Guarding Love

CHAPTER 60 - Special Arlen (Prospective In-Law)

Arlen and Kirei had agreed to meet at the cafe at 6am to leave for Berlayar Beach, the fishing village where Kirei was born, the fishing village was not so far from J city, the fishing village was not so far from J, only 1 and a half hours from the city center to the North. Because Arlen can't drive yet, so as usual, it's the stars who bring the car. Arlen does not like to wear a driver because it is not easy to get along with others.

"Ck. I'm a mosquito dong." The Star complains so Arlen and Kirei are already in the car. Arlen who originally wanted to sit in the back with Kirei finally moved to the front sitting beside the Star.

"Now, I'm moving.. satisfied?" Arlen and Bintang smilingly won and started running the car. An hour and a half passed by interspersed with small talk about the fishing village there and the excitement of looking for fish or shellfish. Before arriving, they stopped by a stall near the village for breakfast, at this stall Kirei usually entrust the cake or snacks made to be entrusted, to be sold by Nek Marni.

"Mrs Marni.. Order rice uduknya 2, Fried noodles 1 and warm tea 3 ya nek." Kirei ordered and Nek Marni immediately prepared.

"Who's the same? Whoa they're dashing yo.." Nek Marni asked who had glanced at the two handsome young men since. Nek Marni is 62 years old but still looks healthy and fresh, does not look 62 years old.

"This is Mr. Arlen and his secretary Mr. Bintang, his boss Kiki in the city of Nek, they want to find a fresh fish." Replied Kirei who had helped bring her food to Arlen and Bintang.

"This sir please." Kirei also sat down and enjoyed his favorite meal of fried noodles voraciously. After breakfast they continue the journey which is only a 5-minute walk away, their car was left next to the Nek Marni stall just so as not to get stuck in the many fish delivery cars that like to park their cars.

Walking in this fishing village must use the appropriate costume, fortunately they have prepared it according to Kirei's direction. "Wear the most comfortable clothes but keep warm, shoes? Please wear flip-flops or boots all over." That's Kirei's message and according to instructions, they choose to wear crocs sandals alone remain comfortable and look fashionable.

After walking for about 5 minutes they finally arrived at the tiny wooden house but looked neat and warm.

"Dad.. Mother.. Kirei's home.." Kirei shouted as soon as he opened the door of his house. It was followed by Arlen and the Star that followed far behind.

"Please come in sir, sorry if the house is small." Said Kirei while putting his bag on the living room chair that was at once the dining room.

"Today I let go of the kiss, because it's in your house." Whisper Arlen in Kirei's ear and make the girl surprised, he just remembered not to call father. Kirei smiled and shrugged his shoulders and apologized.

"Kira.." Call her mother who just came in from outside.

"Mother where? Kirei call no one." Kirei said hugging his mother.

"Mother's from Ki's market, I haven't been home in a while." Answer his mother and Kirei just remembered that Saturday was quite crowded in the market.

"Oh yeah, forget it's Saturday ma'am."

"This who's Ki?" Ask Mom to look up at Arlen and the Stars.

"This is Mr. Arlen Kirei's boss the owner of the cafe, and this is Mr. Star secretary Pak Arlen." Kirei introduced them and after getting acquainted with the Star gave 2 fruit baskets and 1 box of multifaceted doughnuts to Sinta.

"1 this fruit basket for Uncle Ben ya bu, Kirei often stories about the name Uncle Ben." Arlen said politely and mother accepted it with pleasure.

"Thank you sir for bothering, I will give it to his friend Ben if there is a stop here. You see, Ben never came ashore if it wasn't important." Obviously Mother for fear that they misunderstand if the title is not given to Ben.

"When did you buy it? How come there wasn't that in the car?" The whispers of Kirei and Arlen smiled.

"The star is ready, it's in the back of the car." Arlen also whispered.

"Thank you sir." Kirei smiled, as those fruits were extremely rare in their family, as they were expensive.

Soon Kirei's father came home from the sea and brought a lot of fish to sell to the market later. Before getting acquainted father cleaned himself first because he had been at sea all night.

"Sorry son Arlen, the father was cleaning first, already smelly fish." Dad chuckles amused because his whole body smells of fish when he just came home from the sea.

"It's okay sir, I'm also familiar because making a living is not as easy as it seems." Answer Arlen politely. Surely he will be polite, in front of him now is a prospective in-law.

"Dad, Mr. Arlen came here to ask for help find a fish master who guaranteed freshness. In the city it is difficult to get fresh fish, so Kirei also never eat fish in the city. It feels different." Kirei said and Arlen Kirei's eyes were very different at home. She was more talkative and also a little spoiled to her father, very adorable.

"Oh well, Jim's probably going to his aunt Rose's bar. Later you guys follow up there and ask him because yesterday he had complained that the restaurant that took fish to him was closed." Obviously father.

"But Jim came by tonight well, it's still morning. Can't go to the jermal?" Ask Kirei again.

"Can't kid, the jermal is far from here almost 2 hours in the middle of the open ocean. Not necessarily Arlen's and the strong star's boy." Reply father and Arlen also agreed, 2 hours on the ship must make him seasick, especially with the small ship, oh no!

"Just take them for a walk. Or want Arlen and want stars like to play water or mud for example?" Kekeh father while teasing the two handsome and dashing young men.

"Oh dad.where might play mud." Pekik Kirei and Arlen smiled at the extremely chatty Kirei today.

"May as well, but play mud for what?" Ask a star who has never been to a place like this.

"Catch fish, find crabs and clams." Kirei replied with a small grin, eager for him to prank the two young men of this city.

"Bole, who's afraid." Replied Arlen with conviction.

"Alright, but change clothes first, because dear expensive clothes will be dirty." Kirei then went to the room and brought 2 shabby training shirts and pants belonging to his father, then 2 worn boots. While he himself has also changed with short-sleeved shirts and knee-length pants and his yellow boots, with his long hair braided in two, wearing a wide hat and basket and tools in his hands. Ready to find clams and crabs.

"Geez, this beautiful girl is so seductive of faith." Inner Arlen did not blink looking at Kirei did not seem very cute to him.

"Come on!" Kirei took the 2 young men of the city and walked far to the front after leaving the alley of his house, they came down from the dock stairs which was indeed the water was receding that morning.

Arden's first steps had slipped, the Stars helped him up and Kirei laughed gigglingly at Arlen's behavior. They continued to travel further to the front to find shells, Kirei dug sand mixed with mud near the water and had found some shells there, while Arlen took the stone instead, Even worse stars get nothing. But after being taught by Kirei they both finally managed to get the clams and screamed excitedly. The scallop-seeking event had already lasted half an hour and the mussel basket had been full. Kirei invites them further away from the mangrove forest in search of crabs. The seashell basket was already in the hands of the Star because it was too heavy for Kirei to lift and Arlen did not allow the girl to be exhausted.

"Just put that clam in here, it won't go away." Kirei pointed to the corner of one of the mangrove tree roots to put a basket of clams and the Star followed the advice. They continued to enter the deep muddy mangrove forest. Many times Arlen and the shooting stars or their feet are embedded in the mud. They screamed and laughed, held each other and helped.

"Ki. wait, we've got a hard way." Call Arlen who sees Kirei is far away from them. Then Kirei went back to the 2 young men of the city who were already full of mud even on their handsome faces.

"Hahaha. walking in the mud tuh should be able to lighten our bodies, walking like floating loh." Kirei then walked small and did look light.

"But Kirei, you're light, we're heavy." Denying the Stars does not accept.

"No. Look at that guy, he can. Well, but I have to get used to it." Kirei pointed to a father at the end of the mangrove forest and indeed the father was seen bongsor and tall strapping. Arlen and the Star only scrunched their eyebrows in confusion.

"Draining body? Like that kung fu movie?" Arlen's whisper in the still-still Star pulled his foot from the mud.

"Well, here be careful not to fall. The mud is harder so it's easy to walk here, but there's a lot of sharp roots like that." Kirei pointed at the roots that had sprung out from the mud and the two handsome young men shuddered in horror.

"Don't be afraid, here the mud is hard so just walk as usual." Kirei continued in his footsteps before long he shouted for Arlen and the Stars to approach him.

"That's a big crab." Appointing Kirei then with the stick that Arlen had been holding he pressed the crab slowly Kirei took it carefully so as not to get clamped. Kirei lifted the crab by tightly holding the 2 crab claws and suckling the Star took the rope in his bag to tie this claw. With fear and trembling hands finally the Star managed to tie the claw that Kirei was holding and put into the net that Arlen was holding.

"Well, your girl is amazing." The Whisper of the Stars and Arlen smiled proudly.

After getting 6 crabs, they returned to the place where the clams had been to take it and returned home, after the struggle through the mud of the curse. That's how the stars call it.

"We go home first, take a lunch bath and if the sea rises we go fishing." Tell Kirei and the two of them just follow his orders.

"Mom.." Call Kirei after you enter the house.

"Sister..." Pekik Sinta who has gone home from school because it is noon. Arlen and Bintang take a bath in turn then last Kirei because he is not too dirty. Kirei has brought 2 pairs of change shirts and ************new course purchased mother in the market. After that Kirei cleaned the mud-filled clams by Arlen who was sitting with a squatting chair in the front yard of the small house, they together cleaned the mud from the clams to cook immediately.

"This is Ma'am.Kernya partly boiled, yes, the crab is also 2 tail steamed only." Pinta Kirei to his mother who had prepared the seasoning, Kirei assisted Bintang already peeled the onions and picked the chili.

"Cooked and steamed Ki? Usually cooked sweet sour, pasture sausage, black pepper or garlic seasoning." Ask Arlen who was helping Sinta peel the apple.

"Yes, my father and I prefer boiled clams and eat them with sour chili fresh. Because the shell is just taken from the sea it is still sweet and fresh. Crab also, if steamed original taste crab alone is also delicious without spices of sorts. The ingredients we take directly from nature so it still feels natural sweetness. If the city is not fresh, so many spices to add flavor. Though the taste of the seafood itself is delicious, it must be fresh ya..." Kirei and Arlen understood.

After a long conversation they finally get to lunch which is past the hour. The one who ate the most was of course the Stars.

"Well, it's really good" she said while still eating boiled clams and then turning to steamed crabs. Kirei gave a small smile and Arlen patted the shoulder of the Star.

"Slow Bin, remember our struggle to get up in the mud for this food. So eat it don't rush, it must be infused." Arlen said and in reply to the laughter of everything. The joyful lunch was finally over, it was all over. Shortly from lunch they were welcome to enter Kirei's room for a short break, initially they refused but Kirei forced, while waiting for the tide another 2 hours. Just 10 minutes in the room, the 2 people had already slept soundly.

"It looks like they're exhausted." Said Kirei softly while peeking into his room. While Kirei prefers to help his mother wash clothes and clean the house, he is used to doing these things as his routine. Every time he goes to school to find shells or crabs and cook and clean the house, the night he studies.

It was late in the afternoon and the sea had gone up, but Arlen and Bintang were still not out of the room. Kirei was still chatting with his father in the front room.

"Dad.no need to send any more money to Kirei, Kirei's salary is good enough to live in the city."

"It wasn't dad who sent Ki, but Uncle Ben, he was worried you'd suffer living in the city." Reply to the father who is still chewing the pear that has been peeled by Kirei.

"Uncle Ben, Kirei pity look uncle, he alone has no family. Why didn't she marry again?" Kirei asked but his father only shook his head.

"We can't force son, he loves his wife and children so much. But yes, that's how life is." Father could not continue his sentence, Kirei also understood and did not ask again.

"It's late afternoon." Kirei opened the room door and saw that Arlen was awake and sitting at Kirei's study table looking at his teenage photo.

"Ehm. sir." Call Kirei to Arlen and immediately close the picture in shame, Arlen stands up while kissing Kirei's lips, the girl only covers her face with both hands after Arlen releases her kiss.

"Your punishment." Arlen and Kirei said they knew what punishment was for. They did not realize that the stars had actually woken up and peeked and smiled and closed their eyes again. Kirei immediately came out of the room after telling him to get ready for going fishing.

"Hahahaha, that's as far as it seems." Laughter Star and Arlen hit him with a pillow.

"Basic, you peeked yes.." Arlen immediately combed his hair and was about to leave the room, but the stars kept teasing him.

"Where is your father and the others?" Ask Arlen who saw the house was empty.

"Father has gone to the sea, mother usually help a manager of salted fish around here to clean anchovies and shrimp that have been dried, Sinta must follow the mother." Obviously Kirei was already complete with the fishing tackle he had taken from the warehouse. They went out of the house and headed for one of the ships that docked there, anyone's ship, because it was common to board a ship that docked to fishing if the sea water had risen.

"We're just here. If it's too far back on land." Kirei stopped on the 7th ship they had passed since. Arlen and the Stars just follow. They began fishing with bait made by his father made of shrimp and dried fish tetelan then finely ground, given a little water and formed round.

"The dream is like a terrace." The words of the Star and Kirei confirmed.

"If you have time tomorrow morning, I'd like to take you there. Catching a sea conch, it tastes so good." Said Kirei while pointing to his right far away there were many rocks and wood that looked old.

"Keong? Which is often sold in the market?" Ask Stars.

"No, it's a paddy snail, it's a sea conch, it's cleaner and tastier." Obviously Kirei and Arlen seem to be very interested, but they have to come back tonight after meeting Jim.

"Saturday ahead we're here again. I want my niece to play mud so they can play and I want to see Hanny's angry face. Especially the most agile Anson." Arlen already imagined what Anson would play mud here.

"If you want to take the twins, we better go there, wider and not many ships so it is safe for children and the mud is not too deep. There are also many cute colorful little crabs." Kirei explained again pointing towards earlier he wanted to find a snail.

"Maybe, I'll talk to Arden first." They continued fishing, Arlen who was very excited to have got 2 medium-sized fish always tease the Star who still did not get anything. Finally the Star went away looking for a place that she felt would get fish. After being left alone, Arlen and Kirei seemed to sit closer and look friendly, Arlen did not waste the opportunity by occasionally stealing kisses, either peeping his cheeks or embracing Kirei's shoulder.

In total there were 8 fish that they got that afternoon, Bintang finally got 2 fish, Arden 4 and Kirei 3. They went back to the dock to go home and there turned out to be Jim who also just arrived.

"Om Jim." Call Kirei from the end of the alley to see Jim walking towards his house.

"Kirei, you go home.. How are you?" Reply Jim who saw Kirei running towards him.

"Well, we're here to wait for you, soon we're going to aunt Rose's bar to find." Kirei.

"Oh. om it's been there since noon. It's a fish from Ben and there's some abalone that he deliberately separated and didn't sell." Jim gave some of the parcels he held to Kirei and there was also 1 more net with a very large fish.

"The fish is so big." The stars were surprised to see it.

"Om, this is Kirei's boss coming to find Om, want to ask the fish supply to his restaurant which is planned to open next month." Kirei introduced them and decided to sit down in the chat and maybe start a business. While Kirei has brought the seafood to his mother in the kitchen and helped cook.

The enormous fresh fish was cut and some of it was kept for tomorrow the rest along with the fish they were fishing on were cooked various menus by Kirei and his mother. Some are fried then sweet sour sauce, fried dry with soy sauce chili, some are in steam, according to the taste he wants so that his guests can eat greedily.

"His balone wasn't eaten by Kirei?" ask Jim who has eaten with them.

"no, for dad, for me." He answered and Jum nodded in understanding.

"Oh yes, there are fruits for Uncle Ben, Jim later share it with uncle, boss Kirei who bought it earlier." Kirei said, bringing the fruit basket to Jim.

"Gee.. Ben must be happy. It's been a long time since he tasted fresh fruit." Jim saw several types of fruit arranged neatly and beautifully in the basket.

"Why is Uncle Ben not going ashore? Poor uncle's always there lonely." Ask Kirei again.

"Hhh... Ben was so stubborn, he didn't want to see and meet people because he was afraid things used to happen to him again." Jim answered with a face full of sadness.

"What happened to you?" Ask the Star who is also curious about whose name is Ben because he does not get any information from his men.

"10 years ago, he was found stuck in the fish nets of jermalku members while at sea, soon they took him to the jermal which is the closest place to land. Miraculously, he was still alive with a bullet still lodged in his stomach. After he realized he pulled the bullet himself because in the jermal already available a complete medicine box. After that, he never returned to land. His job is just learning to be a fisherman and swimming for fish, making nets and growing vegetables in modified ice boxes." Obviously Jim and the Star curiosity deepened, so did Arlen.

"Didn't he tell me why he was at sea and shot?" Tanya Arlen finally made a sound.

"He just said he couldn't trust anyone anymore because he had been betrayed by his friend because his wife and children were also killed by his friend so he didn't want to meet anyone. He was silent in the middle of the sea. He's a good guy, in his spare time he's just looking for big sea fish, or squid, or abalone and telling me to sell it. After buying her needs she asked me to give the rest of the money to the kids in need around here." Jim continued while recalling Ben who was so kind but lonely.

"That's why I could finish school and go to college all thanks to ucle Ben." Kirei added.

"Yes right, he loves you so much, you're the only one he's met all along. The others never." Jim said again.

"Why om?" Kirei asked in surprise, thinking Uncle Ben often met other children.

"Say he remembered his wife and he had longed for a daughter." Answer Jim. Kirei became sad to remember that Uncle Ben was very lonely in his old days.

"I'm curious, can we go to your jermal o'm Jim?" Ask the stars again.

"May, but after we officially cooperate. Because I don't let anyone else come to my jermal. But people I work with sometimes like to stop by for a little while to see." Jim and the Stars agreed.

"Well, next Saturday we will come again to play, so Tuesday we can meet again? Where we should discuss." Ask the Stars and Jim mentioned a restaurant nearby for further discussion. After that Jim excuse me to come back because it's 8 p.m., he has to go back to the jermal.

"we're back now too?" Ask the Stars to Arlen.

"May not be too late back home. How's Ki?"

"Yes. come."

They finally say goodbye to Kirei's mother to return to J town that night.

TBC ~