here because she's your daughter!" aini pinta.

Fitri who saw Shakila had woken up then approached her and gave her a warm sweet tea.

"It's Shakila, have a drink!"

Shakila then sat on the bed drinking the warm tea given by Fitri. "Thank you, Oma," said Shakila.

"I'm okay, maybe I was a little surprised because I didn't think I was the real me."

"I'm sorry" Delia said slowly.

"I'm sorry if this reality is interfering with your life and ruining your happiness. I'm sorry if you had to have parents like me. I won't force you to admit to me if I'm your real mother. I don't want to force you, because this reality is so bitter for you."

Dimas then approached Delia and Shakila. "That's exactly what your mother said, Shakila. We don't want to force you to acknowledge us as your parents. We know ourselves well enough, it must be a very hard thing for you to know the fact that we are your biological parents" Dimas said.

"Delia, we better get out now. Let Shakila calm her mind."

Delia then nodded. However, just as he and Dimas were about to step out of the room he suddenly heard a call from Shakila.

"Wait a minute!"

Delia and Dimas then turned his body. "Please tell me what you've been doing in prison for decades?" shakila said while bowing her head.

Delia and Dimas then looked at each other and looked at Aini and Fitri who then nodded their heads.

"Shakila, Dimas used to be Mama's ex-husband" Aini said.

"Then we divorced, but at that time Dimas still often teased Mama until Papa Roy's patience ran out and imprisoned Dimas into prison."

Aini then nodded her head at Delia to ask to continue their story. "At that time, Dimas had a slightly dark and mischievous youth. His harsh prison life eventually got him involved in a major fight that resulted in one of the prisoners being killed by Dimas, and as a result Dimas gained an extension of his prison term to twenty years. While one of the prisoners who also became a culprit of the problem did not get an extension of the prison term. I felt sick, especially when I was just married to Dimas in prison a few days before the incident."

Delia then took a deep breath and exhaled while wiping away the tears that had soaked her face.

"One year after that incident, one of the culprits of the commotion that occurred in the prison was finally released. I then met one of the culprits who had been free to admit his crime if he was the one who plunged Dimas into a bloody fight. But he refused, not only refusing but he also nearly raped me. I was so cornered, and when I saw the knife near us. I thoughtlessly thrust the knife at the man. He finally died instantly. I was so panicked then. I then ran to get my son and took him to Jakarta, then left him to Aini. After that, I returned to Jogja and surrendered myself to the authorities. That's our dark past, Shakila. That's why I decided to leave you with Aini, because we don't want you to grow up in an unhealthy environment that can scorn you at times. We don't want you to be depressed, we don't want you to live under mental and psychological pressure. We just want you to live a happy life, like other children who live in the affection of a complete parent, and not a troubled parent like us, really we don't want to see you hurt, Shakila," Delia said with sobs after closing her sentence.

"Shakila, forgive us. I'm sorry if you have to have parents like us. We accept whatever your decision is, including if you don't want to think of us as your real parents" Dimas added, looking at Shakila, who now looks devastated. His face even looked so messy with tears that drenched his entire face.

Dimas then looked at Delia while wiping away the tears flowing down his wife's face. "Come Delia! Let him calm down."

Delia then nodded her head, then glanced at Shakila who was currently still sitting on the bed, crying in the arms of Fitri while bowing her head.

'Maybe not now, but in the future I can feel the answer to the prayer I repeat every time I bow down, ' Delia murmured as she walked away from Shakila.