Guardians of the Heart #2
Extra Part 3
Yudha Pov
My relationship with Kekey is getting better and better after the incident with the Tukul, he seems to have returned like the old Za. Who would be jealous every time I see a woman approaching me, including when I introduce her to high school friends she will introduce herself as “Candidate wife, Mas Yudha.”
Happy, of course, because it means that our relationship is now one step ahead and just waiting for time for him to come back to me again.
But all had to experience a little setback when unexpectedly Raihan, whose brother Widy had to work together on a project with Kekey. Not just him but me - it was like being reminded again of the hardest moments in our relationship when we met him.
So I was very able to understand that she came back a little closed herself to me, until finally one night when I came to her house unexpectedly she hugged me tightly. I was surprised to get such a reception that even he didn't seem to want to let go of his hug.
“Why did Mas Yudha not tell me that Father and Mother advised Mas Yudha to leave me?”
I was surprised to hear about it, all this time I always tried to cover it up so that he did not know about the involvement of his parents because after all they were just a giver of advice and I was the one who made the decision.
I still remember that day when my condition was in a mess I went to Dad and Mom to talk about the problems I was facing. They were of course surprised and also indecisive like me, but they were wise parents.
“You are a man, Yud.” Dad started talking after hearing my story, “Be the man in charge.” Father was silent for a while then again said, “At this time there is a woman whose life depends on you, she already has no future like other women and that is because she is trying to save your life.”
At that time I just bowed to hear Dad's words.
“As a parent, I can tell how other parents feel seeing their only daughter destroyed like that, so I hope you can take responsibility by being next to her, encouraging her to live… marry her, Yud.”
“Dad...” At that time I could not believe what I heard from my father's mouth that suggested me to prefer another woman over his own daughter, “What about me and Keyza?” my throat was already heating up withholding tears when I imagined having to part with the woman I loved the most.
“Life without him is like an undead who has a body, but no soul.” My voice trembled and my body went limp even just by imagining it.
Mother stroking my body gently made my throat even more choked, imagining not only that I would lose the woman I love, but that I would also lose the figure of Father and Mother whom I had considered my second parent, not only them but I will also lose the brothers I just had.
“Mom knows Kekey very well. Although very stubborn but his feelings are very soft, so do you. You're like Mom's own son and I don't want you two to live with the guilt of your whole life,” said Mother made me fall even more silent.
It took me a few days to make a decision, until I finally went back to my father.
“I have made up my mind.I'm sorry Yudha, Well, forgive Yudha for having to leave my daughter and get her hurt,” I couldn't hold back my crying anymore making Dad hug me for the first time.
“You've made the right decision, son.” That day I shed my tears in the arms of my Father who loved me like his own biological son, and that night I cruelly cut off his daughter.
****
Kekey's events, knowing that his parents were one of the reasons I made my decision in the past, made our relationship even better as if the misunderstanding between us had been resolved. But still he hasn't allowed me to call him Za. ckk, you stubborn bastard! But it doesn't matter to me that it's important he comes back to accept me like he used to.
Starting from my speech to Mamah by calling Kekey with “calon mantu Mamah” made our relationship grow rapidly, unexpectedly both our parents asked us to ask for engagement first.
Of course, I did not waste it, I immediately agreed to it even though Kekey had objected, it took effort and patience to convince him to agree to be engaged to me. It's actually very easy to convince him because I know in his heart he wants the same thing just that his ego covers it.
On the day of our engagement, she looked so pretty that it made me pangling for a while. His face was bowed in shame with red cheeks, indeed he was the image of an angel, and that angel God created only for me.
****
Damascus, Syria.
A few months after getting engaged I had to leave my fiancee for the job I had to carry. Not just any task, this time I am trusted as the commander of the forces that will carry out rescue missions hostage two WNI by rebels in Syria.
Currently, disguised as a UN humanitarian force and escorted by the Syrian military, we began our journey from Damascus to Ar-Raqqa, which took about 6 hours by road.
In the course of the trip that seemed gripping with the background of the roar of the jet fighter engine that flew low above us and the sound of gunfire from the snipers made us all speechless with our thoughts.
This is the real battlefield, the sound of gunfire and bombs in the distance seems to be commonplace, historic buildings that once stood magnificent even crowned by UNESCO as world heritage are now just ruins, he said, likewise with other magnificent buildings and also houses residents have now been destroyed.
Prolonged civil war over the years has made the beautiful country now look like hell, no one wins the war as per the saying ‘Win so charcoal, lost so abu’ that there is only destruction and pain.
I stared at the scene with a sliver, looking at the empty eyes of the gazes of innocent children who understood nothing made my heart feel sliced, she said, where children their age in other parts of the world are now chattering, laughing and going to school, but they must live in terror and fear.
I smiled as I recalled our last interview, “Za! Call me Za!” that sentence for a while blinded my heart into a craze, a simple sentence that I had been waiting for the most.
“Mas Yudha has to come home to marry me, or I'll catch up with Mas Yudha!”
The words full of anxiety and fear made my heart ache. When he got the call to Syria and was given the opportunity to lead the team, in addition to the feeling of heavy duty burden, he said, this time I also felt hard to leave Za and my family because I knew the task this time was much heavier than the previous tasks.
Not only who our opponents are but also the terrain that we do not recognize at all, but the harsh training in Kopassus makes us confident we will succeed in the mission this time according to the motto, “Better go home name than fail in the field of duty.”
And this time I will make sure to return home safely to fulfill my promise to marry the woman who is half my life.
Our vehicle stopped making me realize from daydreaming about a girl named Keyza Maharani.
“We're down here,” whispered Salim an informant who helped us.
We slowly started to get out of the car with the UN and Syrian flags. We all wore free clothes that had been soiled by dust, our heads and parts of our faces covered in a turban.
The sun had started to set making me squint my eyes around, an arid rock mountain range, there was nothing there like the middle of nowhere. Large stones scattered in some parts that can protect us, in addition to the rocks there are also trees that are thin dry as if one of the victims of the violence of civil war.
“We will pick you up here tomorrow at exactly 4 am,” said one of the Syrian soldiers escorting us, making me nod in understanding.
Salim gave us the code to follow him up the mountains. With the body down and the eyes alertly gazing around among the dim light of the sun that was beginning to sink we began to walk among the rocks, on our backs were blocked backpacks containing equipment that we would need in the mission later tonight.
After walking for a few minutes Salim led us into a cave hidden by dry branches. The stuffy air immediately greeted us when entering the cave, Salim continued to walk into the narrow cave which was getting darker and darker.
Salim said he accidentally discovered the cave while trying to escape from Ar-Raqqa a year ago. Several times he tried to get his sister out of there but always failed because of the very strict supervision of the rebels.
I walked ahead, behind Salim who was the guide, behind me were 7 members who participated in the mission this time. we walked far enough until finally in the distance there was a speck of light indicating that the cave exit had been seen.
Salim squatted at the mouth of the cave, he pointed westward and it was there that Ar-Raqqa was. Using binoculars I tried to observe the situation in the city that had been sealed off from the world because it had been controlled by the rebels.
It turned out that there was nothing different from the other cities that I saw on the trip just that the difference was that there were people with complete weapons scattered all over the corner of the city.
In the cave we prepared to make an attack, and, we went back to discussing the strategy that had been prepared until finally when the darkness of night had enveloped the city without our voice - even out of the cave and began to enter the city in the silence of night.
It's time! After less than two weeks we set the right strategy and try to get to know the terrain, finally tonight is the time.
There was no problem when we entered the city, some guards we managed to take down easily. The darkness of the night hid our arrival in silence, after again paralysing the rebels with soundproof rifles and partly using our bare hands we managed to enter and free the hostages.
It should have been our mission, but we had an additional mission to get Salim's brother out of Ar Raqqa as agreed when the Syrian man gave us more than enough information about the capital, the city of rebels.
I assigned 6 men to escort the hostages back into the cave, while Beno and I again walked increasingly into the city to bring his brother Salim. This is where the problem occurred, it turns out that his brother Salim seemed to have joined the rebellion so when we said that his brother sent us to take him, he said, he screamed to make them realize that there had been an intruder in their town.
The battle was inevitable, we both tried to retreat but the enemy as if there were from all directions, we were completely surrounded. Of course we both did not stay silent, we fought as we could and managed to knock out some enemies with TNI rifles, but the enemy was too much and our ammunition supply was dwindling.
We tried to retreat in search of a safer shelter, that's when I saw someone aiming at Beno and without a second thought I directly lunged at my colleague, I suddenly felt my left arm heat up and blood start to flow.
“Captain! You're shot!”
“It's okay!” seruku while returning to sit with weapons ready to aim, “Other people must have heard the sound of gunfire, they will help us.” I said while shooting several times, we are currently sheltering behind the rubble of the building.
And my prediction is right, my other comrades are providing assistance by shooting from above in the darkness of the night, sending the rebels running for cover.
The opportunity was not wasted me and Beno who immediately ran towards the mountain where the cave was with a shot as if following us. My left arm was getting hot I felt the bullet lodged there, the pain was so intense it started to feel piercing but it just made me more crazy, I flocked the rebels who were chasing us.
Killed or killed! It was the only option available back then and I chose to live. I must live to return to the arms of the woman who must be very worried about me, the woman who is currently crying in her prayers for my safety.
And I'm sure he would cry incessantly if he knew I was shot, and for that reason I hid the fact that I was really shot from him.
****
